[HealthPillarWell] Nuclear Waste Being Deregulated- Sent to Normal Waste Dump!!

[Guest guest]

Do we need a bigger example of how these large agencies are NOT here

to protect us? Can we become self-actuated to keep this from

happening?

Be Well,

Misty L. Trepke

http://www..com

 

Nuclear Waste being Deregulated-Sent to a Normal Waste Dump Near You

 

NIRS RADIATION ALERT and UPDATE (1/2004)

 

Nuclear Power and Weapons Waste to go to Regular Landfills

and other " Non-Regulated Management "

 

Environmental Protection Agency joins Nuclear Regulatory Commission,

Departments of Energy and Transportation in Deregulating Radioactive

Waste

 

Comments due to EPA by March 17, 2004

Email to: a-and-r-Docket

 

The US Environmental Protection Agency is planning to make a new

rule that would allow nuclear waste to go to places that are not

licensed for radioactive materials.

 

The goal appears to be to redefine radioactive materials, no matter

what their source (nuclear power, nuclear weapons, naturally

occurring or other), based on EPA-calculated and projected risks.

The new category of nuclear materials (once called BRC or Below

Regulatory Concern) would supposedly not need radioactive regulatory

controls. EPA does not consider all the potential health

effects of radiation and hazardous materials in estimating the

risks. They have never demonstrated the accuracy of their

predictions.

 

1) First, EPA would allow mixed radioactive and hazardous wastes to

go to facilities permitted for hazardous waste only (RCRA C

hazardous waste dumps and processors).

 

2) Second, radioactive waste (not mixed with hazardous) could be

permitted to go to places that do not have radioactive licenses or

regulations, such as regular garbage dumps or incinerators or

hazardous sites. EPA justifies this by claiming they will provide an

acceptable level of protection from radiation risk. It seems obvious

this would be a problem for communities around the waste sites, many

of which already leak.

 

3) Third, EPA suggests that a " non-regulatory approach " to

management of radioactive waste is an option and requests creative

ideas for " partnering " with waste generators or other schemes to

relieve the regulatory burden. Nothing would prevent radioactive

materials from going to recycling facilities and being mixed with

the normal recycling streams which are made into everyday

household items like toys, cookware, personal use items, cars,

furniture and civil engineering projects like roads and buildings.

 

4) This dangerous proposal dovetails neatly into the US Nuclear

Regulatory Commission's rulemaking to deregulate and release

radioactive material from control, ironically called " Control of

Solids. " The NRC is considering several options for nuclear waste

deregulation including continuing the current case-by-case release

procedures, starting new release procedures that are based on

projected risks, sending the waste to sites that are not licensed for

nuclear materials. NRC is claiming they could approve " restricted "

release of nuclear waste meaning certain conditions would apply but

that NRC would not enforce them--someone else, as yet un-named would.

 

The upshot is that NRC and EPA are joining forces to allow nuclear

power and weapons waste which is now generally required to be

regulated and controlled, to be released to waste sites never

designed to take radioactive materials and either deliberately or

unintentionally to the marketplace where it will come into routine

daily contact with us, our children and environment.

 

5) To make matters even worse, the US NRC and US Department of

Transportation are on the verge of finalizing new transport

regulations (TSR-1) that would exempt various levels of hundreds of

radionuclides from regulatory control in transit. This will make it

easier for NRC and EPA to deregulate nuclear wastes since they will

no longer require regulation, labeling or control as radioactive

material during transportation. (This is especially distressing

in light of increased security concerns about transportation of

nuclear materials that could be used for dirty bombs. More

unregulated nuclear materials will be on the roads, rails, barges

and aircraft.)

 

6) Finally, the Department of Energy is in the process of a

Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement on releasing radioactive

materials from its sites. In 2000, DOE halted the commercial

recycling of potentially radioactive metals from certain

contaminated area on its sites, but could resume it. DOE

continues to allow radioactively contaminated metals out for

unregulated disposal and to allow other radioactively contaminated

materials out for recycling or unregulated disposal--soils,

concrete, asphalt, plastic, wood, equipment, buildings, sites and

more. EPA's Nov. 18, 2003 notice would help legalize DOE's

release of nuclear weapons wastes from regulatory control.

 

ACTIONS:

 

1) Send a letter to the new EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt telling

him what you think of the EPA's proposed action, encouraging him

withdraw it. Administrator Mike Leavitt, US Environmental Protection

Agency, 1101A, Ariel Rios Building, 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue N.W.

Washington, DC 20460 leavitt.michael

 

2) Comment to EPA and get organizations and landfill boards to do so

at a-and-r-Docket The proposal is on the EPA website

(www.epa.gov/radiation) and will be posted with comments on NIRS

website (www.nirs.org) soon.

 

3) Tell EPA we need a 6 month extension to run their ideas by our

communities that will be impacted.

 

4) Let your elected officials know how you feel about these dangers

by sending them a copy of your letter to Secretary Leavitt, comments

to EPA, NRC, DOT and/or DOE and telling them about your opposition

to the federal rules that would deregulate and exempt nuclear

materials from regulation.

 

For more information contact:

Diane D'Arrigo, Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS),

1424 16th Street NW Suite 404, Washington, DC 20036,

dianed, 202 328-0002 ext 16

 

See NIRS website under Campaigns at www.nirs.org for more info and

actions.