October 2007: Proposed Young & McQueen asphalt plant Factsheet - Young & McQueen are proposing an asphalt plant near Spruce Pine in Mitchell County, NC.

BREDL and Nuclear Watch South File New Contention.

Oct. 5, 2007 - In 2002 the US Department of Energy discontinued its vitrification and immobilization plans for surplus plutonium; on September 5, 2007, the agency issued an Amended Record of Decision which said, "[e]liminating the mission for the Plutonium Vitrification process would result in the MFFF and H-Canyon processing additional plutonium, therefore requiring some modifications to both facilities." Such modification of the plutonium fuel factory (MFFF) was not requested or granted during the construction license process nor is it covered by the proposed operating license. This failure forms the basis for our latest challenge.

Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League's and Nuclear Watch South's Late Filed Contention Regarding Need to Supplement EIS for Proposed MOX Plutonium Processing Facility

August 2007: The Center for Health, Environment and Justice, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and its chapters conducted a 10-county “Don’t Dump on Us Keep North Carolina Healthy” tour urging state leaders to oppose “mega-dumps” and to adopt sound policies for dealing with solid waste in North Carolina. Photos and articles from the tour.

August 30, 2007: Is Nuclear Power Right for Cherokee County? (Duke Power has selected a site in Cherokee County, near Gaffney, SC)

Aug. 02, 2007: BREDL comments to Virginia Department of Environmental Quality on the NPDES permit for North Anna nuclear power station. Excerpt: "Unless and until the DEQ can assure that thermal discharges from Dominion-Virginia Power’s North Anna plant will not exceed the maximum hourly temperature changes in Lake Anna, it cannot issue a VPDES permit." Read Lou Zeller's Comments

July 11, 2007: (revised March 2008) Poultry power is dirtier than coal. Poultry Litter versus Coal-fired Power Plants: An Air Pollution Comparison - The graph illustrates the negative air pollution impacts of power plants powered by poultry litter compared with boilers fired by coal. We compared emissions of particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide and acid gases from a recently opened poultry waste power plant in Minnesota with the proposed expansion of Duke Energy’s Cliffside facility. The pollution data is taken from the state air permits for the two plants. We utilized heat input as a common denominator, the typical method for regulating electric generating plants in North Carolina, Minnesota and most other states.

BREDL, Nuclear Watch South, and NIRS have responded to the NRC Staff and Shaw Areva MOX Services June 11 responses.

June 27, 2007 - The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL), Nuclear Watch South, and Nuclear Information & Resource Service (NIRS) have responded to the June 11, 2007 NRC Staff and Shaw Areva MOX Services responses to the Groups' Petition for Intervention and Request for Hearing filed on May 14, 2007.

June 27 Reply to Responses and Request for Hearing

The Groups' June 27 Reply contains five contentions and a request for a hearing. The contentions include:
- Failure to limit emissions of hazardous air pollutants
- Accidental Release of Radionuclides
- Extended Onsite Storage of Radioactive Waste Not Addressed in EIS or License Application
- Failure to Address Impact of Terrorist Attacks on Plutonium Fuel Facility and Transport

BREDL, Nuclear Watch South, and NIRS have filed a petition to intervene in the licensing of proposed Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility

On May 14, 2007 the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, along with Nuclear Watch South and Nuclear Information & Resource Service, filed a petition to intervene in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's license proceeding for a plutonium fuel factory at the Department of Energy's Savannah River Site in South Carolina. We have opposed this technology since 1997 and remain steadfast in our opposition to nuclear reprocessing.

The US Department of Energy's Surplus Plutonium Disposition Program plans to convert approximately 37 tons of weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for commercial nuclear power plants operated by Duke Energy. The plan is to mix the plutonium with depleted uranium. The $4 billion facility would include 1) a plutonium fuel factory, 2) a facility to convert plutonium from a metallic form to plutonium dioxide powder, and 3) nuclear waste facilities.

Petition for Intervention and Request for Hearing

Rules Proposed for Dry Cleaning Solvent Cleanup in North Carolina
Comment deadline June 15, 2007
Send your comments to: dsca@ncmail.net

These rules would establish a risk-based approach to groundwater and soil remediation under the North carolina Dry-cleaning Solvent Cleanup Act. Hundreds, perhaps thousands of sites in North Carolina are contaminated with the toxic dry cleaning solvent perchloroethylene. The questions are: What shall we do about it? How much will it cost? Who will pay? and How can we prevent this problem from happening again?

The Dry-cleaning Solvent Cleanup Act is being used as the vehicle for continued contamination of air, soil, water and clothing with toxic perchloroethylene. Approval of the rules as drafted would create a loophole in the existing NC groundwater standards. The rule would allow flawed methods of remediation.

We oppose risk-based regulation because it plays chemical roulette with our health. Substitution of the precautionary approach for a risk-based one would help to correct the failures of the current regulatory system.

Further, safe and economical alternatives for cleaning clothing are commercially available which do not use toxic perchloroethylene. We advocate the complete elimination of perchloroethylene as a dry cleaning solvent.

May 3, 2007: Read BREDL's Comments and additional comments on Rules Proposed for Dry Cleaning Solvent Cleanup in North Carolina

Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication Facility
How You Can Help

May 2, 2007: The Department of Energy plans to build a factory near Aiken, SC to convert weapons-grade plutonium into fuel for nuclear power plants. The mixed oxide fabrication facility (MFFF) would be built at the Savannah River Site, the nuclear reactors are located near Charlotte and Rock Hill. BREDL and other groups oppose this experimental project. If you live within 50 miles of the Savannah River Site, you would be affected. You can help stop this threat to public health by signing the enclosed Declaration and mailing it to us before May 14, 2007.

How you can help and 50-mile radius map
Declaration of Standing (sign and mail to us before May 14, 2007)
MFFF Fact Sheet

April 20, 2007: BREDL comments regarding Public Health Assessment, Evaluation of Off-site Groundwater and Surface Water Contamination at the Savannah River Site (USDOE) Aiken, SC. - The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry has disregarded major pathways for hazardous and radioactive substances from the US Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site, improperly narrowed the focus of its investigation to groundwater and surface water impacts at SRS, and abrogated its responsibility to take responsive action by shifting from itself the burden of protecting infants under the age of one year.

April 19, 2007: BREDL Limited appearance statements before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in the matter of the Dominion Nuclear North Anna, LLC Early Site Permit. - The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission Unless must assess the impact of terrorist attacks on radioactive fuel storage at Dominion-Virginia Power's North Anna nuclear power plant and provide for protective measures. Recent decisions by the US Court of Appeals and the US Supreme Court hold that environmental impact statements for nuclear facilities should explicitly address potential environmental consequences of intentional destructive acts; that is, acts of sabotage and terrorism.

March 2007: Summary of DENR recommendations for new legislation to regulate landfills.