And now:"Save Ward Valley" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: My apologies! I thought I had sent this out that Monday evening. I just discovered that it did not go out. Native American and Environmental Activists Ask California Governor-Elect Gray Davis to Reject the Ward Valley Nuclear Dump by Philip M. Klasky (Sacramento, California) -- While the new members of the California state legislature were being sworn in today, Native American leaders and environmental activists delivered a letter signed by over 135 organizations calling for Governor-elect Gray Davis to reject the proposal for a controversial nuclear waste dump at Ward Valley, California. Signatories included some of the nation's largest environmental organizations, indigenous rights groups and environmental organizations from Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia. For the last eight years, Governor Pete Wilson has made construction of the nuclear dump a centerpiece of his political agenda. The nuclear power industry plans to bury radioactive wastes, mostly from nuclear power plants, in shallow, unlined trenches, above an aquifer, twenty miles from the Colorado River, in the midst of critical habitat for an endangered species and on land considered sacred aboriginal territory for the five lower Colorado River Indian tribes. The letter states that the dump project would threaten the Colorado River, source of water for 22 million people in the United States and Mexico and violate environmental justice mandates. The letter asks Davis to withdraw the state of California's request for the land and bring to an end the decade long fight over the dump project. Davis also received a letter from Reverend Jesse Jackson delivered by representatives of the Rainbow Coalition stating that, "Indian peoples and communities of color should not be the dumping ground for dangerous wastes and reckless waste disposal projects." San Francisco Supervisor Gavin Newsom wrote to Davis reminding him that the City and County of San Francisco passed a resolution this last year opposing the dump project. Los Angeles, Berkeley, Marin, Imperial and San Bernardino Counties have also passed similar resolutions. As State Controller, Gray Davis opposed the dump project on both environmental and economic grounds. Davis authored a report that found, based on experience at other failed dump sites, that leakages at the Ward Valley facility could cost California taxpayers as much as $500 million in clean-up costs. Earlier this year, the top Democratic leadership of the state legislature alleged that the method by which the Wilson administration has attempted to obtain the federal land at Ward Valley is illegal. This claim coupled with an historic 113 day occupation of the proposed dump site by Native American and environmental activists halted a federal environmental review of the proposal. During his recent election campaign, Davis expressed serious concerns about the proposed dump contractor, US Ecology, who was licensed by the Wilson administration to build the facility. Formerly known as Nuclear Engineering Company, US Ecology has left a trail of leaking dumps and litigation across the country. All four of their nuclear waste dumps, in Washington, Kentucky, Illinois and Nevada, are leaking. Their Maxey Flats, Kentucky facility was put on the EPA's Superfund list of most polluted sites after plutonium and other radioactive wastes were discovered leaking from the dump. Earlier this year, Nebraska turned away a US Ecology nuclear waste dump proposal over concern about the company's track record compounded by the firm's deteriorating financial condition. In her bid for re-election, Senator Barbara Boxer successfully campaigned on her long-standing opposition to the Ward Valley dump. Public opinion polls show that a majority of Californians oppose the dump project, although many are unaware of the proposal. The Wilson administration has been an aggressive dump proponent. The state of California, along with US Ecology, is currently suing the federal government in federal district court in an attempt to force the government to transfer the land at Ward Valley to the state and begin construction of the dump. Davis has yet to indicate what he decide to do about the proposed dump project once he assumes office in January 1999. 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
