Valerie Taliman taliman@unssun.scs.unr.edu
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This article is from the twice monthly newspaper, News From Indian
Country. It is published by Indian Country Communications, Inc.
with offices at Rt.2 Box 2900A, Hayward, WI 54843. They may be
contacted by calling (715) 634-5226; FAX (715) 634-3243.
It can also be found in the publication:
The Circle, 1530 E. Franklin Ave., Minneapolis, MN 55404 (612) 871-4555.
Subscription - $15/yr; $25 2 yrs. Voted BEST NATIVE AMERICAN MONTHLY
NEWSPAPER - 1991, 1993 by the Native American Journalists Association
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Late August 1993
THE NATION'S DUMPING GROUNDS Part II
By Valerie Taliman
At this point, the only parties still interested in studying the
short-term (40-50 years) storage of nuclear waste are Indian
tribes.
Over the last two years, 16 tribes initially applied for $100,000
grants from DOE [Dept. of Energy] to study the MRS [Monitored
Retrievable Storage] option on Native lands. The lucrative DOE offer
included up to $3,000,000 to actually identify a site for an MRS
and as much as $5,000,000 per year for any tribe that accepted the
deal.
Many tribal leaders have called the offer "economic blackmail"
because federal funding for education, health and housing has been
slashed in budget cuts, yet millions are being offered to take
waste.
Through the efforts of some Native leaders and grassroots groups to
educate their communities about the dangers of nuclear waste,
several tribes returned the $100,000 grants to DOE; others have
pursued the grant to the next stage. (See MRS Phase II Applicant
List below)
But in recent months, nine tribes have moved forward to the second
phase of studying nuclear waste storage. They are the Mescalero
Apache of New Mexico, Skull Valley Band of Goshute in Nevada, Ft.
McDermitt Paiute Shoshone in Nevada-Oregon, Ute Mountain Ute Tribe
of Colorado, Northern Arapahoe Economic Development Commission of
Wyoming, Prairie Island Mdewakanton Community of Minnesota, and the
Tonakawa Tribe, Miami Tribe and Eastern Shawnee Tribe, all of
Oklahoma.
Each tribe has applied for a $200,000 grant to finance Phase II
studies. The tribes have varied reasons for accepting DOE grants.
Some view it as a means of economic development while others, like
the Prairie Island Mdewakanton Dakota who live next to two nuclear
reactors, have indicated they will use the funds to continue
studies that will prove to their people that nuclear waste storage
is unsafe.
What Would an MRS Look Like?
Some advocates of accepting an MRS facility say that a tribe would
simply have to set aside a 450-acre parcel of land and construct a
concrete pad on which huge steel casks of nuclear waste would be
stored. The casks would be trucked in or shipped by railroad and
stored until it was time to send them to Yucca Mountain. The
maintain the operation would be like a huge parking lot with
minimal risk of radiation exposure.
But the most likely plan that will be exercised, according to the
Southwest Research and Information in Albuquerque, N.M., is one in
which the irradiated fuel would be repackaged and consolidated. This
would involve cutting the fuel rods and putting them in new
packages to reduce the amount of storage space and number of
shipments to Yucca Mountain.
The hazards of an MRS facility include releases of radiation as
their irradiated fuel is handled on arrival, repackaged and
consolidated. There are also considerable risks for accidents as
thousands of truck shipments or train loads bring waste to the
facility. All these scenarios put the environment, local emergency
response teams and the general public at risk.
It also puts the future of Native people on the line.
Physicians for Social Responsibility and many other health experts
maintain that there is no safe dose of radiation. Even a short dose
exposure can induce cancers and mutations, as evidenced in plants,
animals, and natural foods surrounding many sites contaminated by
radiation.
Facing The Future
No doubt the question of whether tribes should consider storing
nuclear waste will continue to be hotly debated. As it is, many
Native Nations will be closely watching the process unfold.
Should any tribes elect to play "temporary" host to the tons of
radioactive waste that stands waiting, the deal will have to pass
formidable hurdles. First, the tribal council must approve the
selected site and negotiate an agreement with the new Nuclear Waste
Negotiator. (Former negotiator David Leroy resigned and has not
been officially replaced.)
Then an environmental impact statement must be prepared and a
public hearing scheduled. Following the hearing, the formal
agreement must be approved by Secretary of State Bruce Babbitt and
approved by Congress. The facility would have to be licensed for
operation by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
The process could take a long time - and many Native people argue
that it should, because the future is nothing to gamble on.
MRS GRANT APPLICANT LIST (June 39,1993)
PHASE II
1. Mescalero Apache Tribe, New Mexico
Applied March 13, 1992
Awarded April 21, 1992
2. Skull Valley Band of Goshute Indians, Utah
Applied October 28, 1992
Awarded January 27, 1993
3. Ft. McDermitt Paiute Shoshone Tribe, Nevada/Oregon
Applied February 19, 1993
Awarded June 1, 1993
4. Tonakawa Tribe of Oklahoma
Applied March 31, 1993
Application under review
5. Eastern Shawnee Tribe of Oklahoma
Applied March 24, 1993
Application under review
6. Prairie Island Sioux Indian Community, Minnesota
Applied March 30, 1993
Denied June 9, 1993
7. Ute Mountain Ute Tribe, Colorado
Applied March 30, 1993
Application under review
8. Miami Tribe of Oklahoma
Applied March 30, 1993
Application withdrawn June 8, 1993
9. Northern Arapahoe Economic Development Commission, Wyoming
Applied March 26, 1993
Application under review
For more information contact the Office of the U.S. Nuclear Waste
Negotiator, an independent agency of the federal government located
in Boise, Idaho, at (208) 334-9876
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Michele Lord + If you have come here to help me,
+ you are wasting your time.....
+ But if you have come because
+ your liberation is bound up with mine,
milo@scicom.alphacdc.com + then let us work together.
Aboriginal Woman
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