It is vitally important to ensure that as many people and organizations as possible get involved in the process. If we allow Yucca Mountain to go forward, the nuclear industry will have a green light to license many new nuclear facilities, as well as to easily relicense any and all older reactors. If we are going to shut down the nuclear industry, we must make sure that Yucca Mountain NEVER opens.
Guin
Fwd: Important action on Yucca Mountain - Deadline May 7
Saturday, May 3, 2008 6:19 AM
From: "Peter Bergel"
To: "Guin"
DOE Shipments to Yucca Mtn.pdf (1130KB), Sample Letter1.doc (31KB), STB filing.pdf (141KB)
Possible email blast?
Peter
Date: Wed, 30 Apr 2008 15:00:55 -0700
From: John Hadder
To: Bananas
Subject: Important action on Yucca Mountain - Deadline May 7
Hello all,
Below is some background information from the State of Nevada regarding the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB) process for Yucca Mountain rail construction and assess approval. HOME has sent the sample letter with our information on it to the STB as a notice to be involved in this process to comment on the transportation of the nuclear waste to Yucca Mountain. Please do the same with your organization's information. It is important for the STB to see the level of awareness across the country on this issue. This will not obligate you to anything at this time. HOME will be working with the State of Nevada on how you can participate with the minimum of time to your staff.
So action to be taken: use attached sample letter with your organization information and send in using the e-filing (instructions below) or using the mailing address (but ten copies of the letter are required by mail) in the sample letter.
Deadline May 7
To file electronically:
Step 1. Prepare letter (sample attached)
Step 2. Save letter as signed PDF file and WORD file
Step 3. Go to the STB website – http://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/efilings.nsf
Step 4. Under "Processes that do not require a Login Account," click on "Other Submissions (Correspondence, Comments)"
Step 5. At "Other Submissions," provide the required information and upload your letter as an attachment
Step 6. See that attached pdf file(STB filing.pdf) - this is how I filled it in.
Step 7. Attach your letter using the browse button and submit.
Let me know if you have any further questions. Please forward widely.
John Hadder
As you know, DOE has submitted an application to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board for approval to construct and operate a rail line from Caliente, Nevada to Yucca Mountain. STB is required to review the application in the context of an expansion of the national rail system and to assess the effect of any decision to grant DOE's application has on the wider system as well as within Nevada. As such, it provides an opportunity for jurisdictions, communities, and interested parties affected by the rail system and rail transportation to have input into the STB's proceedings. Of special interest is the fact that STB will be required to complete NEPA documentation supporting any decision. As such, the STB proceeding could provide an additional avenue to assure that impacts of spent fuel and high-level waste rail transportation nationally and in Nevada are adequately identified and assessed through the EIS process. In other words, the STB process provides another bite at the EIS apple. The STB proceeding is an opportunity for communities and parties located along the national rail transportation system (whether within Nevada or in other states) to be involved in assuring that impacts of transporting spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive waste to Yucca Mountain on the national rail system are adequately addressed by STB.
To preserve your jurisdiction's/organization's ability to participate in the STB process, you will need to file a Notice of Intent to participate with the STB by the deadline of May 7th. Attached for your use is a sample letter for filing such a Notice with the STB together with detailed instructions for filing the Notice electronically through the STB web site.
Here is a link to the STB Federal Register notice regarding the DOE application.
http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-8161.pdf
Parties wanting to participate must submit a notice of intent to STB by May 7, 2008. Parties that wish to participate may submit paper filings (original and ten copies required) or electronic filings. Here is a link to the STB website:
http://www.stb.dot.gov/stb/efilings.nsf
The STB NEPA analysis and decision on DOE's application, will take into consideration "both the transportation merits and the environmental impacts of constructing and operating" DOE's proposed rail line to Yucca Mountain. We believe the STB will be able to make a more informed decision on both transportation merits and environmental impacts if the STB Section of Environmental Analysis receives input from parties outside Nevada, especially States, Tribes and communities along the transportation corridors to Yucca Mountain.
Also attached is a map showing the distribution of Yucca Mountain rail and truck shipments by state, using the same DOE representative routes assumed in the Draft Supplemental EIS. Note that the Draft SEIS is part of DOE's application to the STB, and the map of representative routes in the Draft SEIS (p. 6-14) helps define the affected environment for DOE's proposed action, construction of a repository and transportation of 70,000 MTU of spent nuclear fuel and high-level radioactive wastes from 76 sites in 30 states to Yucca Mountain over 50 years. DOE shipments would traverse 44 states and the District of Columbia, more than 40 Indian Nations, and more than 600 counties. Forty of the 50 most populous metropolitan areas would be traversed by rail, barge, and/or truck shipments. Also attached is a sample letter to STB.
--
John Hadder
HOME, Healing Ourselves and Mother Earth
P.O. Box 6595
Reno, NV 89513
775-284-1989
Voice Mail: 775-284-6234
hadder@gbis.com
www.h-o-m-e.org
Peter Bergel
Executive Director
Oregon PeaceWorks
104 Commercial St. NE
Salem, OR 97301
503-371-8002