No Subject

[Ruth Weiner <rfweine@sandia.gov>]

     Hello RADSAFErs:
     
     First, let me add my thanks to Melissa!
     
     Now: last night I testified at the WIPP hearings, and I wanted to 
     share the experience and some thoughts with alll of you.  It was very 
     very ugly.  In addition to the usual lies, distortions, and outright 
     made-up stuff, the antis interrupted speakers with catcalls, jeers, 
     chanting Stop the Nuclear Madness, etc.  I've been to more than a 
     hundred of these, and this was one of the worst.  Among other false 
     accusations:
     
     All DOE employees are liars
     All Sandia employees are on the take
     Plutonium continues to be produced
     Albuqerque's drinking water is contaminated by radioactive releases 
     from Sandia
     EPA is nothing but a DOE toady [Note:  this was an EPA hearing on the 
     EPA certification rule]
     All Sandia scientists lie
     All DOE contractors lie
     No respectable scientist not on the government dole supports the WIPP
     etc.
     
     You get the picture.  Why am I sharing this?  Because it is 
     exceedingly important to either show up at hearings like this or send 
     in written comments.  I also realize that,while the antis' comments 
     are unconstrained by either knowledge of the subject, relevance, or 
     rational thinking, most sensible people don't want to make a statement 
     on a subject they are relatively unfamiliar with.  So naturally, the 
     WIPP supporters were all people who had had the time to study the 
     voluminous application and EPA's equally voluminous analysis, and that 
     is mostly people who work on the WIPP project as I did.  
     
     So I really can't ask those of you totally unfamiliar with the topic 
     to send in letters of support, But please, when such hearings do 
     happen in your area, make comments either verbally or in writing.  If 
     you can, please go to the hearing and applaud for "our side."  The 
     people who face the barrage of hostility really do need some support 
     from the audience.
     
     If you want to send comments you can get the address from the EPA 800 
     number I posted earlier (I have to find it again in the mess on my 
     desk).
     
     Ruth
     My own opinion entirely!!
     
     Ruth F. Weiner
     Transportation Systems Department
     Sandia National Laboratories
     Mail Stop 0718
     P. O. Box 5800
     Albuquerque, NM 87185-0718
     505-844-4791
     505-844-0244 (fax)
     rfweine@sandia.gov