Correction re Tri-Valley Cares

[Guest guest]

The following is a correction from Jan Coleman in regards to my previous hasty

and incorrect assessment about Tri-Valley Cares, for which I apologize.

Apparently, the greening/bidding attempt only relates to the nuclear lab that

has been in existence for a long time in Livermore, not the new proposed bio lab

in Tracy. As for the 50-mile radius contamination issue, the scenario would be

under normal wind, not no wind. The large complex proposed in Tracy is slated

for developing and testing bio warfare agents including ebola and anthrax on

cattle, sheep and pigs. The one in Livermore currently tests on mice.

 

TRI-VALLEY CAREs HAS NOT BEEN INFILTRATED. Those are your words. I am not an

official of that organization, I am a resident of the Bay Area like you, so I

cannot (and will not) speak in an official capacity. We all must assure that

the information we are circulating is accurate—and neither you nor I know enough

about this to make any judgments or statements on this situation. Rumors and

inaccurate information can backfire and defeat the purpose for which we are all

working.

 

It is my understanding that a bid to secure management of the lab at Livermore

refers to the nuclear lab, an action that was taken before the bio-defense lab

issue came up. If anything, their plan would “infiltrate” the lab with

qualified scientists and management that would move it toward replacing nuclear

energy with alternative energy sources. Even if they wouldn’t win the bid (they

would likely be competing with a U of CA/Bechtel team), the competitive process

would allow them to gain valuable information through the competitive process.

From this little information, I see this as a positive move.

 

I CAN speak to my experience thus far with the Tri-Valley Cares “team” and

assure you that they are well-educated, well-informed, have had lots of

experience defending the safety of all of us in the Bay Area for over 20

years—and have done so being understaffed (4 people and they are not full-time)

and underfunded. The bio-labs issue is just ONE MORE issue that is “on their

plate”—another is their fight to prevent the government from doubling the amount

of plutonium held at the lab. I can also attest to their deep commitment to

these causes, their passion for the work they are doing, and the LONG hours I

see them working each day. They don’t take decisions lightly or hastily—they

have a strong and highly educated group of advisors/scientists of international

scope with whom they consult.

 

Like you and me, they are NOT in favor of testing on animals.

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks for clarifying, Michelle.

 

I worked as a legal intern for Tri-Valley CAREs after my first year of law

school and can second Jan's comments about their dedication, intelligence,

creativity, and compassion. I don't work for the group and can't speak on

their behalf, but I am a member (though not as active as I should be).

 

While working there, I was able to incorporate a fair amount of animal

rights work, which they appreciated and respected. We published and

distributed informational pamphlets on the proposed use of animals in

experiments at the bio- " defense " lab, and also did significant work around

endangered species in the vicinity of the lab, including the California

red-legged frog and the tiger salamander. Tri-Valley CAREs has invited

animal rights groups to table at their annual protest in comemoration of

the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. East Bay Animal Advocates has

participated in the past.

 

I think Tri-Valley CAREs' proposal to run/convert the Livermore Lab is

serious and visionary, but in a performative, protesting sort of way.

Their press-release from today about the bid is pasted below. Don't worry;

they have no interest in developing bioweapons to test on innocent animals.

 

And finally, they *are* in fact suing the US government over the

construction of the bio lab. Tri-Valley CAREs uses not only litigation,

but also community organizing, public protest, and non-violent civil

disobedience in its work to abolish weapons of mass destruction and the

terror they inflict on animals, human and non-. They could use everyone's

help in each of these areas. www.trivalleycares.org.

 

-Matthew

 

 

CONTACT: Tri-Valley CAREs, Tara Dorabji or Marylia Kelley, (925) 443-7148

Nuclear Watch New Mexico, Jay Coghlan, (505) 989-7342

 

NUCLEAR " WATCHDOGS " PARTNER WITH COLLEGE, CLEAN ENERGY FIRM TO PREPARE

" GREEN " MANAGEMENT BID FOR LIVERMORE LAB

 

Team Pledges to Transform Troubled Nuclear Weapons Lab into " Center for

Civilian Science "

 

Today, a leading Livermore Lab " watchdog " organization announced that it

has joined forces with one of the state's premier independent colleges, a

clean energy company and a New Mexico non-profit to prepare a bid to manage

the troubled Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL), currently

managed by the Regents of the University of California (UC) for the U.S.

Department of Energy (DOE).

 

Tri-Valley CAREs (Communities Against a Radioactive Environment) held a

morning news conference to discuss its plans just before the UC Board of

Regents meeting at the University's San Francisco Mission Bay campus. The

group has partnered with the New College of California, Nuclear Watch of

New Mexico and WindMiller Energy to prepare what the bidders promise will

be " a creative, forward-looking and feasible 'green' proposal to manage

Livermore Lab. "

 

" Our innovative bid will promote world class science by transforming

Livermore Lab from a nuclear weapons design facility into a center for

civilian science, " explained Tara Dorabji, Outreach Director for Tri-Valley

CAREs, which has monitored Livermore Lab activities for 23 years. " By

focusing on socially-beneficial scientific initiatives like sustainable

energy, global warming and environmental cleanup technologies, our bid will

increase cutting edge research at the Lab and provide the greatest degree

of security and safety proposed by any management team. " According to the

DOE Lab Tables, 85% of Livermore Lab's current budget request is earmarked

for weapons activities. Less than 1% is earmarked for energy conservation.

 

" The mission of the New College of California is to create a just, sacred

and sustainable world, " explained Martin Hamilton, President of New

College. " By bidding to manage Livermore Lab, we bid for a more sustainable

future, a future that is not chained to nuclear weapons. The role of

academic institutions in science should not be to create weapons of mass

destruction, but rather to seek sustainable solutions for humankind. "

 

" One of our goals is to illuminate options for Livermore Lab management

that are available to all bidders, " stated Marylia Kelley, Tri-Valley

CAREs' Executive Director. " Our bid will demonstrate how to increase

transparency, improve health and safety provisions for workers and

communities, strengthen whistleblower protections, and provide incentive

points for bringing more civilian science to Livermore, " Kelley said. " We

challenge the UC-Bechtel consortium to show how they, if chosen, will

accomplish these same tasks. "

 

" We fear our competitors will propose more 'business as usual' and

dysfunctional management at Livermore Lab, with continued cost overruns at

the National Ignition Facility, safety violations in the plutonium facility

and dwindling resources allotted to the basic sciences, " Kelley continued.

 

" Livermore Lab, located in a world-class wind resource area with ample

solar resources, boasts an unrivaled team of world-class scientists,

coupled with state-of-the-art equipment and support, " explains Barry

Miller, President of WindMiller Energy. " Therefore, Livermore Lab is

uniquely situated to play a leading role in research, development and

testing of renewable energy resources, such as those generated by wind and

sun. "

 

Since 1952, Livermore Lab has been managed by the University of California

under a " no bid " contract. After repeated security and fiscal management

scandals, DOE decided in April 2003 to open competition for the Livermore

contract. Prospective bids for the Livermore contract are due to the Dept.

of Energy by October 12. Selection of the contractor will occur in the

winter of 2006. The current LLNL contract expires on September 30, 2007.

 

Scott Kovac, Operations Director of Nuclear Watch of New Mexico, explains

further, " We look forward to focusing on environmental science and

renewable energy technologies to ignite a new future for the Lab and wean

Livermore Lab off of nuclear weapons. We are thrilled to join with the New

College of California, WindMiller Energy and Tri-Valley CAREs. "

 

Additional support for transitioning Livermore Lab to a civilian science

mission came from students, UC faculty and a leading Livermore Lab

scientist. Said Dr. Hugh Dewitt, an astrophysicist employed at Livermore

Lab for 5 decades: " The next Livermore Lab management contract should

detail a phase out of classified work over a 5-year period. Plutonium

operations should cease, and the material safely removed. Livermore Lab can

most effectively serve our country by undertaking urgent, non-military

endeavors, a task for which it is superbly equipped. " DeWitt continued, " I

applaud Tri-Valley CAREs and its bidding partners for bringing these issues

to the forefront of the contract debate. "

 

THE FOUR " GREEN " BIDDING PARTNERS AT A GLANCE:

 

Tri-Valley CAREs was founded in Livermore in 1983 to monitor activities in

the DOE nuclear weapons complex, with a special focus on the nearby

Lawrence Livermore Lab. The group's 4,800 members work to promote nuclear

disarmament and nonproliferation, ensure cleanup of the Cold War legacy of

radioactive and toxic pollution, safeguard the environment from further

contamination, and enhance worker and public participation in

decision-making. (www.trivalleycares.org)

 

New College of California is committed to education in support of a just,

sacred, and sustainable world. New College cherishes intellectual freedom,

the search for social justice, respect for differences, and a belief in

collective responsibility for the welfare of all people.

(www.newcollege.edu)

 

WindMiller Energy was begun in 1990 to promote and distribute wind and

related energy technologies and information to small and mid-sized users.

The company provides equipment and the technical details needed for user

communities to maintain it optimally.

 

Nuclear Watch of New Mexico provides information to the public on nuclear

issues in the Southwest and encourages effective citizen involvement around

these concerns. The group promotes environmental protection, safe disposal

of radioactive wastes, and federal policy changes to curb the proliferation

of nuclear weapons. (www.nukewatch.org)