Letter to a Senator
So, if you had the chance to speak to your Senator about this event and your concerns regarding public and environmental health issues, or anything regarding how this ongoing disaster is affecting the West Coast or US in general.....What concerns would you present as your major ones. Please be considerate of everyones unique concerns : )
To the Original Poster
Did you write the letter and if so, what happened??
letter
My husband called his office and talked to them about these issues. We gave him the link to this forum and they said that one of his reps would contact him. They did, and my husband talked to him as best he could about our concerns. They suggested to put everything in writing and submit a letter to them. I have been compiling info for a couple of months and plan to write a letter...however I have not yet done so. Over the summer I have been busy with my two kids out of school, and also in dealing with all of this crap (air quality, food choices, testing of our soil here, etc.). We also took a few vacations, so I have been pleasantly distracted. My focus has changed for the letter, also. At first my panic instincts were in flight and I was so angry over the lack of info and confused about the little info we had. I still am upset over this, but I think that I will focus my thoughts a bit on a plan for testing and emergency response if any nuclear emergency happens on the home front. There is not much he can control other than CA, and he is already a big supporter of seismic testing (he is a geology major) for the Diablo Nuclear power plant, so I believe concentrating on CA testing and emergency response is a good start. These are my two most immediate concerns : testing the soil, air, water and environment around us now, and having a set plan to implement after a nuclear emergency (god forbid) if it happens here in CA (or anywhere in the US for that matter). I am focusing on communication with the public on all levels also. What are your thoughts?
Thanks to all who responded to this thread...even the heavily sarcastic ones that make you laugh. I was that mad also, and very scared for my children's health. It really is quite unreal how we are all so in the dark. If there is nothing to worry about then why not share the info with the public?....hmmm.
Dear Senator,
Senator Malignant Sock-Monkey Puppet III,
Our State Hero
Dear Senator MSMP
Thank you for the timely warning about the Fukushima disaster we received on March 11. That gave us plenty of time to make our plans and gather supplies.
Our small town appreciates the prompt delivery of 10,000 doses of KI and the other emergency medical supplies from the National Strategic Medical Supply. They remain thankfully unopened and ready for our greattful return.
Our local public and private schools and the hospitals promptly installed the large federally supplied HEPA filters and purchased smaller models from local merchants for individual classrooms. The emergency decontamination tents and water purification systems were deployed and 'at the ready' until the school term ended. The school cafeterias followed the 'safe foods' guidelines to the letter. The USDA 'RAD-Free' product markings were reassuring.
The townsfolk paid close attention to the public service announcements on the radio, TV and internet until the Fukushima fallout levels began to decline in May. We have removed the plastic sheeting from over the playgrounds and parks. The kids were a little frustrated about the suspension of outdoor activities, but they have bounced back.
We could go on and on, about the professionalism, concern, planning, organization and compassion shown. We remain your loyal supporters and greatful friends.
Sincerely,
--- NOT NOT NOT ----
Open Letter to US Senator MSMP
Open Letter to US Senator MSMP
Our State USA
POS Federal Building
Washington, DC
Dear Senator MSMP,
The whirlwind tours of our political leaders and their families, in mid-March brought great comfort as the Fukushima Nuclear Plants sequentially melted down. Your calm assurance and rugged determination was contagious.
The local farm COOPs and the County Agent really went into motion. The farmers baled everything green in sight, right of ways and all. We filled every silo and empty storage building to the rafters in one week's time.
The dairy and feed lots, got their stock and land covered. The ZERO-RAD food suppliements arrived in just the nick of time.
The National Guard, State Guard and Army Corps of Engineer RAD-SAFE briefings were filled to standing room only. The shelter maps on every telephone pole are a little tattered now. Those kids in uniform were totally AWESOME. They had so much to give and the community took their advice to heart.
FFA, 4H, Scouts, Civil Air Patrol and churches were hugely helpful. Our community came together as never before. As far as panic, the paramedics reported two responses for hyperventilation. We were ready and hopeful, come what may. We knew what to do and we did it. We are standing down now, as a greatful nation. It could have been worse, much worse, but these United States did ourselves proud again.
--- NOT NOT NOT ---
P.S. t was YOYO-MOFO here. How was Patagonia?
Thanks to everyone who
Thanks to everyone who commented! I will try to post on the other forums also. I am gathering information and writing a letter on Monday. I hope he reads it : ) Again, thank you for your comments and references, and if there are more please keep them coming.
------>
[1] I would ask if he's aware that more than 220 CHEMICALS “are used in various processes throughout the nuclear fuel cycle,”
therefore, how can nuclear energy be considered "clean" ?
See page 15, section 2.1 "Chemicals Used in Nuclear Fuel Processing" :
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache:Vpol6aO9bY0J:www.pnl.gov/main/...
If that is your criterion to
If that is your criterion to judge the cleanliness of a fuel source, than solar power is extremely dirty.
http://www.renewableenergygeek.ca/solar-power/solar-panels-health-warnin...
It doesn't have to be either/or
The bottom line is a safe, clean environment for everyone.
This post is for suggestions for a letter to a senator.
If you have suggestions, add them.
In April of the year 1912
In April of the year 1912 the Titanic on her maiden voyage across the Atlantic crashed into an iceberg and went down at sea. Long before the crash those in command had abundant evidence that icebergs lay ahead. The course had been set, however, and no one wished to alter its direction. Confidence in the survival capacities of the ship was unbounded. Already there were a multitude of concerns in carrying out the normal routine of a voyage. What happened to that "unsinkable" ship is a kind of parable for us since only in the most dire situation do we have the psychic energy needed to examine our way of acting on the scale that is now required. The daily concerns of the ship and its passengers needed to be set aside for a more urgent concern for the well being of the ship itself. Microphase concerns needed to give way to a macrophase issue. So now there was a need to recognize that the planet Earth is threatened in its survival by our industrial economy.
Introduce legislation that would...
**
repeal the Price-Anderson Act, as suggested by this Rolling Stone article,
"America's Nuclear Nightmare"
http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/america-s-nuclear-nightmare-20...
Quote from above article:
"America's current fleet of reactors exists only because Congress passed the Price-Anderson Act in 1957, limiting the liability of nuclear plant operators in case of disaster."
That is not entirely
That is not entirely correct. The Price-Anderson Act essentially was required because no insurance coverage was available at that time to cover liability in the case of an accident. Since there was great uncertainty as to the safety of nuclear reactors at the time and the consequences of an accident, the US government stepped in to provide insurance thus limiting liability and enabling private utilities to invest in building nuclear plants. The government felt this was in the country's strategic interest at the time. Since then, the nuclear industry has been paying into this insurance fund and it is now valued at $12.6 billion. Basically, at this time, the nuclear industry is self insured which was not the case in 1957. Repealing Price-Anderson would have minimal effect. Just a reference, total claims for Three-Mile Island was $71 million in the late 1970's which is around $250 million in today's dollars.
No, the act wasn't
No, the act wasn't "required". The alternative could have been to shut down the plants if they couldn't get insurance in the open market. We don't HAVE to subsidize this industry - we can phase it out. And we should! I'm tired of the government and nuclear industry gambling with our lives and our children's future
Oh...very interesting, thank you
***
Do you know who paid to have Three-Mile Island dismantled?
I remember reading in wikipedia that it costed an estimated $800 million to dismantle.
Cleanup looks to have cost
Cleanup looks to have cost ~$1 billion and ended in 1993...that would be around $1.5 to $2B today. Reference, So, all told a TMI scale accident would cost around $2-3B...this is just a guess. But this seems to still be able to be self-insured.
I might ask about this:
________
http://www.propublica.org/article/us-health-care-system-unprepared-for-m...
++++++++and suggest immediate action to ensure the safety and readiness of the U.S.
Suggestions
-----> Why is the EPA slowing their monitoring when even the IAEA says the situation in Japan remains “very serious.”
http://blogs.forbes.com/jeffmcmahon/2011/05/04/epa-halts-extra-radiation...
-----> Since nuclear power plants rely on zero error; they can't be insured; they rely on government-backed loans and subsidies; they release dangerous radiation into the environment; and there is no place to store the dangerous spent fuel, please support funding for truly clean energy sources and support legislation to begin decommissioning every nuclear power plant while replacing them with clean energy sources.
-----> Follow Germany's lead and begin shutting the oldest/most dangerous plants down.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-12745899
-----> Support legislation to invest in research and development of truly clean energy sources and to fund colleges for free re-training of those presently working in the nuclear field.
Here you go...
******************************
(1) I would request an independent agency be created (that is not influenced by the nuclear industry whatsoever) and is put in charge of air, water, food, etc. radionuclide monitoring
(2) Why were "about 20" EPA air monitors not working as radiation from Japan wafted through the United States?
http://www.wtvm.com/Global/story.asp?S=14343830
(3) I'd like to know why we had to rely on animated radiation-projection maps from Europe instead of being able to access one from a U.S. Meteorological site?
(4) I'd like to know why I had to rely on the goodness of the Berkeley University's engineering department to get information on the radiation from Japan affecting the United States when billions of tax dollars go to federal agencies who are supposed to provide this information.
(5) I would like to know why the EPA is even thinking of raising its radiation safety limits.
http://www.peer.org/news/news_id.php?row_id=1325
(6) France gave warnings to their pregnant women and children to limit milk and leafy-vegetable consumption, so why didn't the U.S. do the same thing?
(7) Why does there appear to be a media blackout on the radiation from Japan in the United States?
(8) Why was recent testimony given to a Senate committee stating that U.S. nuclear plants are safe when just a quick search turns up these problems with nuclear power plants in the United States:
***** http://nuclearstreet.com/nuclear_power_industry_news/b/nuclear_power_new...
*****
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/03/17/us-nuclear-power-near-misses-20...
*****
http://www2.ljworld.com/news/2011/mar/31/nrc-chairman-gregory-jaczko-ids...
*****
http://www.gainesville.com/article/20110316/ARTICLES/110319517
(9) Why is so much "effluence" allowed by nuclear power plants:
http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/ops-experience/tritium/plant-info....
Great Questions
EXACTLY!!!!!!!
To the above two entries---WELL SAID!
We should use these as part of a petition.
This is great! Thank you,
This is great! Thank you, and I appreciate the references!
Anyone else? I am trying to get as much as I can together before tomorrow.
Go to www.enenews.com
***********
and put a request on the blogs there. Lots of people who are current on this issue are posting there.
and NY Times
I agree enenews.com. Also, there are a lot of folks that read and comment in the NY Times articles. IF there is a current (today or yest.) article that you can comment on, that might be a good place too!
more on the NY Times
...meant to include that I was referring to any articles/write-ups on anything Fukushima, Japan nuclear OR nuclear in general!