[ RadSafe ] " Homeland Security Chief Sees Nuclear ForensicOfficeas Attack Deterrent "

[MikeNukeEP at aol.com]

Roger:   
The "story behind the story" in Illinois is that from 1980 to 2002, the 
Illinois Department of Nuclear Safety was statutorily responsible for all 
activities related to ionizing radiation and had an international reputation for its 
expertise in the radiation protection field.   Its funding came from fees 
collected from licensees, including more than $18 million annually paid by the 
nuclear utilities. (Illinois has more operating reactors than any other state and 
gets roughly 50% of its baseload electricity from nuclear.) When the current 
Governor took office, he merged the Nuclear Safety Department into the Emergency 
Management Agency so he could divert the utility revenues to other 
"political" purposes.   The Nuclear Safety program sharply declined in the absence of 
leadership to maintain its influence.   I'm not surprised that the DU bill made 
it through the legislature unchallenged.   Undoubtedly, the governor traded 
his approval for some political quid pro quo. Those left in the Nuclear Safety 
program who in the past would have called the bill a sham learned years ago 
that once this governor's office decides to support such an initiative, it's a 
career-ending move to suggest the initiative is ill-conceived.   It is ironic 
that the DU bill calls for an advisory committee that includes representatives 
from State agencies that have no radiological expertise-including the public 
health department-yet excludes anyone from Nuclear Safety.   That in itself 
tells you the administration isn't really interested in the pros and cons of the 
DU issue; it merely wanted a vehicle to boast of its support for the military.  
 It's sad to think that our troops would get used that way by a publicity 
hungry politician.
Excuse the rant, but I worked for Nuclear Safety for 12 years.
Mike Sinclair
Graystone REM


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