Nestel and Crowe defy Atomic Safety Board protocols

For immediate release contact: Marcia Gagliardi, 978 249 9400

NEWFANE, Vermont^×Hattie Nestel of Athol, Massachusetts, and Frances Crowe of Northampton, Massachusetts, defied protocols of the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board Tuesday morning and entered statements citing dangers of nuclear power, particularly at Entergy's Vermont Yankee reactor in Brattleboro.

The women asserted the right to speak during hearings in Windham County Courthouse on a contention raised by the New England Coalition to oppose a twenty percent uprate at Vermont Yankee.

Later, Nestel observed that nuclear industry practices of muzzling opposition are inherent in clandestine proceedings that have surrounded nuclear weapons and nuclear power since the atom was first split at Columbia University in 1939.

"We must not allow the nuclear industry arbitrarily to take away our democratic rights to speak," Nestel said. "It is unconscionable that the nuclear industry and the governmental agencies that regulate it stiflee opposition. The nuclear industry is the most dangerous in the world, and it must end."

Although court officers asked her to leave as she read following statement, Nestel did not stop, thus offering it in its entirety. Crowe and Dorthee (her full name) of Wendell, Massachusetts, stood and flanked Nestel as she read.

John F. Kennedy stated in 1963 when he announced the atmospheric test ban treaty, which goes to the issue of involuntary vs. natural radiation exposure, among other things, " . . . the number of children and grandchildren with cancer in their bones, with leukemia in their blood, or with poison in their lungs ( due to radioactive fallout from atmospheric nuclear testing) might seem statistically small to some, in comparison with natural health hazards. But this is not a natural health hazard* and it is not a statistical issue. The loss of even one human life, or the malformation of even one baby---who may be born long after we are gone---should be of concern to us all. Our children and grandchildren are not merely statistics toward which we can be indifferent."

Nestel's statement follows: Today, every person on the planet has strontium 90 in their bodies. Daily we hear of friends and family members coming down with radiation induced illness or having deformed babies.

The nuclear industry sidesteps the issue of radiation and the NRC goes along with this charade.

It is clear that radiation bioaccumulates in our bodies, our food chain and our environment. More daily emissions are a threat not only to this generation, but to the 12,000 human generations who will have to live and monitor the accumulating waste.

The EPA,NRC, NAS and the NCRPM have all concluded that the hypothesis that best fits the facts is that there is some risk from exposure to radiation, no matter how small that exposure is and that for solid cancers, the risk is proportional to the level of exposure. For radiation therefore a zero exposure is the only non-risk exposure.

Vermont Yankee is not a no-risk exposure to our community. We are all at serious risk by the daily operations at Vermont Yankee.

In addition to the risk we face as a community, 24/7, is the risk regarding our Connecticut River, which goes down through my home state of Massachusetts and on into the State of Connecticut and into the Long Island sound. Of the estimated 20,000 gallons per minute of water taken from the Connecticut River approximately only 5,000 goes directly back into the river. We know that Vermont Yankee is permitted to discharge 543 million gallons of water daily, and this water is at such high temperature levels, the fish and fauna may be unable to survive.

Finally, the 9th Circuit Court in California has handed down a decision that notes that an accident or terrorist attack is neither remote or speculative.

They have denied the NRC request for additional storage of spent fuel at the Obispo nuclear reactor. During the 50 plus years of creating highly radioactive spent fuel, no solution as to safeguarding this waste has been created.

In 1985 Forbes magazine reported, "The failure of the U.S. nuclear power program ranks as the largest managerial disaster in business history, a disaster on a monumental scale* . only the blind or the biased can now think that most of the money was well spent".

Present circumstances shows the inability of Entergy to be trusted with our health and safety. When a container was shipped from Vermont Yankee on Aug.

31st , the shipment of radioactive control rods was said to register no more than 60 millirem per hour, according to VY records. However, when the same shipment arrived in Berwick, Pa., the bottom of the container registered 820 millirems per hour, more than four times the DOT limit.

Everywhere this truck traveled, on the highways and the rest stops, unsuspecting travelers were exposed to these high levels of radiation. Are we to trust Entergy with our health and safety?

Nuclear power is a loser. It has been since its inception and nothing will or can change that. As taxpayers we lose, as parents we lose, our children lose and the future of humanity loses. A short term financial gain for a handful of Entergy executives or officials is not worth the danger Vermont Yankee poses to all of humanity.

If this board is serious and honest, it must deny Vermont Yankee the right to operate and must hold it responsible for closure and clean-up.

In the meanwhile, our elected officials need to step up to the plate and fund the sustainable, safe, energy efficient means by which Vermont can generate electricity and not endanger Vermonters and the neighboring states of New Hampshire and Massachusetts.

I ask for this to be put into the records of todays hearings.

Marcia Gagliardi
Haley's, a mile west of Athol center on Route 2A
488 South Main Street
P O Box 248
Athol, MA 01331
800.215.8805
www.haleysantiques.com
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