Stop Hanford from becoming a National Radioactive Waste Dump – Hearings Starting‏

DavidDelk — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 19:45:28 +0000

Hi AfDers and friends,

It is time to comment at a public hearing scheduled in Portland on Tuesday, Oct 27th (7 PM at the Double Tree Inn near Lloyd Center – 1000 NE Multnomah) or via email or written letter.

Comments are needed on the proposed revisions to the Tri-party Agreement (TPA) setting out the schedule and conditions for the clean-up of the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. This revised TPA is in settlement of a lawsuit by the State of Washington against the US Department of Energy (USDOE)which is in charge of the clean-up. USDOE has had great difficulty in meeting any of the old clean-up deadlines (milestones) and the lawsuit resulted. Oregon also inserted itself into the suit and has entered their own agreement with USDOE.

Unfortunately, the revised TPA has hugh delays in the clean-up schedule. Whereas the old agreement required that all 149 single shell high level nuclear waste tanks be emptied by 2018, the proposed TPA delays that until 2040 and still leave 7 tanks unemptied. The old TPA required the complete treatment of all Hanford task waste by 2028. The revised version delays that deadline until 2047.

And the revised TPA still does not address the question of bringing more nuclear and other waste for storage at Hanford. Any agreement on Hanford must clearly ban on bringing additional waste to Hanford until the clean-up is complete.

Heart of America Northwest will be holding a pre-meeting session starting at 6 PM to inform citizens of our concerns with the proposed TPA.

If you cannot attend this meeting, your comments are still welcome. They can be emailed to TPACH@rl.gov or written comment can be mailed to Lori Gamache, Department of Energy, Office of River Protection, PO Box 450, MSIN H6-60, Richland, WA 99352

Please see additional information in email below from Heart of America NW or visit their website at www.hoanw.org.

David e. Delk, Alliance for Democracy – Portland Chapter 503 232 5495 www.afd-pdx.org

Date: Wed, 21 Oct 2009 18:11:27 -0400
From: lisa@hoanw.org
To: davidafd@msn.com
Subject: Stop Hanford from becoming a National Radioactive Waste Dump – Hearings Starting

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Heart of America Northwest

Proposed Settlement Agreement Delays Hanford Clean-Up by Decades

WA State-USDOE deal fails to include enforceable ban on USDOE using Hanford as a national radioactive wasted dump

Attend a Public Meeting Near You!

Meetings begin at 7pm

Hood River, OR: 10/26*
Portland, OR: 10/27*
Tri-Cities, WA: 10/29
Spokane, WA: 11/9*
Seattle, WA: 11/12*

Click here for locations and more information!

*Join Heart of America NW for pre-meeting workshops at 6pm

Heart of America NW around the web:

Heart of America Northwest’s Mission

At Heart of America Northwest, our mission is to advance our region’s quality of life through highly credible research, education, and participation of citizens in issues affecting the health, environment, and economy of the Northwest particularly as it affects Hanford.

see our website for more information

Heart of America NW needs your help

Our funding has taken a huge hit in this recession — please consider donating today so that we can continue our research, organizing and lobbying efforts to clean-up Hanford and protect the Columbia River.

DONATE NOW to our 501 (c)(4)DONATE NOW to our 501 (c)(3)

Every day, radioactive Strontium 90 enters the Columbia River at levels 1,500 times drinking water standards. Worse contamination from the leaky High-Level Nuclear Waste tanks spreads towards the River every day. Please pledge just twenty five cents a day, or a dime a day, for the coming year to stop the contamination!

Dear David,

This fall, take a stand with Heart of America Northwest against Hanford clean-up delays and using Hanford as a national radioactive waste dump. Join us at public hearings in Washington and Oregon and submit comments to let your voice be heard! We must stand together to remind the WA Governor Gregoire & USDOE to “Clean Up First” – enforce stopping more waste from being dumped at Hanford!

Proposed Clean-Up Delays (and other bad news)

Washington State accepts USDOE’s delays and missed deadlines
Hanford cleanup is DELAYED BY DECADES
Restrictions on importing off-site waste to Hanford still unenforceable
USDOE is still allowed to issue a separate decision next year to import and bury the most radioactive and toxic wastes at Hanford (called Greater Than Class C wastes)
Schedules to empty all single shell tanks by 2018 DELAYED until 2040
Schedule to treat all tank waste by 2028 DELAYED until 2047
Waste Treatment Plant “hot-start” date DELAYED from 2011 to 2019

for more information, see Heart of America’s factsheet

Background on the Settlement Agreement

Tri-Party Agreement (TPA) Negotiations began in 2007, when it became clear that the US Department of Energy (USDOE) was going to miss crucial deadlines concerning Hanford’s leaky High-Level Nuclear Waste tanks. USDOE had proposed to clean out single shell tanks (SSTs) at a rate of only one or two per year – while 140 SSTs remain! The negotiations fell apart, so the State of Washington sued USDOE in November 2008 to empty the tanks and treat the waste faster, and Oregon State joined the lawsuit in early 2009. USDOE and the states managed to reach agreements in August 2009. The Proposed Settlement Agreement outlines the conditions of the settlement with Washington. This settlement consists of two parts: a Consent Decree – its deadlines are enforceable in federal court – and a TPA change package. USDOE and Oregon reached a separate settlement.

TAKE ACTION! Attend a public hearing near you and submit comments

Public Hearing Dates & Locations:

Hood River, OR: 7pm Monday, October 26th
Best Western -1108 E Marina Way
Join HOANW for a pre-meeting workshop at 6pm

Portland, OR: 7pm Tuesday, October 27th
Double Tree Hotel near Lloyd Center
Join HOANW for a pre-meeting workshop at 6pm

Tri-Cities, WA: 7pm Thurs, October 29th
Richland Hampton Inn – 486 Bradley Blvd
HOANW will be present for the pre-meeting open house starting at 6pm
Spokane, WA: 7pm Monday, November 9th
Double Tree Hotel – 322 North Spokane Falls Court
Join HOANW for a pre-meeting workshop at 6pm
Seattle, WA: 7pm Thursday, November 12th
Quality Inn near Seattle Center – 618 John St
Join HOANW for a pre-meeting workshop at 6pm

If you cannot attend a hearing, please submit your comments today to TPACH@rl.gov!
Heart of America NW encourages you to send a copy of your comments to Governor Gregoire (WA) and Governor Kulongoski (OR)

HOANW’s TOP THREE TIPS FOR COMMENTING:

Include in the TPA and the Consent Decree an enforceable ban on USDOE adding more off-site waste until existing wastes are brought into compliance and are cleaned up: the “Clean-Up First” principle.
Include the highly radioactive wastes (GTCC) in the ban on burying more off-site waste at Hanford, and make it enforceable! USDOE’s exclusion of these hot wastes shows USDOE cannot be trusted unless the ban is enforceable.
Reject taking until 2040 to empty single shell tanks (SSTs), and empty more than one or two per year between now and 2022.

for more tips for commenting, see our blog!

We hope to see you at a meeting in the next few weeks. Remember, every voice counts to protect the Columbia River and the Northwest from Hanford becoming a national radioactive waste dump!

Heart of America Northwest

Economic Justice Action Group » Hanford Nuclear Reservation

Stop Hanford from becoming a National Radioactive Waste Dump – Hearings Starting‏