From: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com (abolition-usa-digest) To: abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: abolition-usa-digest V1 #273 Reply-To: abolition-usa-digest Sender: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk abolition-usa-digest Tuesday, March 21 2000 Volume 01 : Number 273 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 23:19:04 -0800 From: "David Crockett Williams" Subject: (abolition-usa) IMPORTANT Timely Personal Request [short] Just in case you missed my very important longer post early today "Presidential Campaign Miracle in The Making?", Or maybe you have been too busy yet to spend 10minutes reading and responding to it, And perhaps it was a bit too long at 19-20K for you to feel comfortable yet forwarding to your email contact lists, but PLEASE now take the 1-minute to read this short post and forward this one widely ASAP. Daily for the next three days I will be sending out press releases to large national media lists and Thursday (Mar23) mid-day I leave for Phoenix trying to get national media exposure for critical progressive issues during the five days of Global Peace Walk 2000 events there starting 9AM Friday at Senator John McCain's office and ending Sunday with my formal announcement of the Williams-Peltier USCampaign Independent Candidacy for the United States Presidency. This is a bone fide serious campaign whose details are explained in my earlier post which includes authorities and agreements citations, strategy, etc, archived at I need quick responses now with the names of those who agree to be Electors for this campaign to "get to first base" on ballot access and publicity. If you already know what this means and entails you can now email your Name and Address for this purpose, as they are listed on your voter registration, to , with Subject Line starting with your State abbreviation in brackets followed by a space and then your name, eg, "[CA] John Buck Doe", or "[OH] John B. Doe" (without quotes) depending on how your name is registered. That's it. That's all we need right now. No time commitment. For details see above archived post. Excuse me if you already responded. In each daily press release I want to mention numbers of Presidential Elector respondants to date. Thanks very much for doing this now and forwarding this summary intro post to your lists. David Crockett Williams Special Address for USCampaign A Global Emergency Alert Response http://www.angelfire.com/on/GEAR2000 - - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 10:51:29 -0500 From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Sign-on letter for Russian NGOs >Date: Mon, 20 Mar 2000 18:44:24 -0500 >Subject: Sign-on letter for Russian NGOs >Priority: non-urgent >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >To: bananas@lists.speakeasy.org, nuke-waste@igc.topica.com >From: michele@ieer.org (michele@ieer.org) > >PLEASE RESPOND TO yablokov@glasnet.ru > >Friends! >Please add your signature to this appeal. On March 23, the Russian >government will review whether to authorize the importation of >radioactive material into Russia from other countries. Many >organizations around the world have already agreed to unite with Russian >NGOs and sign-on to this letter. Now the letter has been translated >into English and will be disseminated around the world. > >Aleksei Yablokov >March 20, 2000 > >Statement of non-governmental environmental organizations on the plan to >export-import spent nuclear fuel > >At the present time, countries that have developed nuclear energy have >run into the problem of storage and burial of spent nuclear fuel and >radioactive waste. Not wanting to use its territory for the repository >of these dangerous materials, the governments and nuclear-energy >companies of these countries are trying to transport them to other >countries that are experiencing economic difficulties, in particular, to >Russia. Earlier attempts by industrial countries to establish >international repositories for spent nuclear fuel in Australia, South >Africa and Namibia were not successful. Proposals by private companies >to construct such a repository on one of the islands in the Pacific >Ocean that belongs to the US caused a sharp negative reaction by the >White House. > >Russian legislation forbids the import of foreign radioactive materials >for storage and burial on Russian territory. The Ministry of the >Russian Federation on atomic energy (Minatom), which is counting on >receiving the material into its custody and developing its potential, is >lobbying to change this law and is making preparations for organizations >of commercial storage and for the reprocessing of foreign radioactive >waste and spent nuclear fuel in its facilities. The Russian >authorities, which are facing a continual budget deficit, are ready to >change the law. > >The administration of the US, worried on the one hand about the security >of fissile materials and the possible leaking of nuclear specialists >from Russia, and on the other hand, not wanting to store spent nuclear >fuel on its own territory from countries that use in their reactors >nuclear fuel that was produced in the US, is giving in to the support of >the commercial storage of foreign radioactive materials in Russia. > >The United States, in exchange for giving permission to Russia to import >spent nuclear fuel from Japan, Taiwan, South Korea, Switzerland, >Germany, and other countries, requires that Russia stop reprocessing >spent nuclear fuel and further accumulation of plutonium. But the >accepted conception in Russia of a closed fuel cycle envisages such >reprocessing. Minatom promises (under the conditions of constructing >many new nuclear power plants) to curtail the production of plutonium >for only 200 years. Having at its disposal large stock of Russian spent >nuclear fuel, Minatom is ready to agree with the US requirement to give >up reprocessing of foreign spent nuclear fuel today in order to be able >to use it in the future in its facilities, which are constructed with >=93radioactive=94 money. > >Minatom maintains that the resources they receive from storing >radioactive waste and spent nuclear fuel will go first to remediate land >that has been polluted by radionuclides during the Cold War. However, >it is clear that a primary part of the resources that are received in >the waste business go into building new nuclear power plants, factories >for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, and other environmentally and >politically dangerous projects. > >The waste business, in which Minatom intends to earn money, will result >in the deterioration of the environmental situation in Russia and create >significant additional risks for the population during the transport of >spent nuclear fuel and radioactive waste and the management of dangerous >wastes. > >It is disturbing to us that negotiations on the management of >radioactive and nuclear materials, which affects the interests of the >whole world, go on in secret from the public. We hold that this leads >to the weakening of international and national environmental legislation >and undermines the foundations of civil society. > >We hold that countries, in which long-term radionuclides were obtained >in reactors, should take full responsibility for their safe storage >during the time it is necessary for full decay of all long-term >radionuclides. > >We hold that the Russian and US governments and other nuclear countries >should first take care of the safe storage of the large quantities of >already manufactured plutonium. > >We categorically come out against the import and export of spent nuclear >fuel and radioactive waste. We are against earning =93dirty=94 money in= the >morally unacceptable =93waste business,=94 which carries numerous >misfortunes for current and future generations, we are against double >standards. > >We hold that reprocessing of spent nuclear fuel, which inevitably leads >to the management of a large quantity of radioactive waste and to >extraction of new quantities of plutonium, should be stopped in all >countries. > >We are in favor of every future generation living in a less dangerous >world. > >Signed, > >L. Popova =AD Center for nuclear ecology and energy policy, SEU >A. Yablokov =AD Center for environmental policy in Russia >E. Kriusanov =AD Program on nuclear and radioactive safety, SEU > =20 Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org http://www.gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network for the elimination nuclear weapons. =20 - - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 11:52:50 -0500 From: ASlater Subject: (abolition-usa) Fwd: Water Contamination at Nevada Test Site >Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 07:47:27 -0500 >Subject: Water Contamination at Nevada Test Site >Priority: non-urgent >X-FC-MachineGenerated: true >To: bananas@lists.speakeasy.org, nuke-waste@igc.topica.com >From: bobschaeffer@earthlink.net (bobschaeffer@earthlink.net) > > Note implications for Yucca Mountain toward the end of this lengthy >article. > > > CONCERNS ARISE OVER AQUIFER NEAR NUCLEAR TEST SITE > New York Times > March 21, 2000 > by Martin Forstenzer > > When the federal government conducted 828 underground nuclear tests >at the Nevada Test Site from 1956 to 1992, its scientists knew that >ground water beneath the site would become contaminated. They believed >that the underground water barely moved, and that radioactive particles >would be sealed into cavities by the blasts or else absorbed by >underground rock. > But studies in recent years have found that radioactive particles >like long-lived plutonium 239 can travel with water, and that water is >flowing more rapidly beneath the site than was once believed. Scientists >now agree that contaminated plumes have the potential to flow beyond the >borders of the 1,573 square-mile test site in south-central Nevada, >toward populated areas. > The trouble is that no one knows how big the plumes are, where they >have already traveled or what exactly they contain. Scientists from the >United States Geological Survey and the University of Nevada say that a >witch's brew of radionuclides could take as little as a decade to reach >well water in Beatty, a town of 1,500 people in the Oasis Valley about >25 miles from the heavily contaminated northwest corner of the test >site. > "Could it show up there in the next 10 years?" Randell Laczniak, a >Geological Survey hydrologist and a co-author of a 1996 report on ground >water at the test site, said in an interview. > "There's that possibility. Will it show up at a dangerous level? I >don't know." > Spokesmen for the Department of Energy, which administers the test >site, were more conservative. > Bob Bangerter, manager of the Energy Department's program handling >the ground water issue, said that because some underground tests >occurred near the test site's western boundary at the heavily >contaminated Pahute Mesa area and the water was moving toward the >southwest, "there is a high potential that it will move off of the test >site toward the Oasis Valley." But he would not estimate when this might >happen. > Another Energy Department official in Nevada, Carl Gertz, assistant >manager for environmental management, said there was no evidence that >the contamination had yet left the site and that it would not be likely >to reach a populated area even 100 years from now. > The department has spent $176 million to evaluate the ground water >problem at the test site, but some experts say the agency has gone about >it the wrong way. > An early draft of a ground water model that tried to determine how >far contaminants could travel at one section of the test site was >heavily criticized last September by a review panel of ground water >experts who said that the model lacked enough data to make it >meaningful. > "It was severely data limited," said Dr. Lynn W. Gelhar, a ground >water expert and professor of civil and environmental engineering at the >Massachusetts Institute of Technology, who led the six-member peer >review panel. > Another panel member, Dr. Dennis Weber, a physicist and ground water >researcher at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, said the agency >relied on one of its own previous ground water models in place of >gathering real data about the problem. "They tried to do this without >taking data," Dr. Weber said. "Your models are only as good as your >data." > The model, which the agency is now revising, predicted that ground >water at the Frenchman Flat area of the site could travel only about >three-fifths of a mile in 1,000 years, but the panel said that it did >not take into account the "plausible" possibility that the water could >drop into a lower aquifer, where it could travel much more rapidly. > "The testing was not actually done down in the primary aquifer, >which is a limestone-type aquifer, but in a zone above that," Dr. Gelhar >said. > "The question is to what extent there is connection between the >upper zone and this deeper, very permeable aquifer." > The Energy Department has already drilled dozens of monitoring wells >both on and outside the test site and is installing eight wells >northeast of Beatty. But agency critics say they are of limited value >because they are not designed to find and define the contaminant plumes. > "They should design monitoring systems to intercept the contaminants >from some of the critical larger detonations so that they learn more >about the plumes, where they are going and how fast they are going," Dr. >Weber said. > Mr. Gertz of the Energy Department, though, said new wells were not >necessarily cost effective. > "Do you put a well every five miles?" Mr. Gertz asked. "Every six >miles?" We have a site bigger than the state of Rhode Island. To go down >to 6,000 feet, where we think you have to go in the northern part of our >site, they're about $2 million a well. > What is the appropriate cost to taxpayers?" > Some scientists emphasize that even if ground water was to travel >off the site, it does not mean that the radioactive contaminants would >necessarily travel with it. It was once believed that plutonium 239 >could not travel in ground water, but in 1997, scientists from the Los >Alamos National Laboratory concluded that plutonium 239 had traveled >nearly a mile from the location of an underground blast by attaching >itself to colloids, insoluble particles suspended in water. > It is still not known whether the element, which has a half-life of >24,100 years, can move in ground water over distances of several miles >in concentrations that would be harmful. But the finding increased >concern among scientists about the potential health threat from the >ground water. > The one radionuclide at the site that is known to travel freely with >water is tritium, a hydrogen isotope that becomes part of water >molecules. > Although it decays in only 12.3 years, tritium can remain dangerous >to humans for hundreds of years when found in the kinds of large >concentrations that the test site holds, Dr. Weber said. Other elements >that contaminate the site include neptunium and americium, but little is >known about their ability to travel in ground water. > Because Death Valley National Park is the end point of ground water >flow for the region, scientists said that water from the test site would >probably reach there eventually and could threaten the park, although >most believe that it would take longer than a hundred years. > For residents near the test site, the focus on contaminated ground >water has compounded fears about the Yucca Mountain nuclear waste >repository, which the federal government plans to build near the western >border of the Nevada Test Site not far from Beatty and other populated >areas. > By making the idea of contaminated ground water less abstract, it >has sharpened public worries about what might happen if radioactive >material leaked from the site, which would hold tons of high-level >radioactive waste from around the country. > There is no feasible way to clean the ground water of contaminants >or divert it from flowing toward a particular place. But to prepare for >the possibility that contaminants might someday reach a populated area, >the Energy Department has studied a variety of costly, experimental >plans, including trying to mine out contaminants at the test site, which >would cost trillions of dollars and present serious health risks to >workers, diverting the ground water back onto the test site, and piping >or trucking water to affected communities. > In Beatty, the issue has been a leading topic of discussion. "I'm >concerned for a lot of reasons," said LaRene Younghans, who owns a ranch >just north of Beatty. "We wanted to stay here until we died, and we'll >probably have to move." > Such worries spiked in late February when Nye County officials >reported that a very high level of radiation was found in one monitoring >well south of the Oasis Valley. The report prompted calls to the Energy >Department from county residents and spurred emergency meetings of town >and county officials, but it turned out to be a false alarm: the initial >well analysis was faulty. > Some scientists who have studied the issue believe that the Energy >Department has never really tried to learn much about the contaminated >ground water in order to keep public pressure off the agency. > "They haven't drilled wells with the intention of finding the >plumes," Dr. Weber said. "They didn't want to know." > A spokeswoman for the department, Nancy Harkess, responded: "We are >looking and we do want to find it if it's moving. Our No. 1 priority is >to protect the public." > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE) 15 East 26th Street, Room 915 New York, NY 10010 tel: (212) 726-9161 fax: (212) 726-9160 email: aslater@gracelinks.org http://www.gracelinks.org GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000, a global network for the elimination nuclear weapons. - - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 15:09:14 -0500 From: Ellen Thomas Subject: (abolition-usa) NucNews 00/03/21: Archives Posted 3/1-15; Rad Workers and Gulf War Syndrome hearings in DC 3/22, 4/4 - --=====================_29254963==_.ALT Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Time sensitive: =20 2. Ill workers will testify in Washington (on March 22) 3. Requests by veterans service organizations to present oral comments on= Gulf War Syndrome due March 24; Written comments due March 30; Testimony April 4. 3. Today's Senate Committee Hearings (March 21, 2000 ALSO: NucNews archives has been posted online through March 15, 2000 at http://prop1.org/nucnews/briefslv.htm. =20 - ------ (1) Daybook, Washington Time, March 21, 2000 http://www.washtimes.com/national/daybook-2000321214023.htm SENATE COMMITTEES=20 2 p.m. - Environment and Public Works Committee's Superfund, waste control= and risk assessment subcommittee holds a hearing on the current status of= cleanup activities under the Superfund program. Location: 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Contact: 202/224-6176. 2:30 p.m. - Foreign Relations Committee holds hearing on "Proliferation= Threats and the Formulation of Policy." George Tenet, CIA director, testifies. Location: 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Contact: 202/224-4651. - ---- (2) Ill workers will testify in Washington (on March 22) By Laura Frank / Staff Writer=20 http://www.tennessean.com/sii/00/03/16/testify16.shtml Three nuclear weapons workers and an ill worker's daughter will carry the plight of their ailing cohorts to Capitol Hill next week to testify before= one of the most powerful Senate committees. U.S. Sens. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, yesterday released the list of people who will appear Wednesday before the= Governmental Affairs committee, which is exploring how the federal government has handled health and safety issues at nuclear weapons plants. Thompson is chairman of the committee. "This is something we've worked on for five years," said Ann Orick, an ill= Oak Ridge worker who will testify. "This is probably our one and only= opportunity. We've got to take advantage of it." Meanwhile, a team of doctors hired in 1997 to determine whether some Oak= Ridge workers' ailments are related to toxic exposure from the site announced they will report their official findings at the end of next month. Thompson and Voinovich announced the hearings last fall because, they said,= the U.S. Department of Energy was not giving the sites in their states equal attention to the weapons fuel plant in Paducah, Ky., where workers have= filed a massive lawsuit. Legislation is pending in Congress to compensate some ill nuclear weapons workers: those with lung damage from the metal beryllium, those from the Paducah site with certain cancers and a group of Oak Ridge workers. That= group is expected to be determined at the end of April, when the DOE-hired doctors announce findings of their three-year investigation. Thompson said the March 22 hearing will focus on how best to compensate ill workers. Other people who will testify include: Vikki Hatfield of Kingston, Tenn., whose father is a former Oak Ridge worker now dying of kidney failure and berylliosis, a lung disease caused by the= metal beryllium, which was used in atomic bombs. Sam Ray of Lucasville, Ohio, who retired in 1995 from the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion plant near Piketon, Ohio, after 41 years. He suffers from chondrosarcoma, a cancer of the cartilage in his throat. Jeff Walburn of Greenup, Ky., a security guard at the Portsmouth site for 23 years, who suffers respiratory problems after a 1994 accident at the site. Dr. Steven Markowitz of the City University of New York Medical School, who= is leading a study of former nuclear fuel production workers at Oak Ridge, Portsmouth and Paducah. David Michaels, assistant U.S. energy secretary for environment, safety and health. "I realize the gravity of this," Walburn said of his upcoming testimony and= the fact he will speak for dozens of other workers who will not have a chance to testify. During the past three years, The Tennessean has interviewed more than 400 atomic weapons site workers and neighbors who suffer a host of mysterious illnesses. Many of the ailments are immune, neurological and respiratory problems. Others are more difficult to define, such as severe fatigue,= rashes and pain. Last July, President Clinton ordered a review of whether evidence existed= that nuclear workers' health had been harmed.=20 - ------- (2) DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE Office of the Secretary=20 Meeting to Discuss the Future of the Office of the Special Assistant for= Gulf War Illnesses (OSAGWI) AGENCY: Special Oversight Board for Department of Defense Investigations of Gulf War Chemical and Biological Incidents, Department of Defense ACTION: Notice SUMMARY: The Board will conduct a public meeting to obtain information from veterans service organizations and the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services regarding the design of a successor organization to OSAGWI. The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. EDT. DATE: April 4, 2000 ADDRESS: Truman Room, White House Conference=20 Center, 726 Jackson Place, NW,=20 Washington, DC 20503 FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Mr. David Edman,=20 Special Oversight Board, 1401 Wilson Blvd,=20 Suite 401, Arlington, VA 22209,=20 phone (703) 696-9468, fax (703) 696-4062,=20 or via Email at Gulfsyn@osd.pentagon.mil.=20 Requests to present oral comments regarding an OSAGWI successor organization must be sent to Mr. Edman and received no later than noon Friday, March 24, 2000 for consideration. Written comments must be received no later than noon Thursday, March 30, 2000 to ensure their availability to board members prior= to the hearing. Copies of the draft meeting agenda can be obtained by= contacting Ms. Sandra Simpson at (703) 696-9464 or at the above fax number or above= email. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Seating in the Truman Room is limited, and spaces will be reserved only for scheduled speakers. The remaining seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8:30 a.m. No teleconference lines will be available. The Special Oversight Board expects that statements presented at this meeting will deal only with the design of= a successor organization to OSAGWI and its affiliation, if any, with the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services. In general, each individual or group making an oral presentation will be= limited to a total time of five minutes. Written comments will be provided to Board members if at least 10 copies are received in the Special Oversight Board= Staff Office no later than noon March 30, 2000. Written comments received after= that date will be mailed to Board members after the adjournment of the April 2000 meeting and will also be included in the official records of that meeting.= The White House Conference Center, 726 Jackson, Place, NW, is located on the= west side of Lafayette Park. Lafayette Park is on the north side of the White= House and bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue on the south, H Street on the north and centered at 16th Street. Lafayette Park is within easy walking distance of= the Farragut West (two city blocks) or McPherson Square (three city blocks) MetroRail subway stops (Blue and Orange lines). There is no vehicular access= to Jackson Place. Taxicabs should be directed to the Decatur House, 1600 H= Street, NW. - --- SPECIAL OVERSIGHT BOARD PUBLIC HEARING White House Conference Center=20 Truman Room=20 726 Jackson Place NW=20 Washington, DC 20503 April 4, 2000 9:00 AM =AD 4:00 PM DRAFT AGENDA 9:00 Call to Order - Mr. Setti Warren=20 Roll Call of Board - Designated Federal Officer 9:03-9:15 Purpose of the Meeting;=20 Moment of Silence for Senator Rudman and Board=20 ADM Zumwalt; Introduction of all Board Members,=20 Remarks 9:15-9:45 DoD Low-Level Chemical Agent Research=20 LTC Ross, ODASD for (Five-year plan)=20 Chem/Bio Defense 9:45-10:15 Research Working Group Update=20 Dr. Feussner and staff 10:15-12:00 OSAGWI Follow-on Organization=20 NSC Representative plus JCS; OSAGWI; MVHCB;=20 VA; HHS; OASD(HA) 12:00-1:00 Lunch 1:00-1:30 Health Problems in Canadian Forces=20 in Croatia Ministry of Defence 1:30-2:00 Veterans Service Organization Panel 1=20 American Legion; AMVETS American GI Forum 2:00-2:30 Veterans Service Organization Panel 2=20 Disabled American Veterans; Jewish War Veterans; NCOA 2:30-3:00 Veterans Service Organization Panel 3=20 VFW; Vietnam Veterans of America 3:00-4:00 Board Discussion and Final Remarks=20 Senator Rudman and Board 4:00 Adjourn=20 Designated Federal Officer - -------------------=20 ________________________________________________________________ * Peace Through Reason - http://prop1.org - Convert the War Machines! * Don't Forget! Online Petition - http://www.PetitionOnline.com/prop1/petition.html ________________________________________________________________=20 - --=====================_29254963==_.ALT Content-Type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Time sensitive: 
2. Ill workers will testify in Washington (on March 22)
3. Requests by veterans service organizations to present oral comments on Gulf War Syndrome due March 24; Written comments due March 30; Testimony April 4.
3. Today's Senate Committee Hearings (March 21, 2000

ALSO:  NucNews archives has been posted online through March 15, 2000 at http://= prop1.org/nucnews/briefslv.htm. 

- ------

(1)

Daybook, Washington Time, March 21, 2000
http://www.washtimes.com/national/daybook-2000321214023.= htm

SENATE COMMITTEES

2 p.m. - Environment and Public Works Committee's Superfund, waste control and risk assessment subcommittee holds a hearing on the current status of cleanup activities under the Superfund program. Location: 406 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Contact: 202/224-6176.

2:30 p.m. - Foreign Relations Committee holds hearing on "Proliferation Threats and the Formulation of Policy." George Tenet, CIA director, testifies. Location: 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building. Contact: 202/224-4651.

- ----

(2)
Ill workers will testify in Washington (on March 22)

By Laura Frank / Staff Writer
http://www.tennessean.com/sii/00/03/16/testify16.shtml

Three nuclear weapons workers and an ill worker's daughter will carry the plight of their ailing cohorts to Capitol Hill next week to testify before one of the most powerful Senate committees.

U.S. Sens. Fred Thompson, R-Tenn., and George Voinovich, R-Ohio, yesterday released the list of people who will appear Wednesday before the Governmental Affairs committee, which is exploring how the federal government has handled health and safety issues at nuclear weapons plants.

Thompson is chairman of the committee.

"This is something we've worked on for five years," said Ann Orick, an ill Oak Ridge worker who will testify. "This is probably our one and only opportunity. We've got to take advantage of it."

Meanwhile, a team of doctors hired in 1997 to determine whether some Oak Ridge workers' ailments are related to toxic exposure from the site announced they will report their official findings at the end of next month.

Thompson and Voinovich announced the hearings last fall because, they said, the U.S. Department of Energy was not giving the sites in their states equal attention to the weapons fuel plant in Paducah, Ky., where workers have filed a massive lawsuit.

Legislation is pending in Congress to compensate some ill nuclear weapons workers: those with lung damage from the metal beryllium, those from the Paducah site with certain cancers and a group of Oak Ridge workers. That group is expected to be determined at the end of April, when the DOE-hired doctors announce findings of their three-year investigation.

Thompson said the March 22 hearing will focus on how best to compensate ill workers.

Other people who will testify include:

Vikki Hatfield of Kingston, Tenn., whose father is a former Oak Ridge worker now dying of kidney failure and berylliosis, a lung disease caused by the metal beryllium, which was used in atomic bombs.

Sam Ray of Lucasville, Ohio, who retired in 1995 from the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion plant near Piketon, Ohio, after 41 years. He suffers from chondrosarcoma, a cancer of the cartilage in his throat.

Jeff Walburn of Greenup, Ky., a security guard at the Portsmouth site for 23 years, who suffers respiratory problems after a 1994 accident at the site.

Dr. Steven Markowitz of the City University of New York Medical School, who is leading a study of former nuclear fuel production workers at Oak Ridge, Portsmouth and Paducah.

David Michaels, assistant U.S. energy secretary for environment, safety and health.

"I realize the gravity of this," Walburn said of his upcoming testimony and the fact he will speak for dozens of other workers who will not have a chance to testify.

During the past three years, The Tennessean has interviewed more than 400 atomic weapons site workers and neighbors who suffer a host of mysterious illnesses. Many of the ailments are immune, neurological and respiratory problems. Others are more difficult to define, such as severe fatigue, rashes and pain.

Last July, President Clinton ordered a review of whether evidence existed that nuclear workers' health had been harmed.

- -------

(2)

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Office of the Secretary

Meeting to Discuss the Future of the Office of the Special Assistant for Gulf War Illnesses (OSAGWI)

AGENCY: Special Oversight Board for Department of Defense Investigations of Gulf War Chemical and Biological Incidents, Department of=20 Defense

ACTION: Notice

SUMMARY: The Board will conduct a public meeting to obtain information from veterans service organizations and the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services regarding the design of a successor organization to OSAGWI. The meeting will begin at 9:00 a.m. EDT.

DATE: April 4, 2000
ADDRESS: Truman Room, White House Conference
Center, 726 Jackson Place, NW,
Washington, DC 20503

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION: Contact Mr. David Edman,
Special Oversight Board, 1401 Wilson Blvd,
Suite 401, Arlington, VA 22209,
phone (703) 696-9468, fax (703) 696-4062,
or via Email at Gulfsyn@osd.pentagon.mil.

Requests to present oral comments regarding an OSAGWI successor organization must be sent to Mr. Edman and received no later than noon Friday, March 24, 2000 for consideration. Written comments must be received no later than noon Thursday, March 30, 2000 to ensure their availability to board members prior to
the hearing. Copies of the draft meeting agenda can be obtained by contacting Ms. Sandra Simpson at (703) 696-9464 or at the above fax number or above email.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Seating in the Truman Room is limited, and spaces will be reserved only for scheduled speakers. The remaining seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis beginning at 8:30 a.m. No teleconference lines will be available. The Special Oversight Board expects that statements presented at this meeting will deal only with the design of a successor organization to OSAGWI and its affiliation, if any, with the Departments of Defense, Veterans Affairs, and Health and Human Services. In general, each individual or group making an oral presentation will be limited to a total time of five minutes. Written comments will be provided to Board members if at least 10 copies are received in the Special Oversight Board Staff Office no later than noon March 30, 2000. Written comments received after that date will be mailed to Board members after the adjournment of the April 2000 meeting and will also be included in the official records of that meeting. The White House Conference Center, 726 Jackson, Place, NW, is located on the west side of Lafayette Park. Lafayette Park is on the north side of the White House and bounded by Pennsylvania Avenue on the south, H Street on the north and centered at 16th Street. Lafayette Park is within easy walking distance of the Farragut West (two city blocks) or McPherson Square (three city blocks) MetroRail subway stops (Blue and Orange lines). There is no vehicular access to Jackson Place. Taxicabs should be directed to the Decatur House, 1600 H Street, NW.

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SPECIAL OVERSIGHT BOARD PUBLIC HEARING
White House Conference Center
Truman Room
726 Jackson Place NW
Washington, DC 20503
April 4, 2000 9:00 AM =AD 4:00 PM

DRAFT AGENDA

9:00 Call to Order - Mr. Setti Warren
Roll Call of Board - Designated Federal Officer

9:03-9:15 Purpose of the Meeting;
Moment of Silence for Senator Rudman and Board
ADM Zumwalt; Introduction of all Board Members,
Remarks

9:15-9:45 DoD Low-Level Chemical Agent Research
LTC Ross, ODASD for (Five-year plan)
Chem/Bio Defense

9:45-10:15 Research Working Group Update
Dr. Feussner and staff

10:15-12:00 OSAGWI Follow-on Organization
NSC Representative plus JCS; OSAGWI; MVHCB;
VA; HHS; OASD(HA)

12:00-1:00 Lunch

1:00-1:30 Health Problems in Canadian Forces
in Croatia Ministry of Defence

1:30-2:00 Veterans Service Organization Panel 1
American Legion; AMVETS American GI Forum

2:00-2:30 Veterans Service Organization Panel 2
Disabled American Veterans; Jewish War Veterans; NCOA

2:30-3:00 Veterans Service Organization Panel 3
VFW; Vietnam Veterans of America

3:00-4:00 Board Discussion and Final Remarks
Senator Rudman and Board

4:00 Adjourn
Designated Federal Officer

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________________________________________________________________

  * Peace Through Reason - http://prop1.org - Conver= t the War Machines! *

Don't Forget! Online Petition - http://www.PetitionOnline.com/prop1/petition.html ________________________________________________________________ - --=====================_29254963==_.ALT-- - - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 21 Mar 2000 13:36:23 -0800 From: Nuclear Age Peace Foundation Subject: (abolition-usa) We can't stop now! There are now 1773 municipalities and organizations who endorse Abolition 2000. Let's keep the momentum going! There are only 34 days left until the NPT begins. We still need 227 more endorsers to reach our goal of 2000. Please commit to enrolling an organization this week. The following organizations endorsed the Abolition 2000 Statement during the week of 15 March to 21 March: Civic Alliance of Serbia (political party), Belgrade/Yugoslavia Children of the Manhattan Project, San Francisco/California Indigenous Environmental Network, Bemidji/Minnesota Nuclear-Free Future Award, Munich/Germany KIN (Korean International Network), Seoul/ Republic of Korea National Campaign for the Eradication of Crime by US Troops in Korea , Seoul/ Republic of Korea ANBM (Alliance for National Buddhist Movement), Seoul/ Republic of Korea The Participatory Autonomy Forum for 21st Century, Kwangju/Republic of Korea SOFA Action (People's Action for Reform of the Unjust ROK-US SOFA Agreement), Seoul/ Republic of Korea The Victoria Peace Project, Ontario/Canada Llanymddyfri Peace Group, Cynghordy/Llanymddyfri Korean Dentists' Association for Healthy Society, Seoul/ Republic of Korea Sauk Prairie Area Peace Council, Sauk City/Wisconsin Utah Navaho Downwinders, Montezuma Creek/Utah Bekere Keresok (Peace Tax Payers), Budapest/Hungary League of Women Voters of Beaver County, Aliquippa/Pennsylvania Beaver Valley National Organization for Women, Aliquippa/Pennsylvania Beaver County Peace Links, Aliquippa/Pennsylvania Project EDNA, Brooklyn/New York ADMAN Enterprises, Jacksonville/Florida Centre for Community Development & Environment Research, Kathmandu/Nepal. Thank you for your continued support! In Peace and Solidarity, Carah Carah Lynn Ong Coordinator, Abolition 2000 1187 Coast Village Road PMB 121, Suite 1 Santa Barbara CA 93108 Phone (805) 965 3443 FAX(805) 568 0466 Email: A2000@silcom.com Website http://www.abolition2000.org Join the Abolition-Global Caucus listserv to receive regular updates about the Abolition movement. The caucus provides an international forum for conversation on nuclear-related issues. Important articles and information relating to nuclear issues are also circulated to keep interested individuals and activists informed about nuclear issues. To subscribe to the Abolition Global Caucus, please do one of the following: 1. Send a message to the list moderator at A2000@silcom.com 2. Visit the Abolition-caucus website at: Http://www.egroups.com/list/abolition-caucus/ and submit a membership form. 3. Visit the Abolition 2000 website and submit a membership form. 4. Send an e-mail to: abolition-caucus-subscribe@egroups.com (leave the subject line and body of the message blank). To post a message to the Abolition Global Caucus, send your message to: abolition-caucus@egroups.com To subscribe to the Abolition-USA listerve, send a message (with no subject) to: abolition-usa-request@lists.xmission.com In the body of the message, write: "subscribe abolition-usa" (do not include quotation marks) To post a message to the Abolition-USA list, mail your message to: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com - - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message. ------------------------------ End of abolition-usa-digest V1 #273 *********************************** - To unsubscribe to $LIST, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe $LIST" in the body of the message. For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message.