Army to bomb known DU contaminated areas at Schofield (Big Island next?)
Press Release: Army to bomb known DU contaminated areas on Oahu’s Schofield Barracks
by Malu ‘Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action
P.O. Box 489 Kurtistown, Hawaii 96760
www.malu-aina.org
further contact: Jim Albertini 808-966-7622
ja@malu-aina.org.
According to the nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) the Army will be using high explosives in known Depleted Uranium (DU) contaminated areas at Schofield Barracks on Oahu during the week of Feb. 4-11, 2014. (See below) The NRC has given the go ahead even though the NRC has said it has not completed it’s review of the Army’s air monitoring plan. In effect “the residents and visitors on Oahu are being used as lab rats for continued military experiments,” said peace activist, Jim Albertini. Albertini continued, “the U.S. military is the greatest polluter the world has ever known and the so called regulators like the NRC, instead of regulating, are complicit in this pollution and disregard for the health and safety of the people the military and NRC are charged with protecting” Albertini continued, “it is criminal to allow high explosives to be used in known DU contaminated areas. Neither the Army nor the NRC know how much DU contamination exists at Schofield, Pohakuloa on Hawaii island, and other ranges in Hawaii and elsewhere. No comprehensive, independent testing and monitoring has been done to make this determination. To bomb these areas is reckless and amounts to government terrorism on its own population.”
Albertini said, all NRC and Army officials complicit in this bombing on known DU areas, should be prosecuted locally for terroristic threatening and brought before an international Nuremberg war crimes type tribunal and tried for crimes against humanity. The world is in terrible shape with toxic pollution, climate change, etc. because the precautionary principle has not followed.”
Albertini said, two Hilo High School students were just arrested for suspected terroristic threatening for setting off a small plastic bottle explosive device, but the Army can bomb known DU contaminated areas with high explosives that risk spreading the contamination around the island and that’s OK?
Albertini wrote the NRC and said “I protest your actions. I have zero confidence in the NRC and the Army to act in the interest of the health and safety of the people of Hawaii.” Albertini added, “the history of military pollution in Hawaii and abuse of the land and sea, and all it’s life give witness to this conclusion of zero confidence.”
——– Original Message ——–
Hello
During the call on December 12, 2013, I said that I would let you know when air, plant and financial documents had been submitted by the Army. In an email on January 13, 2014, I let you know that the Army had submitted the air sampling plan. In the cover letter to the plan the Army requested that NRC staff provide its review in order to allow the Army to conduct the air sampling during a training exercise involving firing of high explosives into the Radiation Control Area at the Schofield Barracks scheduled for February 4-11, 2014.
NRC has not yet completed its review of the air sampling plan. However, we have informed the Army that we do not object to their conducting the live fire exercise and air sampling because we do not believe it poses a threat to the public health and safety and the Army will be monitoring the air on the Radiation Control Area. However, we informed that Army that if we do not ultimately approve the plan they may need to do more sampling at a later date.
The Army has informed NRC that they will conduct the firing and air sampling as discussed in the air sampling plan beginning this week. NRC staff will be present at the Schofield Barracks installation during the exercise. The staff’s report will be made publically available when it is completed.
Nick Orlando, Senior Project Manager
Materials Decommissioning Branch
Decommissioning and Uranium Recovery Licensing Directorate
Division of Waste Management and Environmental Protection
Mail Stop T-8F5
Washington D.C. 20555-0001
or
Mail Stop T-8F5
11545 Rockville Pike
Rockville, Maryland 20852
301-415-6749
Mr. Orlando:
This is more NRC and Army Shibai! Neither the NRC nor the Army knows how much DU is located on Schofield, PTA and other firing ranges, and the NRC has not yet completed its review of the Army’s air sampling plan. But the NRC does not object to Hawaii residents being used as lab rats by giving the OK for the Army to fire more high explosives into known DU contaminated areas to spread the DU around further. Mr. Orlando, you, and all NRC and Army officials complicit in this endeavor, should be charged as criminals and brought before an international Nuremberg war crimes tribunal and tried for crimes against humanity. The world is in the terrible shape it is with toxic pollution, climate change, etc. because like you, humanity has not followed the precautionary principle.
I protest your actions. I have zero confidence in the NRC and the Army to act in the interest of the health and safety of the people of Hawaii.
Jim Albertini
Jim Albertini Malu ‘Aina Center For Non-violent Education & Action P.O. Box AB Ola’a (Kurtistown) Hawai’i 96760 Phone 808-966-7622 Email ja@malu-aina.org Visit us on the web at www.malu-aina.org
