Re: Hanford Cleanup Strategy

["Schoenhofer" <schoenho@via.at>]

Schoenhofer
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e-mail: schoenho@via.at
-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: Eugene Forrer <Eugene.Forrer@tdh.state.tx.us>
An: Multiple recipients of list <radsafe@romulus.ehs.uiuc.edu>
Datum: Donnerstag, 05. März 1998 18:34
Betreff: Re: Hanford Cleanup Strategy


Dear Gene, (and RADSAFERs)

I was very surprised to read your comment, because from the postings it
sometimes seems to me that RADSAFE is a forum for "hawks" and "hardliners" -
please RADSAFERs, refrain from flames. I have unfortunately not much insight
on the US situation, but we use to refer in Europe to "quality of life".
This means, that an unspoiled nature has also a certain value, which might
even be expressed in $$$$. Not the radiation dose counts, but the freedom of
access. I have from the radiation protection point of view much sympathies
to the idea of closing and fencing off areas of contamination and leave it
like it is, but I have equal sympathies from a point of view of citizen to
people who want to have an area
restored to the conditions as they were. This is a political and not a
radiation protection problem. That the 85B$ for restauration are ridiculous
is again not a radiation protection problem, but a political one.



>Well Mr. Drifter, I don't know where you get your information, but
>Hanford is much, much more than rocks and rattlers.
>The presence of rattlers indicates the presence of life and a
>thriving ecosystem.

Mr. Drifter wants us to remeber what this type
>of land was used for before Hanford.  Hunting, Fishing, Farming and
>more.  Thats what that type of land was and still is used for.
>That part of Washington is full of wheat fields, fruit orchards, and
>wildlife.  Walla Walla where I lived as a kid is surrounded by
>nothing but wheat and Yakima where I spent many a summer is the
>fruit capital of the USA.  Both could be identified as worthless
>deserts by Mr. Drifters standards.  Also to imply that our Native
>American brothers and sisters are only looking for the next site to
>place a fireworks stand or casino is insulting.  The land has
>historical and spiritual significance to them.



If we want environmentalists and
>the general public to trust us and believe us we can't just decide to
>lock the gate and walk away because it costs too much to clean up.
>This kind of thinking is why it is us against the enviromentalists.
>This is why they don't trust us.

I have visited Arizona and neighbouring states many times and I still
remember the open pit mines for copper which were closed during the last
decades. It seems to me that from one day to the other  mining simply was
abandoned and the fence was closed. Even trains remain within the mine and
waste water ponds still remain. This is not possible in Europe as far as I
know. So this is not a problem exclusively for nuclear power. Why do we
always refer to radiation as a very special case - we have hazardous
material enough to let the radioactive material be a nearly negligible
problem.