Nuclear and Indigenous Items of Interest: BERKLEY URGES NEVADANS TO SIGN PETITION TO NRC OPPOSING YUCCA MOUNTAIN LICENSE

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

BERKLEY URGES NEVADANS TO SIGN PETITION TO NRC OPPOSING YUCCA MOUNTAIN LICENSE

By Joseph K. Cooper - May 27, 2008 - 7:26pm

Release Date: May 27 2008

(Washington D.C. - May 27, 2008) Congresswoman Shelley Berkley (D-NV) today issued the following statement in support of a petition drive seeking to prevent consideration by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission of a license application for the proposed Yucca Mountain repository 90 minutes outside Las Vegas. The text of the petition follows Berkley's statement below:

"We are at a critical moment in our battle to keep nuclear waste out of Nevada. Now is the time to come together as never before and to make our voices heard. I am urging every Nevadan to add his or her name to this petition asking the NRC not to act on a license for Yucca Mountain given the dangers and lack of planning. Yucca Mountain is not safe, the science is flawed, and the transportation risks are too great to ever allow this $80 billion toxic garbage dump to open for business. The NRC has a duty to protect every American who will be put at risk by this scheme and the commissioners should listen to the majority of Nevadans and reject this application," said Berkley.

A PETITION TO THE NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION TO REJECT THE LICENSE APPLICATION FOR A NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP AT YUCCA MOUNTAIN

We, the undersigned, petition the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to reject the Department of Energy's (DOE) license application to construct the proposed Yucca Mountain nuclear waste dump.

The DOE is proposing to dump 77,000 tons of high-level nuclear waste in Nevada after transporting it through counties home to over 106 million people.

Enduring these nuclear waste shipments will be communities from Washington, Oregon, California, Idaho, Utah, Colorado, Wyoming, Texas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire, Florida, Arizona, Delaware, West Virginia, Wisconsin, South Dakota and Nevada.

That's 45 states which could host nuclear waste routes. Yet there will be absolutely no public process to review these routes - not by the NRC, not by the DOE, and not even by the U.S. Department of Transportation. This is a massive and dangerous shipping campaign, but the NRC refuses to scrutinize it when considering DOE's application to build the dump.

Furthermore, DOE does not even have complete plans to transport nuclear waste or to build the dump at Yucca Mountain, which is in an earthquake-prone environment. In fact, DOE readily admits that designs for the repository will be at most 35% complete when it asks NRC to license it.

Even worse, the Environmental Protection Agency has not decided what levels of radiation can be "safely leaked" from the dump. EPA has proposed a dangerously lenient radiation standard that completely disregards the health and safety of future generations. But, with less than half the designs for the dump complete, it is preposterous to think that NRC is in a position to decide that a nuclear waste dump could meet EPA's terrible proposed radiation standard.

THE NRC SHOULD NOT DOCKET DOE'S LICENSE APPLICATION TO BUILD A NUCLEAR WASTE DUMP AT YUCCA MOUNTAIN.

Contact:

David Cherry (202) 226-7578

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Public Statement by Corbin's Immediate Family

July 10, 2007 (TurtleIsland). Corbin Harney Spiritual Leader of the Western Shoshone Nation crossed over at 11:00 a.m. this morning in a house on a sacred mountain near Santa Rosa, CA (Turtle Island). He had dedicated his life to fighting the nuclear testing and dumping.

That battle claimed his life through cancer.

According to witnesses present, in the morning fog, the spirits of four Shoshone dog soldiers were outside on horseback before Corbin’s passing. But then one of the Shoshone present, Santiago Lozada, yelled “Tosawi Tosawi!” (White Knife). And then the fog shifted and there were thousands of spirits waiting.

Corbin passed peacefully at the end. He was only worried that he still had more to do. When he finally let go and went with the dog soldiers, Red Wolf Pope, grandson of Rolling Thunder, was present and sang him the Tosawi death song to call the dog soldiers to come take him home. Golden eagles continue to circle the house hours after his crossing.”

True to form Corbin joked around several days ago that he was going to go at 11:00, and kept his promise.

Over his lifetime, Corbin traveled around the world as a speaker, healer and spiritual leader with a profound spiritual and environmental message for all. He received numerous national and international awards and spoke before the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.

Corbin also authored two books: “The Way It Is: One Water, One Air, One Earth” (Blue Dolphin Publishing, 1995) and a forthcoming book, “The Nature Way”. Numerous documentaries have been made about his work and message.

In 1994, Corbin established the Shundahai Network to work with people and organizations to respond to spiritual and environmental concerns on nuclear issues. He also established Poo Ha Bah, a native healing center located in Tecopa Springs, California. He will be missed but always honored for his work and dedication to traditional ways.

Corbin Harney is descended from generations of Newe (Shoshone) traditional healers and was always grateful for the many extraordinary teachers who shared their knowledge in his lifetime.

Corbin is survived by his daughter Reynaulda Taylor; granddaughters Ann Taylor and Nada Leno; grandsons Keith, Jon and Joel Leno and William Henry Taylor; seven great-grandchildren; two great-great grandchildren; and his sister Rosie Blossom’s family and many cousins and other family members as well as many, many friends around the world. Corbin was preceded in death by his mother, father, sister, grandparents, uncle, great granddaughter, cousins, and friends. A very special thanks to Patricia Davidson, Corbin’s caregiver in his final months; Dominic Daileda, Corbin’s friend and companion for his support and compassion in hard times, and the family of Dixie and Martin van der Kamp for opening up their home and their hearts to Corbin and his family and friends during his time of need.

Dates and times for services are being made with official announcement to follow. Three day services are planned at the home of Larson R. Bill, So Ho Bee – Newe Sogobe (Lee, Nevada –Western Shoshone Territory) with burial services at Battle Mountain Indian Community, Battle Mountain Nevada.