Et tu, Senator Udall?
By Judith Mohling, For the Colorado Daily
"I agree with Senator McCain that nuclear power has to be part of the
> mix. It is clear that if we want to respond to climate change,
> nuclear power has to be part of the solution."
> -- Sen. Mark Udall, during a visit to Rocky Mountain National Park on
> Monday with Sen. John McCain.
>
> How could you, Senator Udall?
>
> You, of all people -- from one of the premier environmentally
> conservative and protective political families in the U.S. You must
> know that nuclear power is actually counterproductive to efforts to
> address climate change that are environmentally protective, effective
> and timely enough to avoid environmental catastrophe.
>
> The nuclear energy industry is striving mightily to have its
> dangerous, polluting technology, declared "clean" by employing
> remarkably creative, persistent "greenwashing" techniques, in order
> to have it included with renewable, clean energy sources as the world
> scrambles to confront mounting global climate changes.
>
> Have you fallen for their rhetoric?
>
> Funding diverted to new nuclear power plants deprives real climate
> change solutions such as solar, wind and geothermal energy of
> essential resources. The notion that nuclear energy is clean energy
> is misleading.
>
> Although nuclear power plants don't spew greenhouse gases into the
> atmosphere, they generate toxic radioactive waste that is deadly for
> centuries.
>
> The toxic waste that has been generated already adds up to more than
> 78,000 metric tons, with highly uncertain prospects for safe,
> long-term storage.
>
> You, Senator Udall, admit that Yucca Mountain appears to be a "dead
> project." The waste begins when uranium ore is mined. Not only does
> the mining process devastate the landscape like coal mining, it also
> leaves behind tons of radioactive uranium tailings that present a
> health hazard to anyone living nearby.
>
> On parts of the Navajo reservation where uranium mining once provided
> scarce jobs and where there are proposals for new mining, cancer
> rates are 17 times higher among Navajo teenagers than the U. S.
> population at large. Miners, too, suffer from radiation-related
> cancers and illnesses.
>
> Senator Udall, are you suggesting that Colorado and the nation
> regress to the deadly destruction of renewed uranium mining?
>
> Finally, nuclear plants increase the lethal threat of nuclear weapons
> proliferation. The plants in service today generate enough plutonium
> to build dozens of nuclear weapons each year in the United States
> alone.
>
> Israel, India and Pakistan took the nuclear power route to the
> weapons they have today, and some believe Iran wants to do the same.
>
> Senator Udall, to use the warning of a global movement currently
> gaining traction, "Don't nuke the planet!"
>
> Judith Mohling is a member of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center.
>
>
>
>
>
> At 12:46 PM -0600 8/28/09, Joan Seeman wrote:
> >
> >COLORADO SENATOR MARK UDALL
> >
> >
> >PROMOTES NUCLEAR POWER
> >
> > UNDERMINES FUTURE FOR
> >ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
> >
> >Just a few days ago, Sen. Mark Udall accompanied Senator John McCain
> >into the gorgeous mountains of Colorado. They were on a tour to
> >address the damage to the trees by the beetle. It's been reported
> >that climate change has increased the spread of the beetle. During
> >this tour, Mark Udall announced he supports "nuclear power" to help
> >with this crisis.
> >
> >As the current administration pushes for alternative energy, Udall
> >promotes the dirty industry called "nuclear power". What literature
> >has Udall been reading? I know there are always scientists on both
> >sides of an issue; but really, Udall is reported to be a serious
> >advocate for environmental protection. One of his "exceptions"
> >though, is the promotion of "Rocky Flats as a National Wildlife
> >Refuge" which he claims is now safe for hiking, biking and
> >picnicking. Many environmentalists were shocked, but considered it
> >his exception.
> >
> >In the last few years, Colorado farmers, ranchers, and homeowners
> >have been plagued with aggressive mining and milling for uranium.
> >Colorado Legislators have worked hard to pass legislation to help
> >protect communities from outdated and non existent regulations.
> >Several sites were so contaminated that the USEPA became involved.
> >
> >Please check out the website, "www.downtheyellowcakeroad". You can
> >watch this documentary (not very long) and it will give you an idea
> >of how destructive the mining and milling for uranium, "the front
> >end" of the nuclear fuel cycle is to human health and the
> >environment! Two local citizens groups, CCAT and TAC, who have been
> >personally affected by the uranium industry, produced this film to
> >help draw attention to this dirty and lethal front end nuclear
> >industry.
> >
> >Sad to say, many of the Indian tribes have been trying to alert the
> >public for sometime about the contamination and illnesses they've
> >had to bare from the uranium exposure. They've been so damaged that
> >the tribes now refer to uranium mill tailings as the "DEVILS DIRT".
> >Maybe Udall should meet with a few Indians and listen to their
> >scientists or meet with NRC, DOE, and USEPA about Colorado's very
> >own contaminated sites and sacrificed population.
> >
> >We have had two major EPA Superfund sites as a result of uranium
> >milling in Colorado...many other mills are just covered up with dirt
> >and grass. One of these sites was owned by Union Carbide; and most
> >interesting, they owned the entire town!
> >
> >The uranium production was managed by UMETCO (a subsidiary of Union
> >Carbide) and called Uravan; and since then the site and town have
> >been scraped and the tailings moved to a ridge nearby. Many
> >ex-employee's and citizens of the town have sued Union Carbide.
> >Unfortunately, they are in the appeals court. In the original
> >lawsuit the judge concluded that, "In short, under the
> >Price-Anderson Act the asymptomatic DNA damage and cell death that
> >results whenever one is exposed to radiation is not in itself a
> >bodily injury." What does Udall say about this government
> >regulation that protects the industry?
> >
> >The other "standby" Colorado uranium mill site in Colorado has 2
> >waste impoundments; they are approximately 144 acres and are on top
> >of a hill just above a community called the Lincoln Park Superfund
> >site. In the past, the contaminated liquid in the impoundments
> >found its' way into the groundwater and surface water; and,
> >contaminated the soil and drinking water wells in Lincoln Park.
> >Colorado has been responsible for cleaning up this site for 25
> >years. The facility has had 99 violations isued since 2002, very few
> >fines and it's still permitted to operate AND not cleaned up yet!
> >
> >Colorado doesn't have qualified staff to oversee our sites. Could be
> >why we've had 2 uranium mill superfund sites. There are no
> >credentialed nuclear experts and no certified health physicists.
> >Yet, the NRC approved this state to license and regulate for
> >them....We are called an "AGREEMENT STATE". Colorado could be more
> >protective if they chose to be; but they haven't and have ignored
> >citizen input. The oversite of uranium mines and mills are
> >virtually uncontrolled.... Colorado has over 3000 abandoned uranium
> >mines that are being ignored and there are about 14,000 nationwide.
> >
> >The mining industry and the NRC are out of control. We have ISL
> >uranium mining throughout Colorado (drilling holes directly into the
> >ground impacting aquifers) in the farmlands, in the mountains...even
> >in SOUTHPARK :).... MOST DISTURBING is the fact that there are NO
> >regulations when the industry prospects for uranium. If they
> >prospect and decide not to use the site, they are leaving mountains
> >of contaminated dirt - with a reclamation plan that only addresses
> >radium...and are not required to test for arsenic, cadmium,
> >chromium, lead (this list goes on..) the heavy metals that are
> >brought to the surface from the drilling......
> >
> >A company called Energy Fuels (Canadian) has leased a mine from the
> >Colorado BLM and has proposed to open a new mill in one of the most
> >beautiful countrysides of Colorado. They claim after they operate
> >(40 years), the uranium mill tailings (tons) will be left on the
> >land with DOE monitoring ....forever.. ? Why Department of Energy
> >oversite? These mill tailings are considered source material; and
> >might be recycled it in the future? How about now.
> >
> >Udall needs some lobbying from environmentalists! We need him to
> >explain why he believes Nuclear Power is an option for our future
> >when his own state is a sacrifice zone from uranium exploration,
> >mining, milling and waste dumping.
> >
> >Let's help educate Senator Udall that Nuclear Power IS NOT the
> >alternative energy we want for the future!
> >
> >Joan Seeman
>
>
> --
> ************************************************
> LeRoy Moore, Ph.D.
> Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center
> P. O. Box 1156, Boulder, Colorado 80306-1156 USA
> E-mail address: [email protected]
"I agree with Senator McCain that nuclear power has to be part of the
> mix. It is clear that if we want to respond to climate change,
> nuclear power has to be part of the solution."
> -- Sen. Mark Udall, during a visit to Rocky Mountain National Park on
> Monday with Sen. John McCain.
>
> How could you, Senator Udall?
>
> You, of all people -- from one of the premier environmentally
> conservative and protective political families in the U.S. You must
> know that nuclear power is actually counterproductive to efforts to
> address climate change that are environmentally protective, effective
> and timely enough to avoid environmental catastrophe.
>
> The nuclear energy industry is striving mightily to have its
> dangerous, polluting technology, declared "clean" by employing
> remarkably creative, persistent "greenwashing" techniques, in order
> to have it included with renewable, clean energy sources as the world
> scrambles to confront mounting global climate changes.
>
> Have you fallen for their rhetoric?
>
> Funding diverted to new nuclear power plants deprives real climate
> change solutions such as solar, wind and geothermal energy of
> essential resources. The notion that nuclear energy is clean energy
> is misleading.
>
> Although nuclear power plants don't spew greenhouse gases into the
> atmosphere, they generate toxic radioactive waste that is deadly for
> centuries.
>
> The toxic waste that has been generated already adds up to more than
> 78,000 metric tons, with highly uncertain prospects for safe,
> long-term storage.
>
> You, Senator Udall, admit that Yucca Mountain appears to be a "dead
> project." The waste begins when uranium ore is mined. Not only does
> the mining process devastate the landscape like coal mining, it also
> leaves behind tons of radioactive uranium tailings that present a
> health hazard to anyone living nearby.
>
> On parts of the Navajo reservation where uranium mining once provided
> scarce jobs and where there are proposals for new mining, cancer
> rates are 17 times higher among Navajo teenagers than the U. S.
> population at large. Miners, too, suffer from radiation-related
> cancers and illnesses.
>
> Senator Udall, are you suggesting that Colorado and the nation
> regress to the deadly destruction of renewed uranium mining?
>
> Finally, nuclear plants increase the lethal threat of nuclear weapons
> proliferation. The plants in service today generate enough plutonium
> to build dozens of nuclear weapons each year in the United States
> alone.
>
> Israel, India and Pakistan took the nuclear power route to the
> weapons they have today, and some believe Iran wants to do the same.
>
> Senator Udall, to use the warning of a global movement currently
> gaining traction, "Don't nuke the planet!"
>
> Judith Mohling is a member of the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center.
>
>
>
>
>
> At 12:46 PM -0600 8/28/09, Joan Seeman wrote:
> >
> >COLORADO SENATOR MARK UDALL
> >
> >
> >PROMOTES NUCLEAR POWER
> >
> > UNDERMINES FUTURE FOR
> >ALTERNATIVE ENERGY
> >
> >Just a few days ago, Sen. Mark Udall accompanied Senator John McCain
> >into the gorgeous mountains of Colorado. They were on a tour to
> >address the damage to the trees by the beetle. It's been reported
> >that climate change has increased the spread of the beetle. During
> >this tour, Mark Udall announced he supports "nuclear power" to help
> >with this crisis.
> >
> >As the current administration pushes for alternative energy, Udall
> >promotes the dirty industry called "nuclear power". What literature
> >has Udall been reading? I know there are always scientists on both
> >sides of an issue; but really, Udall is reported to be a serious
> >advocate for environmental protection. One of his "exceptions"
> >though, is the promotion of "Rocky Flats as a National Wildlife
> >Refuge" which he claims is now safe for hiking, biking and
> >picnicking. Many environmentalists were shocked, but considered it
> >his exception.
> >
> >In the last few years, Colorado farmers, ranchers, and homeowners
> >have been plagued with aggressive mining and milling for uranium.
> >Colorado Legislators have worked hard to pass legislation to help
> >protect communities from outdated and non existent regulations.
> >Several sites were so contaminated that the USEPA became involved.
> >
> >Please check out the website, "www.downtheyellowcakeroad". You can
> >watch this documentary (not very long) and it will give you an idea
> >of how destructive the mining and milling for uranium, "the front
> >end" of the nuclear fuel cycle is to human health and the
> >environment! Two local citizens groups, CCAT and TAC, who have been
> >personally affected by the uranium industry, produced this film to
> >help draw attention to this dirty and lethal front end nuclear
> >industry.
> >
> >Sad to say, many of the Indian tribes have been trying to alert the
> >public for sometime about the contamination and illnesses they've
> >had to bare from the uranium exposure. They've been so damaged that
> >the tribes now refer to uranium mill tailings as the "DEVILS DIRT".
> >Maybe Udall should meet with a few Indians and listen to their
> >scientists or meet with NRC, DOE, and USEPA about Colorado's very
> >own contaminated sites and sacrificed population.
> >
> >We have had two major EPA Superfund sites as a result of uranium
> >milling in Colorado...many other mills are just covered up with dirt
> >and grass. One of these sites was owned by Union Carbide; and most
> >interesting, they owned the entire town!
> >
> >The uranium production was managed by UMETCO (a subsidiary of Union
> >Carbide) and called Uravan; and since then the site and town have
> >been scraped and the tailings moved to a ridge nearby. Many
> >ex-employee's and citizens of the town have sued Union Carbide.
> >Unfortunately, they are in the appeals court. In the original
> >lawsuit the judge concluded that, "In short, under the
> >Price-Anderson Act the asymptomatic DNA damage and cell death that
> >results whenever one is exposed to radiation is not in itself a
> >bodily injury." What does Udall say about this government
> >regulation that protects the industry?
> >
> >The other "standby" Colorado uranium mill site in Colorado has 2
> >waste impoundments; they are approximately 144 acres and are on top
> >of a hill just above a community called the Lincoln Park Superfund
> >site. In the past, the contaminated liquid in the impoundments
> >found its' way into the groundwater and surface water; and,
> >contaminated the soil and drinking water wells in Lincoln Park.
> >Colorado has been responsible for cleaning up this site for 25
> >years. The facility has had 99 violations isued since 2002, very few
> >fines and it's still permitted to operate AND not cleaned up yet!
> >
> >Colorado doesn't have qualified staff to oversee our sites. Could be
> >why we've had 2 uranium mill superfund sites. There are no
> >credentialed nuclear experts and no certified health physicists.
> >Yet, the NRC approved this state to license and regulate for
> >them....We are called an "AGREEMENT STATE". Colorado could be more
> >protective if they chose to be; but they haven't and have ignored
> >citizen input. The oversite of uranium mines and mills are
> >virtually uncontrolled.... Colorado has over 3000 abandoned uranium
> >mines that are being ignored and there are about 14,000 nationwide.
> >
> >The mining industry and the NRC are out of control. We have ISL
> >uranium mining throughout Colorado (drilling holes directly into the
> >ground impacting aquifers) in the farmlands, in the mountains...even
> >in SOUTHPARK :).... MOST DISTURBING is the fact that there are NO
> >regulations when the industry prospects for uranium. If they
> >prospect and decide not to use the site, they are leaving mountains
> >of contaminated dirt - with a reclamation plan that only addresses
> >radium...and are not required to test for arsenic, cadmium,
> >chromium, lead (this list goes on..) the heavy metals that are
> >brought to the surface from the drilling......
> >
> >A company called Energy Fuels (Canadian) has leased a mine from the
> >Colorado BLM and has proposed to open a new mill in one of the most
> >beautiful countrysides of Colorado. They claim after they operate
> >(40 years), the uranium mill tailings (tons) will be left on the
> >land with DOE monitoring ....forever.. ? Why Department of Energy
> >oversite? These mill tailings are considered source material; and
> >might be recycled it in the future? How about now.
> >
> >Udall needs some lobbying from environmentalists! We need him to
> >explain why he believes Nuclear Power is an option for our future
> >when his own state is a sacrifice zone from uranium exploration,
> >mining, milling and waste dumping.
> >
> >Let's help educate Senator Udall that Nuclear Power IS NOT the
> >alternative energy we want for the future!
> >
> >Joan Seeman
>
>
> --
> ************************************************
> LeRoy Moore, Ph.D.
> Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center
> P. O. Box 1156, Boulder, Colorado 80306-1156 USA
> E-mail address: [email protected]