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Scare tactics
This just came to my screen. The scare tactics are classic. The author
uses the groundwater contamination to segue into the contamination of
downstream drinking water, without pointing out the huge dilution
factor, which undoubtably brings the uranium concentrations into the
range of background. Hot button words like "toxins" and well-worn
anti-nuke phrases like "glow in the dark" are also used to frighten the
public. It's too bad reality doesn't sell newspapers.
--Susan Gawarecki
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_exnews/19990205_xex_does_your_wa.shtml
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 05, 1999
Does your water glow in the dark?
Uranium said to contaminate source
for 20 million
------------------------------------------------------------------------
By David M. Bresnahan
© 1999 WorldNetDaily.com
The drinking water of 20 million people has been contaminated with
radioactive uranium, according to a government watchdog organization.
Toxins from a closed uranium mine have been leaking into the Colorado
River
at levels 530 times higher than government standards. The tainted
drinking
water is consumed by people in Las Vegas, Arizona, and all of Southern
California, including Los Angeles.
The Project on Government Oversight is currently preparing a report
detailing their findings. The report will show that toxins leaking from
an
old uranium mine are at extremely high levels. Although the federal
government is aware of the problem, a solution has not been found
because
of politics.
The debate, which has been going on for years, is over how to solve the
problem. The old Atlas Corporation mine in Moab, Utah, along the
Colorado
River currently falls under the jurisdiction of the Nuclear Regulatory
Commission. The mine owners are bankrupt, according to the report.
The Department of the Interior, Utah Gov. Mike Leavitt, the Fish and
Wildlife Service, and the National Park Service have all studied the
problem and made recommendations. They are in agreement that the uranium
tailings, which are causing the contamination in the river, must be
removed
to a safe location.
The owners of Atlas Corporation and the NRC favor covering or putting a
cap
on the tailings, which is the least expensive approach. While the debate
goes on, contamination of drinking water continues.
A report by the Fish and Wildlife Service concluded, "Congressional
action
or legislation would be required to move the pile to another location."
The
Project on Government Oversight recommends removing jurisdiction for the
site from the NRC and giving it to the Department of Energy to resolve
the
political debate and move forward.
Their report, expected to be released to Congress very soon, details:
•The uranium tailings piles (the remains from the mining process) covers
130 acres and has already produced 1.9 billion gallons of ground water
contamination.
•Contaminants currently in the water include radioactive uranium,
ammonia,
molybdenum, nitrates and sulfates.
•Uranium content in the groundwater near the site has been measured at
levels which are 530 times higher than EPA standards.
•The drinking water of at least 20 million people has been contaminated.
Atlas Corporation wants to limit clean-up expense by putting a cover of
rock and sand over the tailings. They do not want to move the tailings
away
from the river, which would cost significantly more.
Federal regulations make the bankrupt Atlas Corporation liable for all
clean-up costs, but they are eligible for a reimbursement of 56% of the
expense from the federal government. The NRC estimates it will cost $78
to
$101 million more to move the tailings rather than cap them.
The resolution of the problem has been on hold for at least three years.
Meanwhile contaminants continue to flow into the groundwater, then to
the
river, and eventually into the homes of millions of people.
The NRC claims its hands are tied. Officials say they need direction
from
Congress if they are to do anything other than cap the tailings. The NRC
insists that they are restricted in their ability to relocate this
dangerous contamination source.
The Oak Ridge National Laboratory issued a report last year that
estimated
what would happen if the tailings are capped instead of being moved.
That
report claims that it will take 270 years for contaminated ground water
to
stop from entering the Colorado River.
"Capping the tailings pile as proposed by Atlas Corporation will not
prevent further ground water contamination nor clean up the ground water
that has already been contaminated," says the Project on Government
Oversight in their report.
The DOE would do a better job of cleaning up the uranium tailings than
the
NRC, according to Danielle Brian, executive director of the Project on
Government Oversight.
"The DOE has the experience, having previously relocated similar sites,
to
successfully and efficiently clean up this uranium mill tailings site,"
she
explained.
The politics and government foot-dragging are not over, but there are
signs
of progress. Congress may be asked to take action on the issue before
the
year is over.
"Representatives Filner, Pelosi, McInnis, and Gutierrez have introduced
H.R. 393 which would move the purview of the site from the NRC to the
Department of Energy and would require that the tailings pile be
relocated.
It would also authorize the proper authorities to seek reimbursement for
the cost of the reclamation from the Atlas Corporation," explained
Brian.
The bill is so new it was not yet available on the House website, and
the
cosponsors were unavailable for comment.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
David M. Bresnahan, a contributing editor for WorldNetDaily.com, is the
author of "Cover Up: The Art and Science of Political Deception," and
offers a monthly newsletter "Talk USA Investigative Reports." He may be
reached through email and also maintains a website.
--
==================================================
Susan L. Gawarecki, Ph.D., Executive Director
Oak Ridge Reservation Local Oversight Committee, Inc.
136 South Illinois Avenue, Suite 208
Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830
Phone (423) 483-1333; Fax (423) 482-6572; E-mail loc@icx.net
VISIT OUR UPDATED WEB SITE: http://www.local-oversight.org
==================================================
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