Council opposes pit production
The New Mexican - News in BriefThe city of Santa Fe has gone on record in opposition to Los Alamos National Laboratory's efforts to produce plutonium pits.
A resolution approved Wednesday night by city councilors directed the city clerk to inform federal authorities of the city's objections.
The National Nuclear Security Administration has released a draft environmental impact statement in order to transform its nuclear weapons complex, the resolution says, and such actions would release hazardous and radioactive waste in the area.
Councilor Karen Heldmeyer, whose husband works at the lab, recused herself from the otherwise unanimous vote.
49 comments:
So far the opposition, both in Congress and right here at home are batting 1000. How long do you think we can last?
LANL still clueless.
We will miss you, friend.
Farewell Gussie Fink-Nottle.
Santa Fe city council is acting outside it's jurisdiction. It's none of their business what the feds (or anyone else) are doing somewhere outside their city limits. They are wasting their taxpayers' money by digressing from the business of running their city.
Only the tip of the iceberg as was predicted on one of the LANL blogs months ago. NMED is not our friend, will never be our friend, and will do nothing to help us build pits.
Good clean research is what LANL should be doing - not manufacturing. Of course, the clueless DOE/NNSA/LANS management will never understand this because one can't use a schedule to drive research.
Why farewell to Gussie?
Who gives a damn about what a bunch of room-temperature IQ politicians think. They are all LANL-haters who would prefer that their constituants were all uneducated high school dropouts. Karen Heldmeyer is the only one of them with any sense.
Why shouldn't the City express it's position. Plutonium pit manufacturing processes will generate radioactive TRU wastes. Some will go to WIPP, but those wastes less than 100 nanocuries/gram will be treated as LLW with near-surface disposal at LANL (DOE manages TRU LLW in a fashion similar to NRC requirements for LLW unfortunately the half-lives of the two waste types are much different.) along with the buried TRU wastes that will remain at LANL above a major sole source aquifer. TRU wastes greater than 10 nanocuries/gram were originally slated to go to WIPP, but the limit was raised to 100 because of lack of capacity at WIPP. None of the TRU wastes disposal areas at LANL meet the performance requirements of a WIPP-like facility.
Why shouldn't the City express it's position.
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Because it is absolutely NONE of the
City of Santa Fe's concern.
The US Congress representing the entire
nation as a whole decides US nuclear
policy - not the City of Santa Fe.
You in essence have been OUT-VOTED!!!
1:50 is complaining about someone besides LANL wasting taxpayer money.
ROFLMAO!!!
> Why shouldn't the City express it's
> position. Plutonium pit
> manufacturing processes will
> generate radioactive TRU wastes.
Why is this the concern of the city council of Santa Fe? Unless there is some solid evidence that LANL's activities are going to somehow negatively impact the citizens of Santa Fe, there is no reason for the council to stick their noses into this.
It seems to me that the council is just pandering to anti-LANL sentiments (which are in abundance in The City Different), rather than acting on anything that is actually in the city's interests.
OM MY GOD! RADIOACTIVE WASTES! WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!
Because we all know that LANL will dump it's radioactive wastes just anywhere without concern for environmental impact, and probably directly into the Rio Grande.
None of their concern - we do live in a Democracy and have a right to express our positions. And DOE/NNSA are in the process of makeing a decision.
Oh, come on now.
If they didn't express their opinion they couldn't continue to accurately represent the liberal idiots in FantaSe. Not issuing such a proclimation makes them feel so gooooood about themselves, like they've really struck a blow for Mello and his groupies cause.
I mean really, they haven't got the ability to run their own city: from keeping their streets clean of snow and ice, to pick up trash and even back their police force to do SOMETHING about crime.
When politicos there completely lose any clue they figure "Hey, let's really be relevant...let's act globally and let the city run itself."
We should be concerned?
NAH!
Consider the source.
The City of Santa Fe has a residentail burglary rate that has gone up 75% in the last year. The drop out rate in the public high schools is 45%. The streets are pot-holed.
But, the City Countil devotes time to such useless resolutions.
LANL is operating and disposing of wastes above a sole source aquifer and, in a Democracy, any citizen or entity must be able to express their opinion.
You ignore the concerns of fellow citizens - there are real issues, and in a Democracy we express them do we not?
6:17 pm: "in a Democracy, any citizen or entity must be able to express their opinion.
You must have fallen asleep in civics class - the US is not a "democracy" but a representative republic. Sure you can express your opinion, it's called the First Amendment. The problem is a publicly-paid city council making pronouncements about an issue in which they have no standing, and about which they haven't determined the positions of their citizens.
BTW - your repeated capitalization of the word "democracy" is flagging you.
...about as relevant as Congress investigating HGH and steroid use by Roger Clemens.
You also must have fallen asleep in civics class. The representatives of the people of Santa Fe, in a fine republican manner, have expressed the will of their constituents. Political jurisdictions frequently lobby other political jurisdictions on many matters. For example, the LA county council frequently reports on how it goes to DC to lobby the DOE and our congressional delegation. The Santa Fe city council in entitled to work on those issues its members see fit to work on, provided that these issues don’t conflict with its charter and rules. If you don’t like what they work on, you are welcome to lobby, or run for office, etc. You are even entitled to remain a crybaby, as unpleasant as that course of action makes you appear to your fellow citizens.
However, 7:59, since you see Santa Fe council’s behavior as inappropriate, I expect you to similarly call upon the LA county government to cease its lobbying of the state and federal governments.
oooh -- a resolution.... what next? A strongly worded letter?
Now about that HS dropout out rate..........
6:17 said:
"LANL is operating and disposing of wastes above a sole source aquifer and, in a Democracy, any citizen or entity must be able to express their opinion."
#1 - No problem with one expressing their opinion, but it's actually just the pot (SF City Council) calling the kettle black.
#2 - Ask Mello why he once advocated keeping the waste up in Area G instead of moving it to WIPP. It must have been his usual weathervaning to appear relevant.
#3 - Perspective is everything. It's something the SF antinukes don't want people to have because then their support base might erode. If they thought people would have a clearer view (something other than activist propaganda) of the situation, people might not listen to them.
Not that they do now. Nobody like fear mongering.
None of their concern - we do live in a Democracy and have a right to express our positions. And DOE/NNSA are in the process of makeing a decision.
============
5:31,
The Federal Government is making a
decision - and the wishes of the citzenry
of New Mexico will be represented by
New Mexico's Representatives and Senators.
Other than that - a public entity such
as a City Council has ZERO standing in
the crafting of the decision.
You evidently are ignorant of the
Supremacy Clause of the US Constitution.
[ It's Article VI Section 2 ]
Nuclear policy is clearly a federal
responsibility - not a State nor local
responsibility - so the 10th Amendment
doesn't apply.
In absence of a 10th Amendment challenge;
the City of Santa Fe has ZERO standing.
In either a democracy or representative
republic; representation is metered to
give the fairest distribution
representing the most people.
What we don't want is for a small vocal
minority in a muncipality to have
UNDUE influence on a decision of
national import.
For all your bluster about wanting a
democracy - that isn't what you want
at all. You want a liberal oligarchy!!
"Nuclear policy is clearly a federal responsibility - not a State nor local responsibility - so the 10th Amendment doesn't apply."
And this is why Harry Reid (Nevada) is holding the United States hostage to his desires???
Harry Reid is a UNITED STATES senator.
He works for the federal government, not the state of Nevada.
Santa Fe, what a town. They want to change the world one bumper sticker at a time.
Long haired plaza freaks, go back to California.
Those Santa Fe pinko liberals just don't understand. Do they think millionaires just grow on trees or what? Who else in northern New Mexico can produce millionairs at the rate we do in Los Alamos? The rest of the State is just jealous of us because we are the best and brightest, even if only when it comes to enriching ourselves with taxpayer dollars. You all are just jealous of us...period!
9:20 - Exactly. I always get a chuckle seeing the earth-friendly bumper stickers on the SUVs at the Whole Foods parking lot.
"Harry Reid is a UNITED STATES senator.
He works for the federal government, not the state of Nevada."
Good grief!! What a naive statment...ROFLMAO :)
I like Santa Fe. I live there.
Unfortunately, Santa Fe is a magnet for true believers of every kind of superstition imaginable. Science? Well, there is the Santa Fe Institute. But for every one of those people you probably have 100 astrologers, healing touch therapists, homeopathists, or what not.
Homeopathists think that an extremely dilute solution is potent, even if there are no atoms of the original solute present. The water has a memory. How can you discuss water pollution with people like that?
Sigh....
LANLists think that an extremely dilute solution is not potent, even if the contamination is proven to be generated by them and is proven to consist of known hazardous chemicals. Their cover-ups are intended to erase memories. How can you discuss water pollution with people like that?
Sigh....
FTFY
I don't think that anybody objects to the Santa Fe City Council exercising their right of free speech.
BUT, we did not elect them for that. These people were elected to make strategic decisions for the City, not to make political statements that will be ignored.
The City Council has become highly corrupt, most of them owned by developers. City Government is too much run on the basis of cronyism.
"highly corrupt...owned...cronyism"
The Los Alamos National Pot calls the Santa Fe City Kettle black.
2/17/08 3:00 PM
I see Mr Troll is back. Since it is Sunday Mr Troll must be drunk again.
6:29 pm: Absolutely right. No point in trying to score political points locally against a distant. impervious adversary (i.e., DOE/NNSA). Far better to bash the local entity that can't do anything about the problem (i.e., LANL). Bank on the ignorance of the public, as usual. Does it bother you that all your supporters are so ignorant of the facts? Probably not.
11:29 AM:
"LANLists think that an extremely dilute solution is not potent...."
Rubbish. LANL scientists work with measured data and provable facts, not superstition. They know more much about these issues than the Santa Fe city council. They are not trying to cover anything up. Data are gathered conscientiously and reported regularly to NMED and others.
Homoeopathists do have a stupid belief system. This extends to the popular belief that any quantity of any contaminant is bad, regardless of whether it is mobile, etc. You need to have numbers and transport models to understand it. If you would care to be informed, please also attempt to understand some of the arguments about uranium occurring naturally and about PCBs being introduced in the Rio Grande upstream of LANL.
There is no relationship between modern pit manufacturing and what happened at Los Alamos several decades ago. Modern processes have tight requirements, controls, and monitoring. Maybe you should picket the local hospitals because they handle radioactive and biologically dangerous substances. It would have just as much merit.
That said, there are some problems with legacy contamination. This should be something that we work together to solve, without finger pointing.
6:29 PM is right when he says you are complaining to the wrong people. It goes farther than DOE and NNSA. What is needed is new money for clean up, not tied to the Lab mission. The source of that would be Congress. Unfortunately, the mood of Congress these days is not conducive to raising the money. There is no question that DOE and NNSA could be better advocates.
Allow me to translate:
There is no problem, but it's partly our fault. And if there was a problem it might be coming from the hospital. And even if it was coming from the lab, it's only a little. And it's not the lab's job to do anything about it.
Oh, and I'm not sure but there seems to be an implication about the sexual orientation of homeopathists.
"2/18/08 4:10 PM"
Funny that is not what I read.
Logic is not your strong point.
"There is no relationship between modern pit manufacturing and what happened at Los Alamos several decades ago."
Spot on!!!!
They could build weapons several decades ago.
You're not competent to do so now.
However, your competence in hiding data and denial is as excellent as ever.
8:41 pm: "They could build weapons several decades ago."
Nobody at LANL "built weapons" several decades ago. (Assembled test devices, yes.) You obviously don't have a clue what you're talking about. Santa Fe resident, right?
That's an RCH that you're splitting, 9:17.
"2/18/08 8:41 PM"
I am calling troll on you.
Oooh! Calling troll. Why don't you go tell your mommy on me, too.
"You're not competent to do so now.
However, your competence in hiding data and denial is as excellent as ever.
2/18/08 8:41 PM"
This kind of "I hate the people at LANL" crap is very lickely comming from that bitter former LANL employee Chris Mechels.
The Santa Fe activits do not have this kind of personal hatred for the people at LANL. They have issues with the mission and management. This type of hatred is
so personal and corrosive to the soul that it keeps people like Mechels from making any kind of objective, rational or substantive arguments. It is very sad to watch.
While "lickely" is intriguing (depending on your gender and appearance), I am not Mechels.
Chris usually questions why worker's rights are not being protected.
I questioned the competence and honesty of the worker bees.
However, your competence in hiding data and denial is as excellent as ever.
2/18/08 8:41 PM
I questioned the competence and honesty of the worker bees.
2/18/08 10:05 PM
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You are being hateful and vicious without reason.
Just so you know, it is not easy to obtain a diamond stamp. The QA and documentation are amazing. The process, along with some dedicated people, assures success.
LANL's environmental folks are competent and meticulous. You have no reason to say otherwise. Protecting the environment gets a lot of emphasis at LANL. You would be amazed to learn what we have to go through to handle waste correctly, in accordance with NMED. The fines we pay just for misplacing a light bulb are huge. There can be no "hiding data" in this environment.
Following your approach of mouth before mind, I might say that you have just escaped from an insane asylum. It seems plausible from your writing, but but I can't claim that because I don't know you. The same applies to your statements.
"I questioned the competence and honesty of the worker bees.
2/18/08 10:05 PM"
I am not sure who this guy is but we can be sure he is one very pathetic and sad human being.
The rabid hatred, ignorance, denial, and dishonesty from this troll can only come from somebody with a real mental disturbance.
Yowza! Rabid, insane, pathetic, and sad. Thanks, I'll get a checkup for rabies, but I don't see any foaming at the mouth in my mirror.
The substantive arguments are very easy.
I do, for example, stand by my characterization of you as incompetent. So there are a handful of diamond pits...finally, ten years after they were due. I have seen few projects that have actually succeeded.
I stand by my characterization of you as dishonest as well. For example, the environment lawsuit that was posted recently lays out facts about pollution.
I am not anti-nuke or anti-defense. However, LANL does a disservice to the nation through its attitude of entitlement and impunity. The nation would be better off without it.
PS - In addition to incompetence and dishonesty, your hygiene is also deficient!
"
2/19/08 7:54 PM"
So you reveal your true colors. You want to get rid of Los Alamos.
The question is why? I suspect it is because you where fired from LANL and now you hate it and every person who works there. Also you are ignorant about Los Almaos.
You say we are incompetent. This is simply incorrect. You should compare LANLs accomplishments with all the other DOE labs for the past 10-15 years. We have discussed this many times before on the blog. Compare the scientific accomplishments, the technological accomplishments
and our saftey and security record to these other labs. The fact is LANL is the best science lab in the complex. LANL is also the largest physical sciences lab in the United States. It is indeed a true national treasure. It has been demonstrated many times on this blog that that LANL does things which are not done at nor are feasable to do in universities or other labs.
You say the people at LANL are dishonest. The only example you give is some lawsuit. However, it is rather contestable as to whether this lawsuit is laying out the "facts" as you say.
"through its attitude of entitlement and impunity."
This is simply empty rhetoric you keep spewing without a single fact to back it up.
It is clear that you have no credibility when you "stand by your statements" I will stand by my statement that you are a completely dishonest person.
"PS - In addition to incompetence and dishonesty, your hygiene is also deficient!"
This just shows how full of hate you are. Again your hatred for LANL IS personal and is your real motivation. You always avoid telling us what happened with you. TMZ readers want to know!
I think you should post your name since you are so sure and full of yourself. I know you will say, "you should post your name!".
It is you that is making the accusations about the people at LANL so let us see who are accuser really is. Come on you FPOS.
"2/19/08 7:54 PM"
Come on Mr Troll lets see a reply.
Man do you sound like Mechels. I guess you cannot admit it since that would immediately invalidate everything you have to say. You know when people in Santa Fe see one your letters in the Santa Fe New Mexican they just roll their eyes and move on.
The troll's statements are invalid regardless of who wrote them. No reasonable person could be expected to believe them.
If Mechels writes like this, how could he have his letters published? Does the Santa Fe New Mexican have no integrity?
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