Urgent Action Alert - Say No to Nuclear Waste on Goshute Lands! February 2,
2005

Dear Friend,

A Nuclear Regulatory Commission Licensing Board is expected to issue its
final rulings on the proposed Private Fuel Storage (PFS) "interim storage
site" for a huge high-level radioactive waste dump targeted at the tiny
Skull Valley Goshutes Indian Reservation in Utah.

No matter how the Board decides, the issue likely will be appealed to the
NRC Commissioners. Contact them today and urge them to disapprove this
environmentally racist dump that would launch 4,000 Mobile Chernobyls onto
the rails as soon as 2007! Call them at the following numbers and urge them
to reject PFS's license application, or write them directly (simply by
signing and sending in the sample letter that follows, or compose your own
letter using information from www.nirs.org or www.honorearth.org).

We thank you for your support and for taking action to protect Native lands.

Miigwech,
Honor the Earth Staff, Board of Advisors & Volunteers

NRC Chairman Nils J. Diaz, 301.415.1759
NRC Commissioner Edward McGaffigan, Jr., 301.415.1800
NRC Commissioner Jeffrey S. Merrified, 301.415.1855
NRC Commissioner Gregory B. Jaczko, 301.415.1820
NRC Commissioner Peter B. Lyons nominee 301.415.8421

SAMPLE LETTER TO NRC COMMISSIONERS

Either fax your letter to 301.415.1101, email it to SECY@nrc.gov , or mail it
to the address in the sample letter below:

Jan. 26, 2005

Nils Diaz, Chairman
Edward McGaffigan, Jeffrey Merrifield, Gregory Jaczko, Peter Lyons,
Commissioners
c/o Annette L. Vietti-Cook, Secretary of the Commission
U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission
Washington, D.C. 20555-0001

Dear Commissioners Diaz, McGaffigan, Merrifield, Jaczko, and Lyons,

I urge you to disapprove the license application by Private Fuel Storage,
LLC (PFS) to open an "interim storage site" for irradiated nuclear fuel at
the Skull Valley Goshutes Indian Reservation in Utah. On its face, the
storage or disposal of highly radioactive waste on a tiny, poverty-stricken
Native American community that did not even benefit from the nuclear
generated electricity raises significant environmental justice concerns. But
the crisis at Skull Valley exacerbates such concerns. There is a
long-running dispute over the legitimacy of the tribal leadership that
supports PFS. In fact, disputed Tribal Chairman Leon Bear, the primary
proponent for PFS, has been indicted on federal charges of embezzlement of
tribal funds as well as tax evasion. Tribal members who oppose PFS claim
they have been severely intimidated and harassed, and allege irregularities
such as bribery and extortion have been used to secure support within the
tribe for PFS. These are very shaky foundations upon which to build dry cask
storage for 44,000 tons of commercial irradiated nuclear fuel, nearly 80% of
what currently exists in the U.S.

Last October, U.S. Energy Dept. Yucca Mountain Project transport director
Gary Lanthrum was quoted in the Salt Lake press as saying that the Yucca
Mountain Project would simply not accept irradiated nuclear fuel from PFS,
as that would violate the terms of the Nuclear Waste Policy Act which
requires DOE to accept only freshly packaged fuel directly from nuclear
utilities at reactor sites. PFS would lack the capability to perform such
repackaging. This DOE statement contradicts assurances by PFS (and NRC staff
in the proposal's Environmental Impact Statement) that irradiated fuel would
remain at Skull Valley for no more than 40 years before transfer to Nevada
for permanent burial. Thus, PFS could very well lead to de facto permanent
"disposal" of 4,000 casks of high-level radioactive waste, out in the open,
exposed to the elements, and vulnerable to accidental crashes of military
aircraft from the U.S. Air Force bombing range next door. The Genesis
satellite crash into the Utah Test and Training Range last September should
be proof enough that accidents do happen.

Lastly, I am concerned by allegations raised by ComEd/Exelon whistleblower
Oscar Shirani. Citing numerous major quality assurance violations in the
manufacture of the storage/transport containers proposed for use at PFS, he
questions their structural integrity. This not only raises the risk of
irradiated fuel degradation and increased container vulnerability during
storage at Skull Valley, but also of potentially catastrophic radioactivity
release during transport due to a severe accident or terrorist attack.

Please deny PFS's license request. The Skull Valley Goshute Reservation is
neither a safe nor just solution!

Sincerely,

Your Name, Address, City, State, and Zip Code