A New York State Department of Health order banning any digging on the CWM site, for the sensible reason that plutonium-injected carcasses from Manhattan project experiments are miscellaneously buried there, was violated by CWM for 20 years, until 2004. Other “residual” radioactive contamination on the site includes nuclear reprocessing waste and high activity radioactive waste from atom bomb production.
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, CWM’s track record, and common sense, all landfills eventually leak.
Anyone under the impression that a legacy of wandering PCBs, dioxin and other poisons is good for the economy should have a chat with our neighbors in Niagara Falls. Have no doubt that for every cent we get from CWM today, our kids will be paying back a dollar. If they stay here — and if they don’t get sick.
Right now, there is a bill on Governor Pataki’s desk — bill A11713 — that would prevent the siting of new hazardous waste dumps with potential to leak into the Great Lakes. That includes the new CWM dump.
If you care, give the governor a call at (518) 474-8390 and ask him to sign it, so we can all breathe a little easier.
Full NY story here