| The following is a letter written to President Clinton by Bob Filner, Congressional Representative from California. Write to Representative Filner and thank him for his support. Use this excellent letter as a resource to write letters of your own to President Clinton, Bruce Babbit, and your various Senators and Representatives. |
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BOB FILNER 50TH DISTRICT, CALIFORNIA
Transportation and Infrastructure Committee/Veteran's Affairs Committee CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES March 31, 1998
The Honorable Bill Clinton Dear Mr. President: I am writing to urge you to take immediate action to protect our environment, sacred Indian land, and the Colorado River from a radioactive waste dump at Ward Valley. For the last six weeks, the Fort Mojave, Chemehuevi, Cocopah, and Colorado River Indian Tribes [sic] and their supporters have engaged in a non-violent occupation of Ward Valley to stop further desecration of their sacred land by the nuclear dump project. Ward Valley is an area that is part of their history, culture, and active religious practice--and they do not believe that their concerns about Ward Valley have been recognized by the federal government. Ward Valley and the Colorado River have profound sacred significance to the Indian people of this area. Ward Valley is home to the threatened desert tortoise, which is central to the Indian's religious beliefs. Ward Valley is also near Spirit Mountain, the place of creation for the river tribes. As a result, the area's Tribes view themselves as "guardians" of the Colorado River and therefore responsible to protect the region from nuclear contamination. In addition, the Ward Valley proposal is dangerous. The crude, unlined trenches contemplated for Ward Valley would be the burial grounds for long-lived radioactive waste, some of which would remain hazardous for many thousands of years. Further, a new report by a team of U.S. Geological Survey scientists documents an expanding off-site migration of radioactive tritium emanating from a dump near Beatty, Nevada. Long touted by proponents of Ward Valley as a model for the "safe disposal" of wastes, the Beatty dump, now closed to radioactive waste, will remain a grave threat to the area's surrounding groundwater for generations to come. The Ward Valley proposal is also unnecessary. Citing a marked drop in volume, continued access to dumps in Utah and South Carolina, and the cost of developing a site, on June 26, 1997 the Midwest Interstate Low-Level Radioactive Waste Compact Commission voted to halt their plans to build a dump in Ohio. The Midwest Compact's action is in response to a national downward trend in waste production and a growing trend to save on waste disposal fees through the use of on-site storage-to-decay facilities. The Southwest Compact, for which California would serve as the host state for the proposed dump, enjoys the same access to the disposal sites available to the Midwest Compact. Together with a similar drop in anticipated volume, I believe that the Ward Valley dump is unnecessary. There is simply not enough volume currently in the so-called "low-level" radioactive waste stream to support the construction of any new dumps. These sacred areas must never be destroyed by a radioactive waste dump. This dump would have a devastating impact on the spiritual well-being, religion, health, safety, economic development, and livelihood of this area's Indian Nations. As someone supportive of justice and clean environment, I believe you understand the importance of stopping this reckless project. Because you and your Administration have declared your commitment to supporting environmental justice and opposing environmental racism and discrimination, I respectfully urge you to act and stop the proposed Ward Valley radioactive waste dump NOW.
Member of Congress |