Michele Kearney's Nuclear Wire

Major Energy and Environmental News and Commentary affecting the Nuclear Industry.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

You might be interested in this, media censorship by Harry Reid and Nevada politics?

05-13-15               Michael Hengel, Editor, Las Vegas Review Journal

Dear Mr. Hengel:

This is our 3rd request for you to publish our Op-Ed “Yucca Mountain Politics verses fact”. It appears that the LVRJ is outwardly censoring the supportive position of the Yucca Mountain Program by the US Nuclear Energy Foundation. We represent the voice of a fair number of Nevada grassroots citizens. This is a sad day for the freedom of press and the freedom of speech, both clearly protected by “our” Constitution and both constantly threatened by censorship. I’m sorry to see the LVRJ as a participant.

I am attaching an updated version of this article which adds direct reference to two Nevada Legislative Enactments concerning the establishment of the Nevada Agency for Nuclear Projects. This article is based on facts, demonstrating that the agencies anti Yucca actions are NOT following the Legislated enactments of the law which established the agency. I would be interested in knowing your reasons for not publishing this Op-Ed in a request for transparency.

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USNEF_Logo_2015

Gary J. Duarte, Director

US Nuclear Energy Foundation
PO Box 2867
Sparks, NV 89432

US Nuclear Energy Foundation
“Evangelizing Nuclear Advocacy by Bringing Science to Citizens”
A Non-Profit 501 (C)(3) Nevada Foundation
PO Box 2867, Sparks, NV 89432 (775) 224-2089 www.usnuclearenergy.org Email comments@usnuclearenergy.org
Gary J. Duarte, Director, USNEF 775 224-2089
05-13-15 Op-Ed Yucca Mountain, politics verses facts!
For those readers who are interested in facts this article will address them about Nevada politics and the Yucca Mountain Application Study. I am director of a Nevada, 10 year old registered Non-Profit, the US Nuclear Energy Foundation. We have a contact list of around 900 scientists & engineers worldwide, specialists in nuclear technology. Our foundation is non-scientist grassroots people simply analyzing dialogue between the nuclear industry and political leaders addressing Yucca Mountain. For Governor Sandoval and former Governor Richard Bryan to pen an op-ed in the Las Vegas Review Journal stating that the Yucca Mountain “Study” is an “unsafe site won’t ever be safe for nuclear waste” is basically an unqualified statement about the study and an embarrassment to their character to make such a statement. Neither of them, a trained nuclear scientist or engineer, they are discrediting themselves making such a public statement.
The state’s Legislative establishment of The Nevada, Agency for Nuclear Projects, was established with the following enactments in Nevada law: NRS 459.001 Enactment This paragraph demonstrates that the basis for nuclear activities are of an apolitical purpose. E.g. the Article Policy and Purpose; . . . “properly correlated with the other resources of the region, can assist substantially in the industrial progress of the West and the further development of the economy of the region . . . This enactment also recognize that optimum benefit from nuclear and related scientific or technological resources, facilities and skills requires systematic encouragement, guidance, assistance, and promotion from the party states on a cooperative basis”.
NRS 459.0093 the Agency for Nuclear Projects is hereby created within the Office of the Governor . . . The Governor shall appoint an Executive Director, who serves at the pleasure of the Commission, and who must . . . possess broad management skills related to the functions of the agency . . . (The directorship appointments to this from inception, to our knowledge has NEVER included a trained scientist in nuclear technology or radiation health sciences. The Nevada University System does contain professors and graduate students in nuclear engineering and radiation health sciences who have never been vetted as “qualified candidates” for the management of this AGENCY). Based on a long track record, this agency, has filed over 200, what may prove to be unfounded contentions as posted on the agencies website, opposing the Yucca Mountain Study and not performing its duties on an apolitical basis. In fact, this agencies technical studies have been so egregious that vetting of the state's so called "experts" is intended to occur during the Atomic Safety Licensing Board adjudication of the Nevada Contentions, a court ruling to come as the application process advances.
Advisory Board
Gary J Duarte
Director / President
Dr. Bruce P. Johnson (Ret)
University of Nevada, Reno Electrical Engineering, Advisor
Dr. Barlane (Ike) Eichbaum (Ret)
Materials Processing Engineer/ Environmental Scientist Advisor / Director
Captain John W. Weiss
Bachelor of Science Nautical Science M.N.L.P Advisor / Director
Dennis Moltz, PhD
B. S. Chemistry, B. S. Math Texas A&M University Ph.D., Nuclear Chemistry
UC, Berkeley, Advisor
Ken Koeppe
Retired
Financial, Advisor / Treasurer

Peter G. Shaw
Idaho National Laboratory Environmental Waste MGMT Advisor
Eric Jelinski M. Eng. P. Eng.
Senior Consultant nuclear energy, nuclear engineering
Instructor University of
Toronto & Ontario Institute of Technology.

Allison Marie Holiski
Contractor to the U.S. Department of Energy's New Brunswick Laboratory
Martin Letourneau
Retired DOE, independent Consultant
Michael W.R. LaFontaine PhD Physics
Consulting Physicist Nuclear Industry, reactor control systems & radiation monitoring. PT instructor at Atomic Energy of Canada Limited's Reactor Physics School.
Robert Rock
President, Environmentalists For Nuclear, Canada and President Social Media Learning
USNEF does not consider itself qualified to assess the Yucca Mountain Study. But, instead our opinions are drawn from expert researches whom have been part of the industry for decades. Some of these “qualified groups and agencies” have written documented position statements addressing the Yucca Mountain Study: Ten of America’s National Laboratories, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Institute for 21st Century Energy, the IEEE Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, 125 years old, 360,000 members worldwide, The Heritage Foundation, American Nuclear Society, 12,000 members worldwide, National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners, Idaho National Laboratories Retired Employees Association, Greenpeace co-founder Dr. Patrick Moore and Whole Earth Catalog founder Stewart Brand, Gwyneth Cravens author, Power to Save the World, Robert Stone, Director, Pandora’s Promise documentary. These organizations and people support nuclear energy and the science behind the Yucca Mountain Study. For the State of Nevada to discount this worldwide science representation vetting Yucca Mountain seems irresponsible.
Nevada’s “political position” on Yucca Mountain cannot provide a qualified list of opposing organizations with anywhere near the credibility of the above named organizations, government laboratories and industry trained scientists. For politics to suggest that such a number of agencies and groups are misguided is rather illogical and challenges common sense and credibility. If 50% of these groups opposed Yucca with substantiated data, USNEF would vote against it, and be a driving force to oppose it, but not at 95% support by the industry.
Nevada’s Yucca Mountain Nuclear Waste Repository, after 30 years, of a passed Congressional law, $15+ billion spent for the science and engineering study and countless efforts by thousands of people remains empty. This national Repository is not built because of political maneuvering primarily of one, Senator Harry Reid. We know, for all practical purposes, that the science studies administrated to Yucca Mountain prove its public safety and operational functionality. In multiple surveys today, nearly 73% of the “people” are willing to have the study completed and nine of Nevada’s 17 Counties, over 50% (the grassroots). The facts stated here are proof that Nevada’s politics are in play for their game and NOT representative of Nevada’s citizens. It is fine to claim, “Not in my backyard” but, don’t portray that the science and engineering is unsafe with such overwhelming proof, it just discredits character and the state’s political verses science position.
Our directive is “educating the grassroots public” in spite of all the ill-founded political opposition. In the case of Harry Reid, he did his maneuvering in Washington with the Obama administration for political reasons instead of asking for a Public Referendum, by the people of Nevada. This, BECAUSE, he was unsure that the vote of the people would cast his opposition vote!
It is the people of Nevada who have been misled by politics they deserve a truthful government as do the people across the country. The public deserve the truth and transparency, once educated, they are not as foolish as politics would think them to be. Nevada’s Yucca Mountain opposition will be reversed, by educating its citizens about the truth. The truth of this is that the POLITICS does not want a public referendum. Think about THAT!
Gary J. Duarte, Director
US Nuclear Energy Foundation




comments@usnuclearenergy.org = GJD Direct

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