Re: FACTS ABOUT TENNESSEE ILLNESSES

[EASlavin@aol.com]

Dear Susan:

First, what "dogfight?"  This is a civil discussion among professionals who 
respect each other.  You must have us confused with the Oak Ridge City 
Council.  Pretty much everyone who has commented (privately and publicly) 
agrees that the sick workers deserve better treatment.  No  one today defends 
Oak Ridge burghers' attack on sick workers, on this list or otherwise.  Those 
days are over.

Second, unfortunately, DOE funds the TDEC regulators, who are forbidden to 
use DOE funds for any permitting activities.  It's like a wife-killer footing 
 the bill for the policemen who are come to his home trying to get enough 
evidence to charge him with a crime.  It's a blatant conflict of interest. 
$17 million (or whatever) a year is paid by DOE to Tennessee to regulate DOE? 
 Has someone lost touch? 

Third, Earl Leming's a great guy, and was involved in the work on bringing 
DOE to ground on the mercury losses back in 1982-1983. I've been to his 
offices, and they held the Governor's Blue Ribbon Commitee meetings there.  I 
don't see that much hard work going on.  The Governor's stood up to DOE on 
the TSCA permit.  I don't see the local DAs and County Attorneys suing.  I 
don't see the Governor suing.  Even though the DOE IG recommended shutting 
down the TSCA incinerator, there are those in Oak Ridge who still favor 
burning radioactive and toxic waste in the midst of a Superfund site, in the 
midst of ridge-and-valley topography, underneath the plume of the Bull Run 
and Kingston coal-fired powerplants, without knowing how air moves, without 
putting up the ten towers that NOAA sought.

Again, DOE controls the money, DOE influences the outcome.  Same old story.

Ed Slavin

In a message dated 04/06/2000 6:53:56 PM Eastern Daylight Time, loc@icx.net 
writes:

<< I hate to jump into this dogfight, but I would like to point out that
 there is a very dedicated (though woefully underpaid) staff of state
 regulators who oversee DOE's EM activities in Oak Ridge and who monitor
 the environment both on and off the Oak Ridge Reservation.  >>
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