As cleanup of hazardous and radioactive material at the Oak Ridge Reservation continues, the Department of Energy (DOE) is proposing a reckless plan that would contaminate waterways with toxic chemicals and put downstream communities at risk.
Next week, DOE is holding a public meeting about the proposal, where the public can push the agency to release more critical information about its toxic waste plans.
DOE’s current proposal calls for tearing down contaminated and radioactive buildings, burying most of the waste on-site, and releasing radionuclide pollutants – including chemicals that are known to cause cancer – into Bear Creek. This is a reckless plan that threatens the health of people who live near, use, and recreate in Bear Creek and other downstream waterways.
There is a clear need for DOE to tear down contaminated buildings on the Oak Ridge Reservation, but the community currently lacks critical information about the plans – including basic details about what will be put in the landfill, how wastewater will be treated before being discharged, and whether there are alternatives that would allow the waste to be disposed of off-site or out of state. Without these details, it is impossible to know what long-term hazards nearby and downstream communities could be exposed to.
We need your help to push DOE to release basic details about what it plans to do with its hazardous and radioactive waste.
On Tuesday May 17, the agency is holding a public meeting about its proposal. You can help us tell it to be more transparent about its reckless landfill proposal. The meeting will take place from 6 PM to 8 PM at the Pollard Technology Conference Center, 210 Badger Ave, Oak Ridge, TN 37830.
If you or somebody you know are willing to participate in this public meeting, please contact one of the people listed below who can provide you with more details. Thank you for your support of the health of the community!
Actions:
- Read
- DOE fact sheets are available at https://ucor.com/additional-emdf-information/
- AFORR’s information at https://aforr.info/hazardous-waste-landfill-emdf/
- Send written comments to DOE about the topic from May 9 to June 7, 2022, to: Mr. Roger Petrie, OREM Regulatory Affairs DOE Oak Ridge Operations, P.O. Box 2001, Oak Ridge, TN 37831, or send an email to OakRidgeEM@orem.doe.gov.
- Attend the May 17 meeting from 6 PM to 8 PM at the Pollard Technology Conference Center, 210 Badger Ave, Oak Ridge, TN 37830.
Thank you for your support of our environmental and human conditions!
Virginia Dale, Axel Ringe, and Jimmy Groton
Advocates of the Oak Ridge Reservation (AFORR)
Tennessee Citizens for Wilderness Planning (TCWP)
Harvey Broome Group of the Tennessee Sierra Club
