And now:"Save Ward Valley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: Imagine our surprise when on the morning of Tues. Dec. 8 employees of US Ecology accompanied by a BLM ranger disassembled and removed the generator and the weather station it powered from Ward Valley! That's right, folks, no more nasty diesel fumes choking the plants, animals, and people in Ward Valley. No more constant noise. The generator, which sparked so much interest and debate in Washington, DC during the occupation of Ward Valley Feb-June, 1998, is not simply turned off--it is gone!!! It took awhile to determine the reason for this action but we finally found out more happy news, US Ecology is closing its Needles office! (see AP story below) We would like to take this opportunity to invite you out to Ward Valley. Come visit--a day, a week, a month, longer--and enjoy the mildest winters around. It is important that we continue to keep the vigil at Ward Valley; especially now that victory seems to hover so near. If you are a person that loves Mother Earth, likes to camp, hike, and get away from "civilization", and would like to help to save this piece of the planet call 760/326-6267 or e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for more information. Remember--Together we can do amazing things! Molly December 09, 1998 American Ecology closing Ward Valley office, subsidiary stays Associated Press NEEDLES, Calif. -- American Ecology Corp., whose subsidiary company has een fighting a long battle to build a nuclear waste dump in the desert west f Needles, confirmed Tuesday it is closing its local office. Opponents of the Ward Valley project saw the move as a victory signal. However, a company spokesman said it didn't mean the subsidiary, U.S. Ecology, is withdrawing from the project. "This company is committed to its responsibilities at Ward Valley," said Scott Peyron, spokesman for the parent firm in Boise, Idaho. But since the dump has been stalled for years, the office expense, including pay for 2 1/2 staffers, can't be justified to shareholders, he said. "The bottom line is, we've got them on the run," said Bradley Angel, spokesman for Greenaction, which has coordinated opposition to the dump. Gov. Pete Wilson and his predecessor, George Deukmejian, have sought for the past 15 years to have the dump built. It is supposed to store "low-level" nuclear waste from California, Arizona and the Dakotas. The federal government owns the 1,000-acre site, which is 117 miles south of Las Vegas, and agreed to transfer it to California under a deal worked out in Congress in the 1980s. The state and American Ecology have sued the Interior Department for not turning it over. Protesters from Greenaction and local Indian tribes have occupied the site to prevent construction. They claim that radiation from waste buried in unlined trenches could eventually reach the Colorado River, about 20 miles from the dump. American Ecology, meanwhile, has been trying to work through financial straits. Earlier this year, the company's accounting firm said it had "substantial doubt" about its client's "ability to continue as a going concern." The company still plans to pay California its $250,000 license fee when it comes due in January, Peyron said. It will also continue the required environmental monitoring and record-keeping. "We are the best choice to do that work, and we have a political environment that has made it very difficult to carry out our expertise, but we want to be part of the solution in Ward Valley and anywhere we're given that trust," he said. Peyron said he wasn't alluding to the lame duck Republican administration in Sacramento. "I'm talking about an administration in Washington that has frustrated California's efforts to carry out its responsibilities under the law, and in our mind to protect the seat of Senator (Barbara) Boxer," he said. The Democratic senator from California has opposed the project. Save Ward Valley 107 F Street Needles, CA 92363 ph. 760/326-6267 fax 760/326-6268 www.shundahai.org/SWVAction.html http://earthrunner.com/savewardvalley www.ctaz.com/~swv1 http://banwaste.envirolink.org www.alphacdc.com/ien/wardvly4.html www.greenaction.org
