Understanding the Lie Of The Nuclear Cycle

Friday, June 15, 2007

The Trail Of Blood...Part 1 of Understanding The Nuclear Cycle

So, the world wants to see a Nuclear Renaissance, believes that nuclear energy is the safe, vital, secure, and Green Energy Source that is going to save us from Global Warming, and give birth to the Hydrogen Economy. The young green hipsters and tricksters in the Green Fashion Industry believe it is so, after all, former Greenpeace founder Patrick Moore tells them so, just like Jesus in "The Bible Tells Us So" song shouted out by the religious right as they warn us about gays, and abortion...harsh, but then the five front runners in the Republican race to the Presidency have endorsed nuclear, opposed gays serving in the military, and except for one are against abortion and gay marriage.

When will we stop believing the 30 second sound bites fed to us on network TV, when will we take the time to educate ourselves before taking a position on any issue? In our convenience driven society where the need for energy rules the day, the citizens of Yuppieville, USA and their 20-30 something children are content to accept on face value the nuclear industry's huge propaganda campaign to sell them on nuclear energy...where is the disconnect, how can almost 70 percent of America oppose the Iraq War, support bringing our troops home, be against the use of depleted uranium, yet believe nuclear energy is safe, vital, secure and green. Don't you realize it's all the same damn thing? If you look at nuclear, if you look at the entire cycle, you have to accept that DOD (Department of Defense), DOE (Department of Energy) and the NRC (Nuclear Regulatory Commission) are all a part of the same train. There is no commercial nuclear industry without its Siamese twin, the military nuclear industry, the two of them joined forever at the hip.

Congressman John Hall in and off the record conversation told one of my anti nuclear friends that wants to close down Indian Point, that we had no idea how tied into the Middle East nuclear power was/is...went on further to explain that his access to documents we could not see truly was opening his eyes, and that shutting down any of America's nuclear reactors was not going to be easy because of the situation in the Middle East, and he was not just speaking of the quagmire that is Iraq, though it was and is a part of it. You see, our Pentagon needs the commercial nuclear industry, and the infrastructure it takes to power it for its own evil purposes, including vast stockpiles of Depleted Uranium, which is used in numerous weaponry to make armor piercing ammunition's and war heads.

Going further, George Bush, our government, our military machine opposes Iran gaining the capability of enriching uranium for a very simple reason...with the capability of enriching said uranium for nuclear reactors, you gain as a part of the waste stream from said enrichment operations the byproduct of Depleted Uranium. Oh My God! Iran already has a vast supply of oil, they have already developed long range missiles capable of striking various western societies, and now they are on the brink of having Depleted Uranium. Such a reality might mean America has to negotiate with Iran as equals, heaven forbide. Let them get the BOMB, and we might even have a new super power to contend with, someone to take Russia's seat at the grown ups table.

That's one of the big problems with the nuclear cycle...there is no such thing as the peaceful atom, no matter how you try to dress it up. Additionally, anywhere nuclear goes in all of its various forms, death is soon to follow. From its earliest days, even pre-dating the Manhattan Project, the exploration and exploitation of uranium has brought with it horrid deaths, devastating cancers, birth defects and destruction on a level almost unimaginable. Problem is, you have governments, and various assorted private corporate interests trying to hide the ugly truth, trying to convince us that uranium and nuclear energy are safe.

Do some homework, explore the hundreds of millions of dollars the DOE has spent on attorneys to fight union workers claims that their illnesses and cancers were caused by their exposure to elevated work place radiation levels. Look just under the surface of the commercial nuclear industry, and you find a trail of death...it is no coincedence that every county within 100 miles of a nuclear facility has elevated cancer rates when compared with counties outside of that 100 mile circle. Look at both wars in the Middle East (Desert Storm, and the Iraq War), and you find our soldiers coming home with strange illnesses, illnesses caused by their overexposure to depleted uranium. Already in Iraq, mothers are giving birth to children with horrible deformities, deformities caused by that same exposure to Depleted Uranium, and where does that Depleted Uranium come from? The production cycle employed to produce fuel for commercial nuclear reactors.

McCain in a nationally televised debate on CNN boldly lied like no other man before him. Not only did he embrace nuclear as a CO2 free clean source of energy, but he claimed that the Nuclear Navy in over 50 years of operation had never had and accident...funny, I know of numerous examples of nuclear sea going vessels accidently ramming into other ships, and know of at least 37 times (up through 1983) when said nuclear vessels had MAJOR releases of radioactive materials into the environment, and I believe we have even had at last one nuclear sub sink. As a Senator, as a member of the military, he KNOWS the truth...do we want such a liar as our next president? Why can't he, the other candidates, our president, and even the nuclear industry come out and BE HONEST WITH THE PUBLIC? What is it that is really driving this insane push for a Nuclear Renaissance, what lunacy sees the world wanting to build 2200 new nuclear reactors when the first 437 aging reactors have been such a dismal failure, and killed so many innocent people?

There is no bigger myth within the nuclear energy than their claim that nuclear energy and commercial reactors are and environmentally friendly CO2 source of electricity. From the very beginning of the uranium fuel cycle, the massive creation of and dumping of CO2 into our environment begins, as well as a trail of far deadly contaminants. First, you have to get the uranium out of the ground...uranium mining is very equipment intensive, and the large pieces of equipment use MASSIVE amounts of fossil fuels. Further, it takes tons and tons of of ore containing trace amounts of uranium to get enough actual raw uranium to be of any use. This means said materials have to be carted to processing plants...again, said transportion of such vast quanities of these raw start up materials burn up vast amounts of carbon based fuels, adding to nuclear CO2 contributions to Global Warming.

Once the materials have been mined, they then must be milled, or crushed. These milling operations are usually fairly close to the mines. Once the materials are crushed, various impurities are removed (creating vast amounts of waste), and the end product of this segment of the processing creates what is known as yellowcake. This yellow cake is then packaged into 55 gallon drums, and is ready...TO BE SHIPPED AGAIN, thus using even more fossil fuels.

This yellow cake is about 70 percent pure, but still needs further processing to remain more impurities. A refining facility handles this purification, and then chemically transforms the yellow cake into uranium trioxide, which is now suitable for FURTHER PROCESSING. Think about much CO2 has been pumped into the environment already, and we are still not even close to being done with the process of having fuel that can actually be used to power a nuclear reactor.

Depending on the country, and enrichment means to be used, the uranium trioxide goes through even more processing at a conversion plant, where it is transformed into either uranium dioxide or uranium hexafluoride, the feedstock for enriched light water reactor fuel. At this point, the materials are ready...TO BE SHIPPED AGAIN, this time to a fuel fabrication facility. Using Canada as one example...once they have created uranium hexafluride, said materials are sent for fuel fabrication to the United States, France, the U.K., Germany or the Netherlands. Sure is a whole lot of CO2 being created that the commercial nuclear industry does not want to admit too.

For over five decades, most fuel rods produced for commercial reactors were fabricated at the Gaseous Diffusion plants in Portsmouth, Ohio and Paducah, Kentucky, with most of that production under the watchful eye of the DOE until 1992 when then President George Bush privatized the facilities and transferred oversight over to the NRC with the signing of the 1992 Energy Policy Act. This is where the nuclear industry's CO2 contributions to Global Warming really sky rocket.

Looking just at the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plants 50 years of operation, you realize the true folly that is nuclear energy. First, this plant is the largest under roof manufacturing facility ever built in its time. Sadly, it was built less than one mile from the Sciota River, less than 20 miles upstream from the Ohio River, and sits atop the largest underground aquifer in the United States of America...BRILLIANT SITING decision!

This plant was fueled by nine coal burning energy plants, and used enough electricity each and every day of operation to power all of Los Angeles county for a year. If you do the math, the Portsmouth Gasesous Diffusion Plant burned enough coal, used enough electricity to power all of Los Angeles county for six million, six hundred and sixty one thousand, two hundred and fifty days, or 18, 250 years! America is just over 200 years old folks! Imagine how much CO2 would not be in the atmosphere if it were not for those 9 coal burning power plants running 24 hours a day, all to supply America's nuclear reactors with fuel rods. Even scarier...these figures do not include the CO2 and energy consumptions for the Piketon, Kentucky plant.

Factor in the building of the nuclear facilities, and the vast amount of fossil fuels that will be burned in decommissioning, and it is obvious who the major contributor to Global Warming really is.

It would be nice if this was the end of nuclear entergy's CO2 contributions to the environment, but it is not. It would be nice if these CO2 emissions were the only contaminants and contributions to Global Warming that nuclear reactors created, but sadly, it is but the tip of the iceberg. The fuel rods as one example still have to be SHIPPED to the reactor sites. Again, additional fossil fuels being burned up, and we have not seen one watt of electrical energy produced as of yet.

just In From Care2 Site-April 1 Rose Garden Address On Global Warming

You have to love a great sense of humor...but that all this were true.

Bush To Cut Military Funding To Support Renewable Energy!?!
Written by The Naib

http://www.care2.com/news/member/210736710/338475?saved=1

Washington DC - In an early morning rose garden speech, President Bush announced to a surprised White House press pool his new energy policy. With Vice President Cheney and his science advisors, standing behind him, Bush announced his administration’s new policy dealing with global climate change.

After a brief opening remark asking for prayers for the British Soldiers being held in Iran, the president shocked many with his statement.

We were wrong, wrong about global warming, and we need to change gears fast. For too long we have ignored this problem. As of today things change. (via)

With a visibly somber Cheney behind him, Bush explained his seemingly sudden change of course.

“Our administration has long said that global warming needs to be studied further, my chief science advisor John Marburger has done that research and boy did he lay a doozy of a report on my desk. Johny told it to me straight, he said ‘Sir this is serious we must act now.’ I had him prepare a summary of the report and read it to me and I can tell you it was the scariest thing I have ever had read to me.” said Bush.

…

“By executive order I will be raising the tax breaks for people who want to install solar panels on their roof, to 20 thousand dollars.” Remarked Bush during his early morning rose garden announcement. (via)

Bush also said he would work with congress to approve tax breaks for hybrid vehicles, and government incentives for the construction of new wind farms. He then called for 40% of Americas energy supply to be from renewable sources by 2025. Several times Vice President Cheney held his hand over his heart as if feeling a sudden pain.

Bush backtracked some on his past efforts to promote green technologies. Efforts which most people in the renewable energy field found too modest, or misguided.

“We can’t just talk about hydrogen cars, they won't be ready for 30 years, and biofuel that takes food away from people’s mouths or comes from the destruction of rain forests is unacceptable. We have existing wind turbine and solar panel technology and we need to use it.”

Bush went on to outline further spending plans.

“I plan on spending 800 billion dollars over the next two years on renewable technology including ethanol from sources like switch grass, and wind and solar plants. We must move forward with products like Cape Wind, that has recently received state approval, and build [sic] more solar power plants like the Nevada Solar One plant outside of Las Vegas.”

“We will build wind farms where they make sense, cover every home with solar panels, and immediately raise CAFE standards for all new cars in America.”(via)

In a statement that produced an audible murmur from the assembled reporters (Drudge is reporting one of them actually said “holy f*ck!ng S#!t”) Bush called for a reduction in military spending and a phased withdrawal of troops from Iraq in order to pay for this plan.

“For too long we have lied to the American people about the war in Iraq!” Said Bush as a pale faced Vice President Cheney started to sweat and fidget. “No longer will we fight a war for oil, I will immediately be starting a phased withdrawal of troops from Iraq. I’m the decider and I say we are going to bring our brave men and women home!”

Bush said that a reduction in military spending combined with the large government spending on renewable energy would create jobs and grow the economy. He predicted that “Americans will be free of the addiction of oil” within 15 years. (via)

Frankly when I saw this on the news this morning I thought my head was going to explode. But it was all over CNN, hell even the local Boston NPR station has interrupted its annual pledge drive to cover this thing. The best part was watching Dick Cheney squirm like a worm on a hook behind Bush. You could tell he just wanted to steal the mic and scream at the reporters. It still really hasn’t sunk in, but this is great. I guess Bush won't go down as the worst president in history after all.

Dennis Kucinich Moves Toward Articles of Impeachment

As the publisher of this blog, I worked very hard to get John Hall elected to office for three specific reasons. First, was his stated position against the nuclear industry, and his often public promise to close down the failing reactors that are Indian Point. He seemed against George Bush's wrong for America Nuclear 2010 Initiative, so he had my support.

Secondly, he felt everything about the Iraq War was wrong, and vowed to bring our troops home.

Lastly, he seemed willing to support Articles of Impeachment against the President and Dick Cheney.

Since he took office, I have not been overly happy with Congressman John Hall, in part because he has not done what he could be doing on these core issues. So, it is with unbridled glee today that I share with my readers Dennis Kucinich's next step towards bringing Articles of Impeachment against George Bush, and I call on Congressman John Hall to join in and whole heartly support this cause.

Off Target, But Thought I Would Bring It Up

Bill O Reilly Has Self Esteem and Anger Issues

Seems Bill O'Reilly has his panties in a knot, and is accusing the Brattleboro Vermont paper of being a left wing, anti-American newspaper run by a bunch of nuts...their crime according to Bill, is they have called for the IMPEACHMENT of George (I took us to war on lies) Bush. Of course, Billy Boy would like to have us believe he runs the NO SPIN zone...in reality, half the time he's so busy chewing on road apples that it's a miracle he does not choke on his lies. HEY BILL, tell us about your PEABODY AWARDS! How many did you NOT WIN? TWO?

I agree with whoever at the Brattleboro paper called for the President's impeachment...I'd try Bush and Cheney in a heart beat on treason, and cannot believe Nancy Pelosi has taken impeachment off the table. Sure Bill O Reilly is also fine with aging reactors, least ways, as long as they are not in his and Hannity's back yard. The axis of evil is Bush, Cheney and Condi Rice, and the keepers of the gate are Hannity and O'Reilly. Fox is almost as radioactive as Vermont Yankee or Indian Point...let's hope a Democratic President in 2008 will see some of these rabid right wing shows cancelled and taken off the air. Think of it as a clean air initiative.

Royce's Penstinger's Running Commentary on State of The Union

It's 8:40 PM, January 23rd 2007 and we are just 20 minutes from the President's State of the Union Address. From what has already been leaked to the press, I already have serious problems and reservations in the direction he will want to lay out for the American people, and our nation. His health care plan...it would hit my wife and I quite hard. Figuring out how to deal with all those without coverage needs to be addressed, but it cannot be done in a fashion that weakens the coverage we have. Energy...alarm bells went off as soon as I heard the term 2010 mentioned with it. I look for him to further try to sell the American people on nuclear as both an alternative and renewable energy, when it fact it is neither.

As the speech unfolds, I am going to be concerned with keywords, phrases and themes. One word I suspect we will not hear a lot, but underlies much of what he will say, is sacrifice, and specifically sacrifice within the middle class.

Interesting notes....8:47 and Pelosi was just on camera chatting with Vice President Dick Cheney. She's wearing a rather boring and almost matronly lime toned suit with white blouse. Member of President's cabinet not in attendance for this speech is Attorney General Alberto Gonzales...there is a scary thought.

Nine minutes to show time...need to refill my coffee. Also, dying for a cigarette here, as this is one of those times when I would be absorbed with smoking...no can do, am three hours short of being smoke free for three days. Not that big of and accomplishment, but one day at a time as they say...it's a start. Everyone is starting to find their seats, so this thing is about to launch.

Laura Bush has arrived in her worn out choice of a red dress. Supreme Court now entering. (Only 4 out of the 9)Now the President's cabinet, led by Condi Rice.

Pelosi's Marble Ceiling line just got trotted out again...give it a break, was not that good of a line the first time it was used.

The State Of The Union (starting NINE MINUTES later than promised).

First note of interest...his choice of tie. Not a power color, but instead a more subdued pastel color.

Bush pays honor to Pelosi...notes he is first president to thank Madam Speaker.

Defining Hour...(sacrifice from the start in statement of much is asked). First thing he does is call for bipartisanship...Republicans did not do it.

Economy growing...that id debatable for the middle class, and how many of those jobs he claims went to A) illegal aliens, and B) pay low wages? Three Economic Concerns.

1. Balanced Budget-where was the concern his first six years. Claims it can be done without raising taxes. Calls for spending discipline. Promises no federal deficit within 5 years...does that include COSTS OF THE WAR?
2. Earmarks...he cannot be granted line item veto. Wants earmarks cut in half. (McCain likes that one.)
3. Entitlements...basically Social Security. Medicare/Medicaid and Social Security can be saved...How? No child left behind brought up...educating non English speaking children of illegal aliens is a major stumbling block, but he will not admit that. Short on this...he wants No Child Left Behind reauthorized.

Now on to health care...Private Health care...

1. Tax deduction for health insurance. Up to $15,000 of your income is not to be taxed. This means middle class pays for the insurance for the poor. Good for those who pay for their own insurance, good for poor, but if your company pays for your health care, you get seriously SCREWED.

2. Help states that are making insurance available for all...in short, we would be asked to pay for grants to those states. He also is back to HEALTH SAVINGS ACCOUNTS, which are a laugh. He again wants medical liability reform, which would in my opinion protect doctors GUILTY of malpractice.

Immigration Reform...secure borders...that is a joke.

1. Double border patrol, but NO FENCE.

2. Wants temporary worker program...this is hidden citizenship, and will continue to depress middle class American wages.

3. Same old rhetoric on employers.

4. Amnesty under the guise of EARNED CITIZENSHIP, which is AMNESTY.

He calls for a serious debate, but trotted out the same dead AMNESTY HORSE.

Energy! Clean! Break Foreign Oil Dependence. Diversify our energy supply.

1. Electric! BINGO...clean, safe NUCLEAR POWER...KNEW IT WAS COMING. The FIX IS IN for GNEP, and GNEP is not clean, nor safe.

In short, this area of his speech is a RERUN. Calls for reduction of gas usage in American by 20 percent in ten years to stick with the NUCLEAR 2010 THEME. Attaining this goal would reduce imports from Middle East by 75 percent...question is, how to REALISTICALLY get there.

He is calling to drill in environmentally sensitive areas, and to double strategic oil reserves...this after the one billion barrel increase in 2005...so much for smacking BIG OIL.

Fair System of Justice...get serious...two border patrol officers are in prison while illegal aliens and a drug dealer walk free, and break our laws at will. He wants up or down vote on is nominees...fine, we vote NO.

DANGER...Terrorists Threats

Stop the Terrorists...this is where he will defend Iraq. YEPPERS, calling to take the fight to the enemy. Success measured by things that did not happen. There is a win/win for his argument in that we cannot prove or disprove that which never occurred.

America is still a nation at WAR. Sunni Extremists. Shiite Extremists. Iran gets it's first mention along with Hezbollah. In one sentence, he just tried to defend every mistake, and every corruption of our constitution he and his cabinet have done.

Remove conditions of blind hatred...his way...WAR. He is still calling on us to BUILD FREE SOCIETIES in the middle east, and if necessary at the business end of and M16.

His whole section on Iraq is a reran montage of everything he has been saying for the past two years as his ratings in the polls have slid into the toilet. Since when are the people of Iraq OUR FRIENDS? He is calling on us to find our resolve, and our resolve it TOO BRING OUR TROOPS HOME, rather than leave them in the middle of a Civil War. We as a nation DO NOT SUPPORT THE SURGE, the president should honor our will. How many American deaths will occur in trying to SECURE the city of Baghdad? He tries to hold the label of failure over our heads to force his will onto the American people...we are tired of that threat, tired of the threats of this administration.

Where MATTERS STAND...he is trying to tell both house and Senate that they did not vote for failure, and that requires them to give the SURGE a chance for success. I disagree. We have tried the surge before, always with poor results.

He wants to create a new Commission on Terrorism within Congress. Calling on Congress to increase the size of military. Increase in military of 95,000 troops in a period of five years. Volunteer Citizen Reserve Corp. So, he now wants regular citizens to risk being called up to DIE. Iran brought up again...no NUKES. Calls for Israel Palestinian Peace. Nothing new, nothing worth really pursuing. At least he claims he will make and effort in Darfur...we shall see on that one.

Aids in Africa gets a mention. Call for $1.2 Billion to fight malaria. Debt relief to eliminate poverty, but not for AMERICAN CITIZENS...that's a sad reality if you think on it.

Speech is wrapping up...same old same old.

Hearing Voices...Sending Out a Heads Up On Presidents State Of The Union Energy Pitch

Greetings READERS...

I pay attention to BUZZ words, and on both Fox and CNN today, I've heard that BLACK MAGIC BUZZ WORD 2010, which is now synonymous with Nuclear Power 2010/GNEP, Bush and the Nuclear Industry's plan to see a Nuclear Renaissance by giving birth to a radioactive Rosemary's Baby. Be suspicious when the advance press notices conveniently start attaching the Nuclear Buzz slogan to everything under the Energy Sun.

With this in mind, this post is being put up to TRACK the President's speech, to pinpoint problems we see with it, specifically on the Energy section of the State of the Union, but on other areas as well. (For instance, personally very worried that Bush's health care plan will PENALIZE middle class families that are fortunate enough to have medical coverage.) If you are a regular read, it's very EASY to participate in this LIVE online BLOG EVENT as we TRACK GEORGE BUSH.

At the bottom of this post, if you click on the word Comment, you will have and opportunity to submit a comment to this SPECIFIC post. Leave one comment, or ten as the speech unfolds. I will moderate and clear through as many comments as we get during, and after the State of The Union Address. This stream of conscious exercise be give all of us important feedback as we share our off the cuff GUT REACTIONS to President Bush's words, as well as the Democrat response immediately following it.

Democrats, John Hall Pass 9/11 Commission Legislation...Sort Of

Let's Have Some TRUTHINESS On This One John...How Come No Committees Were Done Away With?

I suppose that Nancy Pelosi thinks voters have a short memory, or perhaps that we can be very easily fooled with a slight of hand trick? Tom Staudter has released a lengthy press release on John Hall's voting for for 9/11 Recommendations Bill to Make America Safer. Now, there are some potentially good things in the bill which I read earlier this evening, but there are some things MISSING, including the single BIGGEST recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. Let's not play games here.

Congress should create a single, principal point of oversight and review for homeland security. Congressional leaders are best able to judge what committee should have jurisdiction over this department and its duties. But we believe that Congress does have the obligation to choose one in the House and one in the Senate, and that this committee should be a permanent standing committee with a nonpartisan staff.

Document Page Number: 421, PDF Page Number: 439, View in context: page, section, chapter

Keeping only HALF A PROMISE is not keeping a promise...especially when the Democrats don't want to pass this specific 9/11 Recommendation for one VERY SELFISH REASON, the nine committees that would be eliminated, that would be obsolete.

U. S. Representative John Hall
Democrat – New York 19th CD

For Immediate Release
January 9, 2007

Hall Votes for 9/11 Recommendations Bill to Make America Safer
Lauds the Correction of Homeland Security Funding for NY

Washington, D.C. – U. S. Representative John Hall, acting on a pledge to make our nation safer from terrorism, voted today for legislation that will implement the unfulfilled recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 Commission. The new bill, H.R. 1, marks a serious and resolute commitment toward improving homeland security, preventing terrorists from acquiring Weapons of Mass Demolition and developing strategies for preventing the spread of terrorism.

The House passed the bill this evening by a vote of 299 to 128. It is one of the first pieces of legislation brought to the House floor by the new Democratic leadership.

“I’m proud to stand here in Congress with colleagues who know the threat of terrorism remains real in our country, and that the time for long overdue action protecting the safety of American families has finally arrived,” said Hall. (12-20 MILLION illegal aliens here in American is not a threat to American Families? Abandoning the fence, and not securing our Southern Border...uhhh...isn't that a serious security problem?)

Noting that the bipartisan 9/11 Commissioners assailed Congress and the Administration last year for practically ignoring the Commission’s recommendations, Hall said, “This critical bill puts forth specific steps that address the shortfalls the 9/11 Commissioners highlighted.” (Not exactly)

The bill is comprised of a number of vital provisions that will substantially improve homeland security, most notably improved explosives detection at the nation’s airports, required phasing-in of 100% inspection of carry-on cargo on passenger aircraft and 100% scanning of U.S.-bound shipping containers, plus providing first responders with equipment that allows them to communicate with one another in emergencies.

Also included in the bill are steps that will help prevent terrorists from acquiring WMD and will also bolster international efforts to stem nuclear weapons proliferation. (So curious here...how does this goal jive with the DOE/NRC plan for wanting to build all those new reactors, which will actually HELP to perpetuate NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION? ) Reducing the appeal of extremism through the promotion of economic opportunities, education reform, human rights and democratic processes in the countries of the Middle East, along with as education opportunities for youths in Arab and predominantly Muslim countries is included in the new legislation as well.

“The bill put forward in Congress today is a broad, comprehensive package that finally takes action and meaningfully advances the entire spectrum of the 9/11Commission recommenda-tions,” Hall remarked. “Prominent among these is the recommendation to allocate most of our resources to where the threats are greatest. My state of New York has already experienced the brutal realities of terrorist attacks and remains a top target nationwide. In my district alone there is the Indian Point nuclear power plant, which is 35 miles away from New York City, as well as military facilities including West Point, and major highways and rail lines. The federal government needs to provide the bulk of anti-terror resources to protect targets like these in the New York City area and Hudson Valley. Today's legislation will allow it to do just that.”

Continued Hall: “Not only will this bill correct the flawed homeland security funding formula, it will finally take steps to plug the gaping holes in our air security, secure our ports from the nightmare of nuclear terrorism (Indian Point-Large aircraft, attack on spent fuel rod storage facilities.), and push this Administration to undertake an aggressive foreign policy that will attack the fundamental drivers of terrorism around the world.”

“Today is the first step toward real homeland security, but ensuring the security of the American people will require a sustained effort, aggressive oversight, and a commitment to a tough, smart, strategic approach,” said Hall. “We remain committed to pursuing this effort.” Is a part of this effort going to include SHUTTING DOWN INDIAN POINT?