Karen
01-15-2006, 09:34 AM
:eek:
"I call upon the Department of Energy to halt plans to double the plutonium limits at Livermore Lab. I also call upon Congress to deny funding for additional plutonium at Livermore Lab."
Sign the petition with the link below. First, read about the problem.
Remove All Plutonium from Livermore Lab
Nuclear weapons research atop an earthquake fault in the densely-populated Bay Area makes NO sense.
One of the Department of Energy's principal nuclear weapons design labs is located a mere 40 miles east of San Francisco. Atop an active earthquake fault in the middle of suburban sprawl, this is about the worst place you can think of to keep thousands of pounds of weapons-grade nuclear materials such as plutonium. Numerous independent experts, including the Government Accountability Office, have found that the plutonium at Livermore Lab is vulnerable to theft or terrorist attack. The Lab is located adjacent to residential neighborhoods, with 7 million people living within a 50-mile radius.
However, in a move that completely defies common sense and logic, the Department of Energy has announced plans to double the amount of plutonium at Livermore -- from 1,540 pounds to 3,080 pounds, enough for more than 300 bombs.
Plutonium is a highly-toxic and radioactive metal with a half-life of 24,000 years. It can spontaneously ignite and burn if exposed to air; a single microscopic particle lodged in the lungs can cause cancer and other diseases.
The Livermore Lab already has a miserable safety record when it comes to handling plutonium. Last year they were discovered -- not for the first time -- storing plutonium in paint cans. Safety agencies also found taped-up cracks in the ventilation system and "hot boxes" without adequate seismic restraints.
This has got to stop. Enter your name and address at right to sign on to the statement printed below.
"I call upon the Department of Energy to halt plans to double the plutonium limits at Livermore Lab. I also call upon Congress to deny funding for additional plutonium at Livermore Lab."
Sign the petition with the link below. First, read about the problem.
Remove All Plutonium from Livermore Lab
Nuclear weapons research atop an earthquake fault in the densely-populated Bay Area makes NO sense.
One of the Department of Energy's principal nuclear weapons design labs is located a mere 40 miles east of San Francisco. Atop an active earthquake fault in the middle of suburban sprawl, this is about the worst place you can think of to keep thousands of pounds of weapons-grade nuclear materials such as plutonium. Numerous independent experts, including the Government Accountability Office, have found that the plutonium at Livermore Lab is vulnerable to theft or terrorist attack. The Lab is located adjacent to residential neighborhoods, with 7 million people living within a 50-mile radius.
However, in a move that completely defies common sense and logic, the Department of Energy has announced plans to double the amount of plutonium at Livermore -- from 1,540 pounds to 3,080 pounds, enough for more than 300 bombs.
Plutonium is a highly-toxic and radioactive metal with a half-life of 24,000 years. It can spontaneously ignite and burn if exposed to air; a single microscopic particle lodged in the lungs can cause cancer and other diseases.
The Livermore Lab already has a miserable safety record when it comes to handling plutonium. Last year they were discovered -- not for the first time -- storing plutonium in paint cans. Safety agencies also found taped-up cracks in the ventilation system and "hot boxes" without adequate seismic restraints.
This has got to stop. Enter your name and address at right to sign on to the statement printed below.