The Department of Energy's proposal to consolidate plutonium-238 production at the Idaho National Laboratory east of Arco is being challenged by 32 local and national organizations who question the integrity of the draft Environmental Impact Statement.
The 32 organizations co-signed a letter to governors, senators and state representatives claiming the EIS process is flawed and the DOE should be required to start over.
"Because the EIS failed to address the following concerns, and because the Department of Energy has no obligation beyond the draft EIS to respond to public comments, we the undersigned respectfully request that you urge the Department of Energy to submit a new draft EIS on plutonium consolidation," the letter stated.
The Department of Energy is proposing the production of 330 pounds of Pu-238 at the eastern Idaho site over the next 30 years, with production beginning as early as 2012. Pu-238 has been labeled a "non-weapons grade" form of plutonium by the federal government, although DOE officials have admitted it could be used to make a "dirty bomb." It is more than 200 times more radioactive than Pu-239, which is used in nuclear weapons.
The letter claimed the DOE has "failed to establish a need for the project" and "its justification for the project is not clear." The groups also accused the DOE of failing to provide specific information about what the production of Pu-238 would entail.
In July, about 200 people clashed with officials from the DOE in Sun Valley during a public hearing regarding the production of Pu-238 at INL. The overwhelming majority of speakers expressed strong opposition to the project and promised to fight it to the end.
The organizations that co-signed the letter include the Snake River Alliance, from Boise; Keep Yellowstone Nuclear Free, from Jackson, Wyo.; the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability, from Washington D.C.; and the Global Resource Action Center for the Environment, from New York City.
"Idaho and Wyoming are both special places. We are fortunate enough to live in a region with some of the most pristine wilderness and some of the most productive and important agricultural land in the country," the letter states. "Projects with so much potential for long and far-reaching implications, such as the production and handling of plutonium, should be scrutinized to the fullest to ensure worker, community, and environmental protection are a reality."
