Stop import of radioactive waste; support HR 5632

CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE NOW

On March 2, we told you about EnergySolutions’ scheme to import some 20,000 tons of radioactive waste from Italy to the U.S. EnergySolutions wants to bring this waste in through the ports of Charleston, SC and New Orleans, LA; ship it to Tennessee for various types of “processing”—including incineration and possible “recycling” into consumer and industrial goods—and then send what’s left for burial in the company’s shallow landfill in Utah.

This is a fight we have to win! EnergySolutions’ scheme would open the door to making the U.S. the dumping ground for the world’s radioactive waste. Help stop this dangerous precedent with your contribution here on our secure online server.

There have been two important developments:

Legislative: Reps. Gordon (TN), Whitfield (KY) and Matheson (UT) have introduced HR 5632, a bill to ban the import of such radioactive waste. The text of the bill is below. However, the bill isn’t going anywhere unless we all back it loudly and clearly. Please call your Representative today and demand that he/she cosponsor HR 5632, and work to get this bill to the House floor and on to the Senate. Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121.

*A big thank-you to those of you who have contributed toward our obtaining the technology necessary to enable you to send e-mails to your Congressmembers directly from our Alerts. However, we still have a ways to go before we can afford this. You can help with your contribution here. We want to make this available to you, but we need dedicated funding to do so. Your help is essential.

Regulatory: Thanks to all your efforts, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has extended the comment period on this proposal until June 10, 2008. Those of you on our mailing list will soon be receiving a comment postcard you can mail directly to the NRC, or to NIRS and we’ll send it on to the NRC.

The postcard states simply:

Don’t let the United States become the world’s radioactive waste dumping ground!

I urge the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to deny license applications IW023 and XW013. These applications would allow EnergySolutions to import some 20,000 tons--a million cubic feet--of radioactive waste from Italy into the United States. Energy-Solutions proposes to ship this waste into SC and LA,  “process” it in Tennessee, where it could be incinerated, dumped in regular trash landfills, or “recycled” into consumer and industrial goods, and then ship the remainder to Utah for shallow land burial.

This scheme is fraught with unnecessary danger, could increase radiation exposures to the public, and would set a terrible precedent. The United States must not become the dumping ground for the world’s radioactive waste. These applications must be rejected.

If you don’t want to wait, or aren’t on our mailing list, you can e-mail these comments, or your own thoughts, directly to the NRC [email protected] and reference license applications IW023 and XW013.

And if you want more postcards to pass out in your community, let us know and we’ll send them to you.

We can stop this scheme and prevent the U.S. from becoming an international radioactive waste dumping ground. Your actions will make the difference!

Thanks for all you do,
Michael Mariotte
Executive Director

Nuclear Information and Resource Service
6930 Carroll Avenue, #340
Takoma Park, MD 20912
301-270-6477

[email protected], www.nirs.org

For updates, technical and background information, stay in touch with Diane D’Arrigo of NIRS at [email protected]