Coalition

CRIER         

The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes    July 24, 2003

 

 

The time has come to decide how the radioactive waste at West Valley will be disposed of.  The

Department of Energy (DOE) and the Coalition have very different views about how to do that.  The DOE plans to leave the radioactive waste in place, encased in concrete. The problem is that the site is geologically unstable and will erode into Lake Erie in time.  DOE plans to avoid this problem with long term stewardship … in other words they plan to watch it for several hundred years and stop it from eroding.

 

But is that a practical plan? If the waste is remembered at all, can we be sure that we will still have a government to provide that stewardship? And in that unlikely event, will funding be available?

 

We believe West Valley is not a suitable resting place for permanent disposal of radioactive waste because of the certainty of erosion.  It should be dug up and held in above-ground, retrievable, monitored, storage until it can be removed.  This will cost more now, but not in the long run.

 

The decision will be made in a few months. We can influence the choice by speaking out. If the DOE decides on the concrete option it will be too late to change our minds. We must act now to stop them. We have legal rights and have instituted legal proceedings but this is not enough. Public pressure can  make a difference.

 

What can you do?

 

You can download the attached resolution and read it. The message is simple:  Don't abandon radioactive waste on an eroding site.  Dig it up.   If you agree with it make copies. (Print it in landscape form.)  Then ask your friends to sign it and return them to us. We will collect them and present them to the DOE and our elected officials.  If you have any trouble downloading it, let us know.  Make as many copies as you need, the more the better.  This can be very effective.  If you want more information we have more detailed material you can read and pass on to your friends. There is not a specific deadline but the DOE plans to hold a hearing in December and make a decision after that. So obviously the sooner the better.

 

WE CAN STOP THEM.  NOW IS THE TIME TO DO IT.

 

We are a volunteer, citizen organization overseeing the clean up of the West Valley site.

 

 

The Coalition on West Valley Nuclear Wastes

10734 Sharp Street, East Concord, New York, 14055

wvwaste@localnet.com