taking care of our mother

[Guest guest]

Sat nam all

Mother's day is almost here and Earth day has just passed so I am

thinking about care of mother Earth a lot. There are some things going

on that require conscious group action. There is a company called

Energy Solutions that wants to bring nuclear waste into the U.S. from

Italy to bury here. If you would like to help deter this check out the

information below.

Thank You and Mom thanks you too

Gwen /Ranbir Kaur

 

STOP THE 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 at

secy 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

 

nirsnet, www.nirs.org

 

For updates, technical and background information, stay in touch with

Diane D'Arrigo of NIRS at dianed

 

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If you haven't yet signed the Simple Statement on Nuclear Power and

Climate, please do so here: http://www.nirs.org/petition2/index.php

(but please don't sign multiple times!). If you have signed, please

pass this address on to your friends, colleagues, congregations, PTA

groups, and any other e-mail lists you have!

 

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signed up on our website, at a NIRS table at a concert, on a petition,

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traded with anyone for any reason.

 

For address changes or to , just send an e-mail to

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110th CONGRESS

 

2d Session

 

H. R. 5632

 

To prohibit the importation of certain low-level radioactive waste

into the United States.

 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 

March 13, 2008

 

Mr. GORDON of Tennessee (for himself, Mr. WHITFIELD of Kentucky, and

Mr. MATHESON) introduced the following bill; which was referred to the

Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on

Ways and Means, for a period to be subsequently determined by the

Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall

within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

 

A BILL

 

To prohibit the importation of certain low-level radioactive waste

into the United States.

 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United

States of America in Congress assembled,

 

SECTION 1. PROHIBITION OF IMPORTATION.

 

(a) Amendment- Chapter 8 of the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 (42 U.S.C.

2111 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the following new section:

 

`Sec. 85. Importation of Low-Level Radioactive Waste.

 

`a. Except as provided in subsection b. or c., the Commission shall

not issue a license authorizing the importation into the United States

of--

 

`(1) low-level radioactive waste (as defined in section 2 of the

Low-Level Radioactive Waste Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 2021b)); or

 

`(2) specific radioactive waste streams exempted from regulation by

the Commission under section 10 of the Low-Level Radioactive Waste

Policy Act (42 U.S.C. 2021j).

 

`b. Subsection a. shall not apply to--

 

`(1) low-level radioactive waste being returned to a United States

Government or military facility which is authorized to possess the

material; or

 

`(2) low-level radioactive waste resulting from the use in a foreign

country of nuclear material obtained by the foreign user from an

entity in the United States that is being returned to the United

States for management and disposal.

 

`c. The President may waive the prohibition under this section and

authorize the grant of a specific license to import materials

prohibited under subsection a., under the rules of the Commission,

only after a finding that such importation would meet an important

national or international policy goal, such as the use of waste for

research purposes. Such a waiver must specify the policy goal to be

achieved, how it is to be achieved, and the amount of material to be

imported.

 

`d. A license not permitted under this section that was issued before

the date of enactment of this section may continue in effect according

to its terms, but may not be extended or amended with respect to the

amount of material permitted to be imported.'.

 

(b) Table of Contents Amendment- The table of contents for the Atomic

Energy Act of 1954 is amended by inserting at the end of the items

relating to chapter 8 the following new item:

`Sec. 85. Importation of low-level radioactive waste.'.