Decade
of Resistance 
shundahai@shundahai.org
Shundahai Network
Dedicated to Breaking
the Nuclear Chain
Shundahai is a Newe (Western Shoshone) word meaning "Peace and Harmony with all Creation"
February 11 , 2006
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Feb 2006 E-Newsletter The past month has been very tumultuous in terms of developments in our core programs, and preparations for our upcoming events. While we are seeing sobering developments in the nuclear power industry, and the governments that support it, we are also seeing mounting grassroots resistance. The delay in sending the E-newsletter has allowed us to alert you to an important development. The BLM has opened a comment period, to end May 8, for comments on the right-of-way requested by PFS. The right-of-way is necessary in order for PFS to ship nuclear waste across federal lands, whether it is by rail or truck. Check our web site for details on how to participate. We will be providing a number of tools to give you key information and talking points. The information should be in place by February 15.About Our Main Programs Skull Valley Over the past month we have seen the creation of the Cedar Mountain Wilderness Area, which will create an obstacle to PFS’s plans to ship nuclear waste by rail. The governor of Utah has reaffirmed his commitment to fighting the PFS dump. Margene Bullcreek is persisting in her efforts to adjudicate the disputed Goshute leadership issues, and organizing indigenous women in a six state region to fight environmental injustice in their communities.Yucca Mountain Allegations of fraud continue at Yucca Mountain, and while Bechtel has been retained for another year, many of its responsibilities will be taken over by the Sandia National Laboratories. Although the Yucca Mountain budget was cut in November, funding has been increased for reprocessing efforts, which may be piloted at the Savannah River Site. Ominously, the Bush Administration is proposing collecting nuclear waste from other countries, and acting as a clearing house for the plutonium resulting from reprocessing. Envirocare In 1996, Utah passed a law that required consent from both the Legislature, the state waste regulatory bodies and the Governor before waste facilities could be built or expanded. In the current legislative session, the legislature has proposed giving itself override power over dissent by the Governor. HEAL Utah has been actively fighting this proposal, and Shundahai Network has participated in canvassing efforts. Although as of January 29, the final vote has not taken place, Envirocare has made the decision not to expand at this time. If you live in Utah, urge your state senator and state representative to oppose SB70 (you will need to enter 'SB 70' in the Bill Number field.)Recent Events Waste Transportation and Storage The Bush administration has recently released changes to its energy policy. These changes include new waste processing technologies that would supposedly reduce the amount of waste significantly, while “recycling” the bulk of the material into reactor fuel. Even nuclear proponents acknowledge that this technology is not currently available, and that storage is still needed. There are also plans to form a partnership with Russia to control the production and disposition of nuclear fuel and waste, by limiting enrichment to a few countries that would then take back the waste, and then reprocess it.Grassroots Resistance to the Nuclear Power Industry In Waterford Connecticut, local law prohibits the permanent storage of nuclear waste, and local officials are opposing the efforts of Dominion Power to store waste on site. In California, activist groups are pushing for a prohibition on nuclear plant license renewals until a permanent and proven safe solution to nuclear waste is found. In North Carolina, power plants are resisting the call for on-site storage. Currently waste is moved from sites with little storage space to other plants that can accommodate it, using secret routes and schedules. In Plymouth Massachusetts, residents are trying to devise plans to discourage the relicensing of the Pilgrim Nuclear Power plant, by creating “taxes” on the spent fuel that remains on site. In Vermont, local officials are trying to pass legislation that would require local participation in relicensing proceedings. In the Chicago area, residents are demanding an investigation into radioactive water leaked from the Braidwood Generating Plant.Indigenous Resistance In Australia, indigenous communities are facing similar challenges to those of the Goshute and Shoshone in the United States. The Western Shoshone will be taking their Human Rights case to the United Nations in March, and continue to fight encroachment on their lands by mining interests. The fight against Union Pacific remains key to their struggle against the repository at Yucca Mountain. The Navajo have called a moratorium on all uranium mining on their lands. Margene Bullcreek will be leading efforts to organize and empower elder women from the Western and Northern Shoshone, Goshute, Piute, Dine (Navajo), and Ute tribes over a six state area. Power Plant Safety Violations Numerous violations have occurred in just the past 60 days. We urge you to take a look at our Nuclear Power Plant Issues page, to see the number and variety of these safety and security issues. We have also included a link to an alarming video "Nuclear Power Plant Safety" on the NIRS site, that shows just how lax security can be at nuclear power plants. Look for it on the right side of the page.What We’re Doing Indigenous Organizing Over the next few months, Margene Bullcreek will be leading efforts to organize and empower elder women from the Western and Northern Shoshone, Goshute, Piute, Dine (Navajo), and Ute tribes over a six state area. Shundahai Network will be providing logistical support for her efforts. Outreach and Education We are developing new outreach materials to respond to the aggressive campaigns of the nuclear industry. We are continuing to plan our conference on nuclear waste, seeking support and cooperation from state and municipal agencies. We are pleased with the response to our film series, and have already recruited a new volunteer from this venue. On Our Web Site As we note events and trends we are expanding content. We have recently added links for several indigenous communities on our Indigenous Issues page, and are publishing articles on indigenous communities outside of the United States. We are adding new information to our Chernobyl page on a regular basis, and have recently added a new page for articles about Nuclear Waste Storage and Reprocessing.Volunteer Opportunities We have been streamlining some of our operations, and have taken on 3 new volunteers. Two of the volunteers are students at a local charter school, with whom we have partnered in a Service Learning program. We are very excited about their energy and unique talents. We are always looking for volunteers to help with outreach tables at community events, flyering, phone banking, and posting articles on our web site. If you live in the Salt Lake City area, and would like to help out, please drop us a line. Stay tuned…
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