NIRS RESPONSE TO MY RADSAFE POSTING

[Ruth Weiner <rfweine@sandia.gov>]

---------------------------- Forwarded with Changes ---------------------------
From: nirsnet@igc.apc.org at hubsmtp
Date: 4/30/98 2:15PM
To: Ruth Weiner at PO821CC2
Subject: your comments
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Dear RADSAFERs:

I thought you all might be interested in the attached charming note I received 
from NIRS.  As my grandfather used to say, "If the shoe fits, i usually pinches 
a little."


Clearly only my own opinion

Ruth F. Weiner
Transportation Systems Department
Sandia National Laboratories
505-844-4791
fax 505-844-0244
rfweine@sandia.gov
______________________________ Forward Header __________________________________
Subject: your comments
Author:  nirsnet@igc.apc.org at hubsmtp
Date:    4/30/98 2:15 PM


Dear Ms. Weiner:
     
"nirs.org," eh?  Let me tell all you RADSAFERs something about NIRS, the Nuclear
Information Resource Service.  This is what used to be known as a nuclear 
intervenor organization: they intervene on behalf of challengers to nuclear 
power plant siting, and generally on behalf of anti-nuclear groups, in 
administrative and legal proceedings.  In 1984 (believe it or not) I was 
interviewed for the position of Executive Director of NIRS. During the course of
the interview, I learned that 70% of the NIRS budget came from a member of the 
Rockfeller family. An eye-opener to me, as a naive academic, but probably not 
news to those who realize that oil money funds anti-nukes.
     
Apparently you are still a naive academic. While it is true a large portion 
of the NIRS budget back then came from the Rockefeller family (but several 
members, not just one), calling that oil money is inane. In fact, the last 
time I heard that argument it was from the Soviet govt complaining about 
NIRS... Third and fourth generation Rockefeller money is no more oil money 
than describing money I may give away from my grandfather's legacy as being 
from the plumbers union (he was a plumber). None of the members of the 
Rockefeller family who give to NIRS (and hundreds of other organizations of 
all kinds, they are quite generous across the board) have any connection, 
other than their family tree, to the oil industry. By the way, the 
percentage of Rockefeller family contributions (all members) is 
approximately 15% of our FY 1998 budget. To the best of my knowledge, NIRS 
has never received any money from anyone actually affiliated with the oil 
industry (energy industries tend to support each other, and of course, some 
oil companies have uranium interests--they really don't tend to fund groups 
like ours). We certainly haven't knowingly accepted any money from the oil 
industry, the gas industry, the coal industry or the renewables industry or 
any other energy-related industry. Not that we wouldn't necessarily, at 
least from renewables, which we support, but we haven't.
     
Needless to say, I
didn't take the job (I had no intention of taking it, but was curious about the 
organization). The NIRS budget, while not huge, is certainly not small.
     
Depends on what you consider small. Our FY 1998 budget is $470,000--that's 
not much more than my counterpart at the NEI earns all for himself...
     
I am
absolutely appalled that NIRS propaganda should be treated as informative.  To 
the best of my knowledge, they have (or at least had in 1984) no technical or 
scientific expertise at all -- they generally tried to hire it.
     
Actually we have three scientists on our staff of six (admittedly no PhD's 
however). But our function is not primarily research (our budget--see 
above--doesn't pay for a lot of full-time PhDs); it is information 
dissemination and networking. We work closely with many scientists, in many 
fields, at other organizations and government (though I don't understand the 
problem with hiring scientists either--isn't that what Sandia does?--who 
help us, particularly on difficult technical issues--I should think that 
would be an indication of the seriousness to which we insist on obtaining 
credible, scientifically defensible information. I certainly think our 
information is more accurate than most things coming out of Sandia....
     
Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
NIRS