THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, May 6, 1995 TAG: 9505050018
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A14 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 42 lines
Since 1986, the Sierra Club has pressed the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on DOE's program to import nuclear-waste fuel rods into the United States. Our efforts included federal-court litigation from 1988 to 1991, culminating in a court injunction against DOE. Combined with a 1994 lawsuit by the state of South Carolina against DOE, the effect has been to force DOE to issue an EIS prior to any further shipments of the highly radioactive fuel rods to the United States.
A public-comment period ends on June 20. Citizens concerned about these shipments should write:
United States Department of Energy
Office of Environmental Management
1000 Independence Avenue, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20585-0001
More important, we urge concerned citizens to contact members of Congress to request hearings by Senate and House Committees. Estimated cost to U.S. taxpayers is from $1.4 billion to $2.1 billion. The 13-year program involves more than 1,000 shipments (22,700 fuel rods) of highly radioactive waste.
Three-quarters of this nuclear waste is in the hands of affluent allies of the Unites States, mainly in Europe. About half of the fuel rods contain only low-enriched uranium, making them of little concern for any possible diversion to a nuclear-weapons program. Alternatives exist for disposal of these 22,700 foreign reactor rods without their coming to the United States.
This program cries out for Congressional hearings. We urge Congress to conduct a thorough review before letting DOE add foreign reactor rods to our huge problem of domestic nuclear waste.
ROBERT F. DEEGAN
Nuclear Waste Issues Chairman
Sierra Club Virginia
Virginia Beach, April 26, 1995 by CNB