Virginia Supreme Court Agrees to Hear North Anna Appeal

Dec. 15, 2010: Today the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League announced that Virginia’s highest court has agreed to hear their appeal of a Dominion-Virginia Power permit.

BREDL Press Release | View Virginia Court of Appeals Ruling

Groups Call for BMWNC Shut-down
New Pollution Study Identifies Harm

Nov. 9, 2010: Today at a press conference in Matthews, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and Citizens for a Healthy Environment released an air pollution study which concludes that the BMWNC medical waste incinerator is too dangerous to operate. The groups called for a shut-down of the incinerator.

BREDL Press Release | BMWNC Air Modeling Report

Atomic Safety and Licensing Board to Hear Arguments
Groups Call for Special Investigation of NRC Secrecy

On Tuesday, October 19, 2010 the attorney for the Center for a Sustainable Coast, Georgia Women’s Action for New Directions and the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League will argue the groups’ case against use of the Westinghouse AP1000 nuclear reactor design at Plant Vogtle before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. The AP1000 is slated for use in reactors throughout the Southeast.

BREDL Press Advisory | October 18th letter to NRC

Citizens to demand medical waste incinerators abide by new EPA rules by 2012
League Chapters say 4 years too long to wait for cleaner air

Sept. 1, 2010: Members of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League’s two chapters, Citizens for a Healthy Environment (CHE) and Clean Air Now (CAN), will testify at a public hearing sponsored by the NC Environmental Management Commission (EMC). The hearing will take place on Sept 7th at 7 p.m. at the University of North Carolina Greensboro Campus, Moore Humanities & Research Administration, Spring Garden Street, Bldg. 246, Rm. #1215, Greensboro, NC, 27412.

Read BREDL Press Release | BREDL Action Alert

Citizens to demand medical waste incinerators abide by new EPA rules by 2012
League Chapters say 4 years too long to wait for cleaner air

Sept. 1, 2010: Members of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League’s two chapters, Citizens for a Healthy Environment (CHE) and Clean Air Now (CAN), will testify at a public hearing sponsored by the NC Environmental Management Commission (EMC). The hearing will take place on Sept 7th at 7 p.m. at the University of North Carolina Greensboro Campus, Moore Humanities & Research Administration, Spring Garden Street, Bldg. 246, Rm. #1215, Greensboro, NC, 27412.

Read BREDL Press Release | BREDL Action Alert

Groups File New Legal Challenge at Plant Vogtle

Aug. 17, 2010: League files new contention with nuclear licensing board regarding inadequacy of containment/coating inspection program for Vogtle Units 3 and 4.

Louis Zeller, Science Director for the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, explained why the groups took this action. "Southern Nuclear Company has overlooked a major problem which we simply cannot allow to go unchallenged. The fundamental requirement of the operator is to protect public health and safety. Southern Nuclear Company is not doing its job.

View Press Release | BREDL Supplemental Contention

League Files Unprecedented Air Pollution Challenge at Plant Vogtle

Aug. 12, 2010: This week in a bold move, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League filed a legal challenge to the proposed air pollution permit at Plant Vogtle. The August 10th filing was one of the first in the nation under the federal Clean Air Act challenging excessive radionuclide emissions from nuclear power. In a petition to the US Environmental Protection Agency, the League called for rejection of the permit issued by the State of Georgia because it failed to limit radioactive air pollution, failed to protect public health and failed to prevent environmental injustice.

BREDL Press Release | View BREDL Petition

League Challenges Dominion's New Reactor Design

June 18: Lou Zeller, representative for the League, said, “Dominion’s switching of reactor technology is like altering the foundation after the walls are up.” He said that the switch this late in licensing the plant would make it difficult to regulate. Zeller added, “The Commission may lack the regulatory duck tape to piece it together.” He drew a comparison of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission with the Interior Department's Minerals Management Service, the agency which oversees offshore oil drilling and which became too accommodating to its licensees.

View Contention Eleven filed June 17 | Read BREDL Press Release

League demands protection for NC drinking water from sewage sludge

June 21, 2010: Today at a press conference in Raleigh, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League called for a moratorium on the spreading of sewage sludge in critical watersheds. The League released two reports which detail sewage sludge spreading in critical areas that supply drinking water to downstream communities. These sites are located in Orange, Alamance, Gaston, Caldwell, Catawba, and Wake counties. The League maintains that these sludge sites pose an imminent hazard to public health and the environment.

BREDL Press Release

REPORTS:

Sludge Spreading in Critical Watersheds in North Carolina

Why sludge should be banned from critical watersheds

MAPS:

Map of Permitted Sludge Fields in Critical Watersheds of North Carolina Sludge fields permitted before 1992
Map of Permitted Sludge Fields in Critical Watersheds of North Carolina Sludge fields permitted after 1992

New report reveals sewage sludge fields permitted in critical watersheds in 6 NC counties

Senator Ellie Kinnaird will host a press conference in the press room at the NC General Assembly on Monday, June 21 at 3 p.m. Senator Kinnaird will discuss the findings of a new report to be released by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League. The League’s report, “Sludge Spreading in Critical Watersheds of North Carolina,” discusses the spreading of sewage sludge on farmlands in these critical watersheds. The report lists the locations of each field and summarizes the risks to public health and the environment. At the press conference, the League’s Sue Dayton will present a series of maps showing the locations of each of the sludge fields.

BREDL Press Advisory

League to Lay Out the Case Against Plasma Arc Incineration

On Monday at the Pittsboro Board of Commissioners meeting the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League will release a report on plasma arc incineration. Louis Zeller, the League’s Science Director, will present the report and recommend a moratorium on waste incineration, including plasma arc.

Read BREDL Press Advisory | BREDL comments
Permit documents and other comments are available at the Florida Department of Environmental Protection website: http://www.dep.state.fl.us/Air/emission/construction/geoplasma.htm

League releases data showing unacceptable levels of toxic air pollutants
from Stericycle medical waste incinerator
May 25, 2010: BREDL Press Release
BREDL comments on draft Title V permit for Stericycle
Reductions of emissions at Stericycle under the new EPA limits

Groups to hold press conference on Stericycle’s pollution

On Tuesday, May 25, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and the Haw River Assembly will hold a press conference to reveal flaws in the proposed permit for the Stericycle medical waste incinerator, located in Haw River, NC.
Read BREDL Press Advisory

Resolutions on early implementation of federal standards for medical waste incinerators
Town of Green Level Resolution
City of Mebane Resolution
Town of Chapel Hill Resolution
Town of Hillsborough Resolution
Town of Haw River Resolution
Chatham County Resolution
Town of Carrboro Resolution
Orange County Resolution adopted on May 17 requiring Stericycle to comply with the new and more protective EPA rules by 2012 instead of 2014.
Mecklenburg County Resolutions:
(1) Resolution directing the county to move forward with adoption/implementation of the new EPA rules
(2) Resolution requesting that all med waste incinerators in NC come into compliance by 2012

Mecklenburg County passes resolutions to request
early implementation of new EPA rules by Oct. 6, 2012.

April 22, 2010: The Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners have given county residents a fitting Earth Day gift. In an effort to help protect Matthews-area residents from exposure to toxic air emissions from the BMWNC medical waste incinerator, located on the border of Matthews and Stallings, commissioners unanimously approved two resolutions at their April 20 meeting, requesting early implementation of the new 2014 EPA guidelines on medical waste incinerator Title V permits in Mecklenburg County. The county wants to shave two years off the four years allowed under the new EPA rules for medical waste incinerators to come into compliance with the new rules.
Read Citizens for a Healthy Environment Press Release
View Mecklenburg County Resolutions

Groups Urge Feds to Suspend Nuclear Licensing;
Westinghouse Reactor Defect Was Missed By Regulators

April 21, 2010: Today the League and other environmental groups held a national press teleconference to reveal a fatal flaw in America’s planned expansion of nuclear power. We released a detailed engineering analysis of a problem with the Westinghouse AP1000. This marks the launch of a new national initiative.

Read Press Release
April 21 Letter to NRC Chairman Gregory B. Jaczko requesting review of AP1000 Design Defect
April 21 Petition to NRC Advisory Committee on Reactor Safeguards Chairman Dr. Said Abdel-Khalik requesting investigation into AP1000 Design Defect
AP1000 Design Defect Diagram

BMWNC medical waste incinerator is operating on expired permit
League calls on MCAQ to re-issue permit under new, more protective EPA rules

April 6, 2010: The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League has confirmed that the BMWNC medical waste in incinerator in Matthews, NC, has been operating without a valid permit since March of 2009. The information was submitted to the Mecklenburg County Air Quality in comments concerning the incinerator’s application for a permit renewal. By law, a medical waste incinerator cannot operate without a valid Title V air quality permit, and an application for renewal must be submitted to the governing agency nine months prior to the expiration date. Read BREDL Press Release

Citizens Applaud Court’s Rejection Of Sampson County’s
Motion To Dismiss Fibrowatt Zoning Complaint

Feb. 17, 2010 (Clinton, NC) The members of Citizens for a Safe Environment, a chapter of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, will proceed with their lawsuit against Sampson County following a Superior Court decision on Monday. In ruling against Sampson County’s motion to dismiss the group’s complaint, the court said that Citizens for a Safe Environment has sufficient standing, has provided evidence of both unlawful “spot zoning” and contract zoning, and that allegations of capricious and arbitrary actions by the county are sufficient for the case to move forward. Read BREDL Press Release

Matthews’ residents at risk for exposure to high levels of toxic air pollutants
Residents will speak at press conference prior to public hearing about impacts from incinerator

A press conference will take place on Thursday, Feb. 11 at 5:30 p.m. before a public hearing that has been scheduled for 6:30 p.m. the same evening concerning the Title V permit renewal for the BMWNC medical waste incinerator, located in Matthews, NC. Both the press conference and hearing will take place at the Central Piedmont Community College (CPCC), Levine Campus, 2800 Campus Ridge Rd., in the Auditorium, Rm. 2120. BREDL Press Advisory

BREDL will hold community informational meeting on BMWNC medical waste incinerator

The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) will hold a community informational meeting at 7 p.m. on Monday, February 8, at the Matthews Public Library located at 230 Matthews Station St. in Matthews, NC. Read Press Advisory

Rust Never Sleeps: Bellefonte Nukes Would Threaten Tennessee Valley

Jan. 11, 2010: Joint Petitioners file Supplemental Basis for Previously Submitted Contention 6 - TVA has not and cannot meet the NRC's Quality Assurance and Quality Control Requirements.

View BREDL's latest legal filing. | Read BREDL Press Release

CACHE releases response regarding poultry litter set-aside

Jan. 9, 2010: CACHE (Citizens’ Alliance for a Clean, Healthy Economy) today released their response to Surry County Commissioners Chairman Craig Hunter’s rebuttal testimony to the North Carolina Utilities Commission opposing a request by Duke Power and Progress Energy to delay the poultry litter set-aside in General Statute 62-133-8 (f). Read CACHE Press Release

Fibrowatt Flunks Major Tests In Minnesota
League Challenges North Carolina Regulators and Calls for Hearings

Dec. 22, 2009: Today in letters mailed to state officials the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League challenged North Carolina’s environmental and utilities regulators to consider major permit violations at a poultry litter incinerator in Minnesota before allowing similar projects to proceed. The plant’s operator, Fibrowatt LLC, wants to build three more incinerators in North Carolina to burn poultry waste. A settlement agreement between Fibrowatt and the state of Minnesota was released to the League December 17.

BREDL Press Release | Settlement Agreement between Fibrowatt and Minnesota |
Dec. 21, 2009 Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Press Release | Fibrominn Violations FAQ

Dec. 3, 2009: Today at a press conference in Chester, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League released a new report on toxic air pollution impacts from the Covanta incinerator proposed for Chester County. The study shows that poisonous air emissions would be deposited more than six miles away from the facility. Read BREDL Press Release | BREDL Technical Report: Toxic Air Pollution Impacts from the proposed Covanta Energy Chester County WTE Project

Groups to hold Press Conference on Covanta Pollution
Chester Residents form League Chapter
Dec. 1, 2009: On Thursday, December 3rd the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and the Serious Chester County Residents Against Pollution will hold a press conference to release new information about air poisons and health impacts from the proposed Covanta incinerator in Chester County. The press conference will take place at the Chester County Library on 100 Center Street in Chester and will begin at 1:00 PM. The Serious Chester County Residents Against Pollution is the newest chapter in the multi-state Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League. Read BREDL Press Advisory

Groups file Petition for Review regarding Vogtle Units 3 and 4
Oct. 29, 2009: Today organizations concerned with the high costs and environmental risks posed by Southern Company’s plan to build two new nuclear reactors at Plant Vogtle near Augusta, Ga. announced their filing of an appeal in federal court to stop the proposed expansion.

Read Press Release | Download Petition for Review

League Files Motion to Delay Poultry Litter Incinerators

Sept. 3, 2009: In papers filed Wednesday with the North Carolina Utilities Commission, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and three of its community chapters moved to delay and modify a contentious provision of the state’s renewable energy law. Citizens for a Safe Environment (Duplin County), Citizens Alliance for a Clean Healthy Environment (Surry County), and Sampson County Citizens for a Safe Environment (Sampson County) joined the League in filing the motion. Their motion to intervene asks the Commission to indefinitely delay the use of poultry waste to generate electricity. The poultry waste requirement, or, “set-aside”, was included in the 2007 legislation adopting renewable energy standards for North Carolina.

BREDL Press Release
Community Groups Motion to Intervene | Community Groups Response

Aug. 12, 2009: League launches state-wide campaign to involve communities in safe cleanup of dry cleaning sites - 42 North Carolina Counties have contaminated soil and groundwater: Today the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League launched a statewide community-centered campaign to ensure the public is involved with cleanup of dry-cleaning contaminated sites. The League’s goals include educating residents about the dangers of toxic dry cleaning solvents, securing community level influence on state decision making, and protecting water quality and human health. The League is working with their network of chapters and organizing new community groups located near these contaminated dry cleaning sites. BREDL Press Release

Aug. 6, 2009: Citizens Groups Claim Victory - Commission Delays Nuclear Plants at Bellefonte: Today citizens’ groups claimed a victory in their fight against Tennessee Valley Authority’s drive to build four nuclear power plants in northeast Alabama. According to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, further action on TVA’s proposal is halted until at least 2011. Spokespersons for the citizens’ groups see the two-year delay as vindication of their stand against TVA’s plan to complete two nuclear power reactors and to add two more at its Bellefonte site near Scottsboro.
BREDL Press Release | NRC Letters regarding delay

New Report Released: An Industry Blowing Smoke - 10 reasons why gasification, Pyrolysis & Plasma Incineration are not "green solutions"

June 15, 2009: BREDL co-releases a new report by Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives. The Report - An Industry Blowing Smoke - outlines 10 reasons why gasification, Pyrolysis & Plasma Incineration are not "green solutions".
BREDL Press Release | Download: An Industry Blowing Smoke

Community forum to look at risks of sewage sludge spreading on farmlands: The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL), and the Center for Health, and Environment and Justice (CHEJ) will host a community forum concerning the risks to public health and the environment from the spreading sewage sludge from wastewater treatment plants on farmlands. The forum will specifically focus on issues related to sewage sludge spreading on farmlands in Orange, Alamance and Chatham Counties, NC. The forum will take place on Thursday, June 4 from 7-9 p.m., at the Cane Creek Baptist Church Activity Center, 6901 Orange Grove Rd, Hillsborough, NC 27278. A press briefing will take place at the Center at 6 p.m. where the speakers will discuss with members of the media the risks associated with land application of sewage sludge on public health and the environment.
More info: BREDL Press Advisory

May 26, 2009: League Ups the Ante in Poultry Manure Incinerator Debate - Today in a letter to a powerful North Carolina legislator, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League called for full disclosure of the violations and enforcement actions against the Fibrominn poultry manure incinerator in Benson, Minnesota. BREDL Press Release | May 26 letter to Rep. Pricey Harrison

May 14, 2009: GROUPS TAKE AIM AT BELLEFONTE 1 AND 2 - Today three citizens’ groups announced a new lawsuit against TVA’s Bellefonte nuclear site in Alabama. The groups’ effort centers on the mothballed nuclear reactor units 1 and 2. They based their opposition on 14 separate flaws in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s recent approval of a construction permit. The lawsuit was filed by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, the Bellefonte Efficiency and Sustainability Team and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy.

BREDL Press Release | BREDL Petition

May 7, 2009: League Urges Duke Shareholders to Reject Poultry Litter Incineration - Today at Duke Energy’s annual meeting in Charlotte, members of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League asked shareholders to question the company about electricity from poultry waste. The group distributed a handout describing poultry litter as dirtier than coal, more expensive than wind, and litter incineration as an economic threat to farmers. BREDL Press Release | BREDL May 7 Handout at Duke Energy meeting

May 6, 2009: League Opens Fire on Fibrowatt - Today at a press conference in Elkin, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League released a stunning report showing that the proposed Fibrowatt manure incinerator would deposit dangerous levels of poisons up to six miles from the plant site. The report concludes that the incinerator would contaminate the surrounding area with arsenic, chromium, mercury and other pollutants. More info: BREDL Press Release | BREDL Modeling Report | May 11 Forum Flyer

GROUP TAKES BELLEFONTE FIGHT TO A HIGHER COURT

March 31, 2009: Yesterday the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League filed a Petition for Review in the US Court of Appeals of the Bellefonte nuclear power plant in Alabama. The League seeks judicial review of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s reinstatement of construction permits for two nuclear reactors, the so-called Bellefonte 1 and 2. BREDL Press Release | Petition for Review | NRC's voting record

GROUP CHARGES NEW NUKES MUST WAIT
FOR RADIOACTIVE WASTE SOLUTION

March 10, 2009: Yesterday in a flurry of legal activity the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League filed new arguments opposing nuclear reactor licenses in Virginia, South Carolina and Alabama. The League acted because of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's failure to recognize that high-level radioactive waste storage would pose significant environmental risks at proposed nuclear power plants at TVA's Bellefonte, Duke Energy's WS Lee and Dominion Virginia Power's North Anna stations. Read BREDL Press Release (includes links to filing documents)

Victory in Landmark Clean Water Act Challenge
League and Lake Residents Overturn Dominion Nuke Permit

Feb. 20, 2009: Today a Virginia court in Richmond ruled that state agencies violated federal law and that the water quality permit for Dominion-Virginia Power's North Anna nuclear station is revoked.
Read BREDL Press Release | Background information | Transcript of Judge's Ruling

COURT HEARING FOR NORTH ANNA WATER CASE ON THURSDAY - On Thursday morning, December 18th, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League’s appeal of the Dominion-Virginia Power North Anna permit will be argued in Richmond Circuit Court. More Details: Read BREDL Press Advisory

Dec. 16, 2008: GROUPS DISPUTE TVA COST FIGURES - NEW LEGAL CHALLENGE AT BELLEFONTE: Today citizens’ groups announced new cost arguments in their lawsuit against nuclear power at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Bellefonte site. The December 15th filing charges that TVA provided inaccurate cost information in its environmental report. In an 18-page request to the three-judge licensing board, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, the Bellefonte Efficiency and Sustainability Team and the Southern Alliance for Clean Energy charged that TVA violated the National Environmental Policy Act. Read BREDL Press Release | Read BREDL, BEST, SACE Dec. 15, 2008 Contention to ASLBP

GROUP TAKES AIM AT AIR POLLUTION DEREGULATION - Nov. 20, 2008: Today at a Durham press conference, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League released a report aimed at preventing North Carolina from exempting from regulation more than 1400 air pollution sources. The study Poison Loophole details the dangers of toxic air pollution from coal plants, paper mills and asphalt plants. Read BREDL Press Release | Download the study Poison Loophole

Citizens Take Legal Action To Stop Fibrowatt Poultry Manure Incinerator
Oct. 02, 2008: (Clinton, NC) On Tuesday Citizens for a Safe Environment took legal steps in Sampson County to reverse the commissioners’ decision to re-zone land near Faison. That decision allowed a poultry manure incinerator project to move forward. Fibrowatt proposes to build a plant on the site that would burn poultry manure. The complaint cites negative impacts to the neighboring African-American community, air and water pollution, and detrimental impacts to nearby organic farmers and the area’s farm economy. The Superior Court filing charges that the re-zoning is improper and invalid.
Read BREDL Press Release | Read October 03, 2008 Fayetteville Observer article Power plant foes are suing to pull plug

WASTE IS BIG CLIMATE PROBLEM, NEW REPORT FINDS - A zero waste approach revealed as a top climate protection strategy: Winston-Salem, NC June 5 – Today the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League joined with environmental groups across the United States to release the new report, Stop Trashing the Climate. This timely report, on United Nations World Environment Day and with North Carolina in the midst of a major early June heat wave, points the way for North Carolina to move forward to reduce waste and simultaneously to cut the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.
BREDL Press Release and link to Report

May 2008: The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and its Virginia chapter the People’s Alliance for Clean Energy have filed to halt construction of a third nuclear reactor at the North Anna nuclear power plant. The petition raises eight major issues: Dominion lacks a realistic radioactive waste plan, Unit 3 would be located on top of a geological fault, the plant’s cooling system will violate water quality standards, the plant will not adequately limit radioactive emissions to the atmosphere, uranium is an unreliable fuel source, the license would violate the protections of due process and equal protection, irradiated fuel would remain on site, and the plant would be a target for terrorist attacks.

Lou Zeller, the League’s legal representative, said that Dominion covered up evidence of a geologic fault in the 1970’s and now they want a variance because they cannot meet safety standards. Zeller said, “Fool us once, shame on you; fool us twice, shame on us.”

The League plans to press the seismic issue and other safety and environmental problems created by the proposed third reactor.

Elena Day of PACE said, “New nuclear reactors at North Anna would be irresponsible because the water situation is critical. The growing population in this area and the ongoing drought will only exacerbate the situation.”

The petition to intervene was filed on May 9th with the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission.
Read the Petition | Read Press Release

April 11, 2008: Groups Support Sewage Sludge Investigation - Today the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League hailed Senator Barbara Boxer’s decision to hold Senate hearings on toxics found in drinking water and sewage sludge. The League joined with 68 public interest groups from several states around the country in support of the investigation by the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. Read BREDL Press Release

April 3, 2008: Bellefonte Nuclear Opponents Speak Out At Hearing - Read BEST Press Release and see photos

April 1, 2008: Environmental Group Challenges State To Protect Communities From Dirty Renewable Energy Plants - The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL), a long-time critic of exemptions and loopholes in North Carolina’s air quality program, yesterday called on the state to exercise leadership in the development of clean renewable energy. Legislation enacted by the General Assembly in 2007 mandated the use of swine waste and poultry litter to generate electricity and other biomass fuels are allowed under the program. Read BREDL Press Release

Jan. 23, 2008: First State-Held Public Hearing to Take Place in NC on Land Application of Sewage Sludge - Read BREDL Press Advisory

PC PRIDE Files Legal Challenge to Special Use Permit for Upper Piedmont Environmental Landfill - Jan. 3, 2008: BREDL chapter PC PRIDE (Person County People Rising in Defense of Ecology) has filed a legal challenge in superior court against the December 3rd decision made by the North Carolina Person County Commissioners. The commissioners voted to grant a special use permit to Republic Services of North Carolina LLC for an expansion of the Upper Piedmont Environmental Landfill.
PC PRIDE Press Release | View Court Petition

Reasons for the legal action include:
- The expansion of the landfill is not in harmony with the existing agricultural and residential uses in the Mount Tirzah area where the landfill is located.
- The proposed expansion will constitute a nuisance to the members of PC PRIDE and other members of the public.
- The property owners adjacent to and in close proximity to the landfill and proposed expansion have suffered losses of property values and an interference with health, safety and general welfare.
- PC PRIDE members were not given a fair and unbiased hearing.

More info: www.pcpride.org

Jan. 2, 2008: On Friday, December 28th, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League filed a petition against the Virginia's approval of a water permit for the North Anna nuclear power station (NAPS) located near Charlottesville.

The League's petition states: The Board's re-issuance of this Permit was in violation of Virginia's State Water Control Law, the federal Clean Water Act, and the Virginia Pollution Discharge Elimination System, as well as other laws and regulations governing water quality. Specifically, state and federal laws and regulations require regulation of and limitations on thermal pollution discharges into Virginia's waters. There was ample evidence presented to the Board and DEQ as contained in the record which demonstrated that thermal pollution discharges from NAPS into Lake Anna are causing and contributing serious harm to the lake and to Virginia citizens' use and enjoyment of that natural resource. Despite the mandate under state and federal law and the record evidence of the thermal pollution problem in Lake Anna from NAPS, this Permit contains virtually no limits at all on thermal pollution. For the reasons stated in this Petition for Appeal, BREDL asks this Court to suspend and set aside the Permit and to remand the Permit to the Board and DEQ for further proceedings consistent and in compliance with federal and state water laws and regulations.
BREDL Press Release | View Appeal

Dec. 5, 2007: Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and the People’s Alliance for Clean Energy have filed a Notice of Appeal to Virginia Department of Environmental Quality regarding reissuance of VPDES (Virginia Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) Permit for Dominion-North Anna Power Station. BREDL Press Release | Notice of Appeal

Oct. 23, 2007: NEW STUDY REVEALS ASPHALT PLANT DANGERS - Today at a press conference in Spruce Pine, the Mitchell County Citizens for Clean Air and the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League released an air pollution study of the proposed Young & McQueen asphalt plant which shows that air toxins would be deposited far from the plant site. The League’s report shows dangerous levels offsite of formaldehyde, benzene and arsenic. BREDL Press Release | BREDL Air Pollution Study of proposed asphalt plant | Asphalt Plants Page

October 9, 2007: Today two organizations announced the filing of a legal challenge that could stop the construction of a plutonium fuel factory at the Savannah River Site. Nuclear Watch South and the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League uncovered information that the US Department of Energy plans major modifications to the proposed plutonium fuel factory. Read Press Release

On July 31, 2007 the US Department of Homeland Security issued a Notice of Intent to Prepare an Environmental Impact Statement for a National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility. The NBAF would be a new defense research laboratory for biological warfare agents. Five sites are being considered: 1) Manhattan, Kansas, 2) Athens, Georgia, 3) San Antonio, Texas, 4) Butner, North Carolina and 5) Flora, Mississippi. A possible sixth site is also being considered on Plum Island, New York where a federal facility has operated for decades.

What You Can Do:
First, attend the Public Meeting on Sept. 18, 2007. The Dept. of Homeland Security will invite the public to make oral comments. The meeting will begin at 7:00 PM at the South Granville High School on 701 North Crescent Drive in Creedmore, NC 27522.
Second, send your comments by mail, online, via fax or voice mail. The public comment period will end on Sept. 27, 2007

More Info: BREDL Press Release | BREDL Comments on Notice of Intent to prepare an EIS for the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility | BREDL Factsheet

July 17, 2007: N.O. - B.S. Forms to Address Sewage Sludge | Group Fears Pollution of Jordan Reservoir Dressed in hazmat suits, rubber boots, gloves, and dust masks, members of Neighbors Opposing Bio-Sludge (N.O. - B.S.) took sludge to the podium today to speak on why additional monitoring and testing of treated sewage sludge - also known as biosolids - is needed in order to determine the effects of land application of sewage sludge on the ailing Jordan Reservoir. Read N.O.-B.S./BREDL Press Release

NEW REPORT PUTS CHARLOTTE AT THE NUCLEAR CROSSROADS

May 22, 2007 At a press conference on the North Carolina-South Carolina line, citizens’ groups from two states released a new report which details the dangers of high-level nuclear waste shipments under the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership program. Author John Sticpewich of Commonsense at the Nuclear crossroads used the Department of Energy’s routing criteria to produce the maps and tables in More Than A TAD: A Study of the Problems With the Transport and Reprocessing of Nuclear Waste in the Carolinas. The report lists nuclear power plants in 17 states from which nuclear waste shipments would pass en route to Savannah River, a potential GNEP site. For example, from 2,146 to 4,498 shipments would likely pass through the Charlotte-Rock Hill area on Interstate 77. DOE has already held public hearings on their plans for centralized storage and reprocessing.

Photos and Statements from representatives of organizations - BREDL May 22, 2007 press conference on dangers and risks regarding transportation of high level nuclear waste across Carolinas

The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League opposes DOE’s plan, called Complex 2030, which calls for a new generation of nuclear weapons production, for which we believe the Savannah River Site is at great risk.  Complex 2030, developed by the National Nuclear Security Administration, is a proposal to construct new facilities to manufacture plutonium warheads, to conduct nuclear weapons research and development, and to store nuclear materials.  On October 19, 2006 the US Department of Energy published the Notice of Intent to Prepare a Supplement to the Stockpile Stewardship Management Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement—Complex 2030 (Federal Register vol. 71, no. 202, page 61731).  The first public meeting on Complex 2030 was held on November 9th in North Augusta, South Carolina, near the Savannah River Site bomb plant.  Further meetings are being held near atomic weapons sites in Tennessee, Texas, Nevada, New Mexico and California with a final hearing in Washington, DC on December 14, 2006.  The written public comment period extends through January 17, 2007.

Our ultimate goal is to change completely the mission of the United States Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site from military to peaceful pursuits.  We are dedicated to ending the toxic and radioactive pollution of the soil, water and air of SRS by achieving a true cleanup of more than five decades of bomb plant contamination.  

Nov. 9, 2006: BREDL Press Release

July 25, 2006: US PIRG releases Report: Making Sense of the "Coal Rush". "Coal Rush" Threatens Environment and Energy Security Proposed Plant in SW Virginia Among 150 Plants Proposed Nationwide; Plants Would Boost Global Warming Pollution by 10 Percent and Coal Consumption by 30 Percent Read US PIRG/SIERRA CLUB/BREDL Press Release

April 17, 2006: Report Finds Duplin Citizens Are Concerned About Proposed Landfill: A new University of North Carolina School of Public Health study released by a local citizens group found that Duplin County residents remain concerned about the potential for declining air quality, contamination of their wells, and lost opportunities for future parks and outdoor activities. The report, “A Community Health and Demographic Survey Near a Proposed Landfill Site in Northwestern Duplin County, NC”, found slightly elevated rates for allergies and asthma, as self-reported by residents, already existed in a two mile radius around the proposed site near Faison.
BREDL Press Release | Download the University of North Carolina School of Public Health study:
"A Community Health and Demographic Survey Near a Proposed Landfill Site in Northwestern Duplin County, NC "

Dec. 12: 2005: SENATOR DOLE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR UNETHICAL VOTE - Today members of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League hand delivered a letter to Senator Elizabeth Dole's Salisbury office challenging her opposition to a ban on using human subjects in pesticide experiments. This summer, Senator Dole voted against a measure introduced by Senator Boxer to ban testing pesticides on children and pregnant women.
BREDL Press Release & photo | BREDL Dec. 12, 2005 letter to Senator Dole | BREDL comments on rule

Dec. 7, 2005: Microsoft Completes Phase Out of PVC, “the Poison Plastic”/ North Carolina Group Applauds Steps to Eliminate PVC - Today the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and other environmental organizations across the country praised the efforts of major U. S. corporations to eliminate PVC plastic from their products. Read BREDL Press Release

April 7, 2005: GROUPS CALL ON GOVERNOR TO DEMAND TERRORISM SAFEGUARDS - Today at a press conference in Columbia, citizens groups called on Governor Mark Sanford to halt the impending plutonium fuel shipments through South Carolina and to demand terrorism safeguards at the Catawba nuclear station.
BREDL Press Release | Letter to SC Governor Mark Sanford

Mar. 28, 2005: Citizens Groups Advise SRS Citizens Advisory Board - Sunshine Campaign Will Allow Public To Have Say - Today at a press conference in North Augusta, grassroots citizens groups announced a “Sunshine Campaign” to open up the process of communication between the Department of Energy, the SRS Citizens Advisory Board and the general public.
BREDL Press Release | BREDL Statement to the Savannah River Site Citizens Advisory Board

March 09, 2005: BREDL Press Release: BREDL CHALLENGES DUKE’S PLUTONIUM LICENSE - Today the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League filed a petition before the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to revoke the license amendment issued by the staff of the NRC to Duke Energy Corporation for plutonium fuel tests. BREDL Petition | Cover Letter | Exhibit 1 | NRC Original Order

Dec. 7, 2004: A new report released today by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) documents the health risks to people living near waste incinerators in North Carolina.  Citing as examples two medical waste incinerators, Stericycle in Haw River and BMWNC in Matthews, and the municipal solid waste incinerator WASTEC in New Hanover County, BREDL urged North Carolinians to learn about PVC, the "Poison Plastic", and take action to phase out its use. Read BREDL Press Release

BREDL joins Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) in national release of PVC Report - PVC, Bad News Comes in Threes: The Poison Plastic, Health Hazards & The Looming Waste Crisis. This national report will be released on Tuesday, December 7, 2004. It provides a comprehensive summary of the hazards of PVC, with new information on the looming PVC waste crisis. News Releases and events in 19 States. For information on the national release contact CHEJ at: 703-237-2249, Cell Phone 703-627-9483. In North Carolina, please contact BREDL Staffer David Mickey at 336-769-0955.

July 17, 2004: Brunswick Citizens For A Safe Environment, a BREDL chapter, is fighting a proposed Hugo Neu auto fluff landfill in their community of Leland, NC (link to pictures, auto fluff factsheet, and additional info.) | July 10, 2004 Press Release

June 2, 2004: Read Press Release and link to Report - Interstate 73 is one of the most wasteful highway projects in the nation, according to a new report released today by Virginians for Appropriate Roads (VAR), Citizens Concerned about I-73, Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL), Taxpayers for Common Sense (TCS), and Friends of the Earth (FoE). The report, Road to Ruin, identifies the 27 most wasteful highway projects in the country.

April 27, 2004: Read Press Release and Lou Zeller Statement - Citizens Charge US With Nuclear Treaty Violation : Today at a press conference at the United Nations, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League charged the United States with violation of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and called for international inspections of weapons facilities in South Carolina.

March 25, 2004: Read Press Advisory - PACE, a BREDL chapter, Anti-Nuclear Day of Action: Commemorating Three Mile Island to be held in Charlottesville, VA (includes a Talk by Lois Gibbs, BREDL mock nuclear cask)

March 8, 2004: BREDL’s Lawsuit Against Duke’s Plutonium Fuel Tests Wins Full Hearing. In a ruling by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, the three-judge panel agreed to hear three specific objections to the experimental project. Read Press Release | Read NRC Atomic Safety and Licensing Board ruling (.pdf)

February 19, 2004: Post-9/11 Terrorism Measures Not Applicable to Duke’s Plutonium Fuel | NRC Chooses Secrecy Over Security: Yesterday, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission announced that confidential NRC upgrades to the security requirements for nuclear power plants and plutonium processing facilities, imposed after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, have “nothing to do” with a proposed license amendment that would allow Duke Energy Corporation to use bomb-grade plutonium at the Catawba nuclear power plant. Read Press Release

Feb. 12, 2004: BREDL Press Release - GROUPS HOLD PEOPLE’S HEARING ON INTERNATIONAL PAPER: Today in Lake Waccamaw the BE SAFE North Carolina Campaign hosted a public hearing on the air permits and new proposals for International Paper at Riegelwood. Speakers took aim at the recently issued Clean Air Act permit and IP’s proposal to avoid meeting federal maximum achievable control technology standards. IP has proposed to substitute a computer-modeled risk assessment for federally mandated technological improvements.

Jan.14, 2004: On Thursday, January 15^th, representatives of the southeastern regional Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League will argue against plutonium fuel testing at Duke Energy’s Catawba nuclear plant at a second hearing before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Read Press Advisory

Dec. 02, 2003: On Wednesday, December 3^rd, representatives of the southeastern regional Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League will argue against plutonium fuel testing at Duke Energy’s Catawba nuclear plant at an ajudicatory hearing before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Read Press Advisory

Oct. 20, 2003: Today at press conferences in Asheville, High Point and Durham, statewide and regional organizations launched the BE SAFE North Carolina campaign. Groups from across the state will promote the “better-safe-than-sorry” approach to protection of public health and the environment. The mission of BE SAFE NC is to protect children’s health and to safeguard our air, water, and workplaces. Press Releases and more information on the BE SAFE Campaign.

Sept. 22, 2003: Keeper of the National Register reaffirms status of Southeast Roanoke, VA Historic District; Historic resources form hurdles to I-73's construction. - The Keeper of the National Register of Historic Places has reaffirmed the historic status of the Southeast Roanoke Historic District, a late 19th/early 20th century mixed-use working class neighborhood nominated as an historic district by Virginians for Appropriate Roads (VAR) and found eligible for inclusion in the National Register last October. VAR is a BREDL chapter. Read VAR Press Release and additional information (includes link to map and agency letters)

July 25, 2003: BREDL and WEAG cite numerous flaws with DEQ’s approval of Wythe County, VA asphalt plant. Groups request DEQ to stop relocation and re-open permitting process. Read Press Release | July 25, 2003: BREDL and WEAG letter to Virginia DEQ Director Robert Burnley requesting determination of permit exemptions. (.pdf) | More information including BREDL/DEQ correspondence, background, pictures.

June 3, 2003: G-8 FAILS TO FUND PLUTONIUM FUEL
INTERNATIONAL ANTI-PLUTONIUM CAMPAIGNERS ARRESTED IN RUSSIA
Today at a press conference in Augusta, Georgia, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League announced that the international campaign to stop plutonium fuel has succeeded in delaying funding but at the cost of an erosion of civil rights. Read BREDL Press Release | May 30, 2003: Letter to Heads of State of the Group of Eight Nations from Non-governmental Organizations opposing Plutonium Fuel | On May 27, 2003, twelve Russian activists were arrested near the Ministry of atomic power in Moscow for speaking out in opposition to plutonium fuel (MOX)

Nov. 22, 2002: BREDL Press Release | BREDL releases Don Moniak report: "Does America Need A New Atomic Bomb Plant?: A Preliminary Review of DOE's Plans to Restore Large-Scale Plutonium Pit Production" (in .pdf)

June 19, 2002 - June 28, 2002: Nuclear Waste Roadshow heads to Florida. Read Press Advisories and Press Releases (updated throughout the Florida Roadshow)

June 11, 2002: BREDL has released a report which reveals that the US DOE's plutonium fuel testing program would require tens of thousands of miles of national and international shipments. BREDL Press Release and Report

May 30, 2002: On Thursday, May 30^th the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League will launch its regional campaign opposing nuclear waste transports from nuclear power plants in North Carolina and South Carolina to Nevada. See Press Release and Press Advisory for details and locations - updated throughout the Roadshow | Please see the BREDL Southeastern HLNW Roadshow page for pictures, reports, letters, and links.

March 28, 2002: Roanoke County, Va tire fire emits huge quantities of toxins. Read BREDL Press Release , Chronology of Roanoke County, Virginia Tire Fire UPDATE: April 16, 2002: EPA announces that the Roanoke County Tire Fire is finally out as of 11 am. The fire burned for 25 days over 139 acres. Only 3,000 - 4,000 tires remain on site. According to media reports, those tires will be hauled to a North Carolina recycler.

Jan. 17, 2002 - Jan. 17, 2002 -BREDL comments to EPA Region IV regarding New Source Review rules under the Clean Air Act , BREDL comments to EPA Region III regarding New Source Review rules under the Clean Air Act , Read Jan. 17, 2002 Virginia Press Advisory

Nov. 20, 2001: Citizens meet to oppose Wedlake Plant. BREDL Press Release ; PVC Fact Sheet

Nov. 15, 2001: NUCLEAR REACTORS THREAT TO HOMELAND SECURITY - GOVERNMENT DOWNPLAYS THE RISK

Despite U.S. government knowledge that terrorists were targeting nuclear plants, security risks have been downplayed for years by both industry and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, according to a Greenpeace report released Thursday. The report, Risky Business: The Probability and Consequences of a Nuclear Accident, co-released locally with the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, analyzes each of the 103 nuclear reactors operating in the U.S. and includes detailed maps of the consequences and fall out for the 12 worst reactor  sites. The Catawba reactors and McGuire reactors north and south of Charlotte figure prominently in the lists. BREDL Press Release and link to report

Oct. 23, 2001: Today at a press conference in Rock Hill, SC, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) announced the filing of a legal petition to block the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission's proceedings for the extension of licenses for Duke Energy’s Catawba and McGuire nuclear power plants. BREDL Press Release ; Petition to NRC

Oct. 11, 2001 - BREDL releases a national report which presents safe alternatives for solving the problems of hospital and infectious waste, making dangerous medical waste incinerators like Stericycle in Haw River, NC unnecessary. The report Non-incineration Medical Waste Treatment Technologies was produced by the national Health Care Without Harm campaign. BREDL Press Release; Executive Summary; Oct. 9, 2001 BREDL letter to NC DAQ regarding Stericycle; Dioxin Fact Sheet; Background on HCWH's report.
Download the report at http://www.noharm.org

Aug. 30, 2001: Groups Warn South Carolina Governor Jim Hodges not to fall for MOX. Press Release

Aug. 29, 2001: A Report on the Plutonium (Pu) Situation, Promise To "Delay" Made In Bad Faith - The decision this week by the Department of Energy (DOE) to "delay" plutonium shipments to the Savannah River Site (SRS) involved several omissions of information and was another act of bad faith by an Agency with a long tradition of bending federal law and misleading the public. Read Media Advisory

Aug. 23, 2001: PLUTONIUM FUEL FUNDING NEARLY EXHAUSTED , BAD COST ESTIMATES PLAGUE PROGRAM - Documents obtained this week by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) indicate that funding for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Plutonium/MOX fuel program contract is nearly exhausted. BREDL Press Release , Plutonium Fuel Factory facts

Aug. 21, 2001: Today in testimony before the US Environmental Protection Agency in Arlington, Virginia, representatives of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League told federal officials to close the loophole for fossil-fueled electric power plants. The four-state citizens group called on the EPA to reduce air pollutants which reduce visibility in our national parks and which cause thousands of deaths every year. Read North Carolina Press Release and Four-state (VA, NC, SC, & TN) Press Release , BREDL Comments on BART Guidelines under Haze Regs , EPA BART Facts

May 24, 2001: BREDL May 17, 2001 letter requesting NRC to hold hearing on Construction Authorization Request (CAR) for a Mixed Oxide Fuel Fabrication facility at Savannah River Site in South Carolina. (.pdf file) | BREDL Press Release

May 3, 2001: Press Release with links to report In Charlotte, NC today BREDL releases a new plutonium fuels transportation report outlining past problems with the U.S. Department of Energy's handling of plutonium.

April 25, 2001: Press Release /EPA letter - EPA has environmental objections with I-73 (Roanoke, VA - NC border) project. EPA recommends a supplement be prepared to address significant issues and alternatives.

April 16, 2001: GROUP REPORTS LITANY OF IRREGULARITIES IN PLUTONIUM FUEL FACTORY LICENSE APPLICATION AND REVIEW:
Today, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) released documents challenging the plutonium fuel factory proposed for the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) near Aiken, South Carolina. In a letter written to the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), BREDL contends that the Duke Cogema Stone and Webster (DCS) plutonium factory license application is fatally flawed and should be rejected. The group also contends that DOE must complete a supplemental Environmental Impact Statement. read BREDL Press Release

April 10, 2001 - Read GCE/BREDL Press Release - Georgians for Clean Energy and the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League will sponsor an informational Open House regarding the Department of Energy's ongoing plans to construct and operate a plutonium (MOX) fuel factory at the already heavily polluted Savannah River Site, approximately 90 miles upstream from Savannah. If built, the plutonium factory will generate millions of gallons of liquid radioactive waste and increase the potential of creating more permanent nuclear weapons and power production missions at SRS and the region.

The Open House will be held from:
4-8 p.m., April 12, 2001, at 3025 Bull Street, Savannah, GA.

March 22, 2001 - GROUPS PETITION NRC FOR A FULL HEARING ON PLUTONIUM FUEL FACTORY

An international coalition of environmental, social justice, and nuclear weapons groups have petitioned the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission to hold a formal licensing review of government plans to build a factory to make nuclear fuel from plutonium. Today, Georgians Against Nuclear Energy (GANE) and the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) released a letter signed by 142 organizations requesting a full public process including testimony, written comments, discovery, subpoena, cross-examination, appeals, and the possibility of a hearing before the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board. More info: BREDL Press Release , February 22, 2001 letter to NRC Chairman Richard Meserve

March 21, 2001 - BREDL LAUNCHES CHILD PROOFING OUR SCHOOLS CAMPAIGN

Today at a press conference in Wilmington, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League launched a statewide campaign to protect North Carolina school children from toxic chemical exposures. The group plans to work with parents and school officials to determine the level of environmental toxins in the state’s schools and to implement programs to reduce or eliminate these threats.

BREDL released a new national report called Poisoned Schools: Invisible Threats, Visible Actions. The report details the dangers to children attending schools located near toxic air pollution sources and contaminated sites. More info: BREDL Press Release

Feb. 6, 2001 - Aiken, SC: The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League will commemorate the 5th Anniversary of former Secretary of Energy Hazel O’Leary’s last “openness” press conference at which DOE released its publication “Plutonium, The Last 50 Years.” More info: BREDL Press Release, BREDL MEDIA ALERT , PLUTONIUM REPORT

Jan. 24, 2001 - GROUPS URGE SUSPENSION OF PLUTONIUM FUEL EXPERIMENT IN CANADA - Yesterday in a letter to the Canadian Nuclear Safety Commission (CNSC), twenty-five organizations from three countries urged the CNSC to take immediate action to suspend a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) test--called Parallex--of mixed oxide (MOX) plutonium fuel planned in Canada’s National Research Universal (NRU) reactor. BREDL Press Release, Groups' letter to CNSC

Jan. 10, 2001 - Today in a letter to US Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Bill Richardson, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) urged immediate action to halt the plutonium
fuel factory project at the Savannah River Site. The group charged that the recently released
Environmental Report reveals that the project’s Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) was
incomplete and incorrect. BREDL Press Release, BREDL letter to US Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Bill Richardson , DOE reply to letter , Insights from Offsite (No. 2001-1 2/15/01) ,

November 30, 2000 - BREDL letter to NC Division of Waste Management - BREDL Challenges TCLP testing of Special Wastes: The Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League requests that the NC Division of Solid Waste cease the disposal of "Special Wastes" in NC Subtitle D landfills until adequate testing methods are developed and implemented that can adequately determine the hazards of the "Special Waste" streams.

November 29, 2000 - PRESS RELEASE: Anson County CACTUS files environmental justice complaint with EPA. Anson County CACTUS is requesting that the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) initiate an investigation into the North Carolina Department of the Environment and Natural Resources' issuance of a June 1, 2000 construction permit allowing Chambers Development of North Carolina, Inc. to construct a Municipal Solid Waste Landfill Facility adjacent to a predominantly African-American community in Polkton, North Carolina.

November 21, 2000 - Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and our Halifax County
chapter, Citizens Against Regional Dumping, held a press conference and rally on the steps of
the courthouse in Halifax, NC.  CARD members spoke against the county’s plans for a
regional, commercial landfill to be operated by WMX in their community.  Details about the press conference (including photos and statements) plus a report on the landfill.

July 22, 2000 - Russian and American NGOs Blast G-8 Secrecy. Plutonium Plans are a Danger to All Nations.

July 20, 2000 - PRESS ADVISORY - JOINT PRESS CONFERENCE BY RUSSIAN AND AMERICAN NGOs AT G-8 SUMMIT - 12 Noon , July 22, 2000 NGO Center

June 9, 2000 - Prisoners Of Our Homes (POOH) holds a press briefing in Charlotte, NC.  POOH called for the shut down of the BMWNC medical waste incinerator.  Photos from press briefing.

June 5, 2000 - Russian and American plutonium agreement draws fire.

May 18, 2000 - BREDL/NACAP Press Release regarding air permit At a press conference in Franklin, the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League and Neighbors Against the Cullasaja Asphalt Plant released a detailed analysis of the pollution which would be allowed if the state approves a permit for the Rhodes Brothers asphalt plant.

March 24, 2000 - Press Advisory - Today, representatives of the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League will travel to Harrisburg to testify in support of Pennsylvania's proposed clean air regulations.  The new rule would limit North Carolina's nitrogen oxide emissions to 10,737 tons per year. 

March 21, 2000 - Press Release , Excerpt from injunction motion/filing - Three Citizens' Organizations Join Legal Challenge to U.S. Nuclear Proliferation-Prone Plutonium Plan

- On Tuesday, March 21,  Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Physicians for Social Responsibility and Nuclear Information and Resource Service joined the plaintiffs who sued the US Department of Energy to stop a U.S.-Russian-Canadian plan to use nuclear weapons
plutonium as fuel in nuclear power reactors. 

Nov. 9, 1999 - ANSON COUNTY CACTUS TAKES LEGAL ACTION OPPOSING WATER QUALTIY CERTIFICATION PERMIT - Anson County Citizens Against Chemical Toxins in Underground Storage, filed a petition for a contested case against the North Carolina Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Division of Water Quality, for the issuance of a 401 Water Quality Certification permit to Chambers Development of North Carolina, Inc. The petition was filed with in the office of administrative hearings in Raleigh.

Press Advisory: TOXIC TOUR - CITIZENS TO TAKE BACK THEIR AIR

On Sept. 20, the NC Division of Waste Management signed a Compliance Order with Administrative Penalty for Solite, Inc. of $52,499.00

Enforcement actions against Solite, Inc. may be forthcoming - The North Carolina Division of Waste management confirmed on Sept 13, 1999 that enforcement actions against Solite, Inc. may be pending. 

Report released by the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) and Prisoners Of Our Homes (POOH) shows mercury in tuna threatens developing babies and young children. Citizens ask North Carolina hospitals to reduce threat by eliminating mercury from health care.

Virginians For Appropriate Roads, a BREDL chapter, press release regarding I-73 project's mention as one of the 50 most wasteful highway projects in the nation.

Anson County Citizens Against Chemical Toxins in Underground Storage (CACTUS) and the Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League (BREDL) join a new national coalition asking Congress to end federal taxpayer subsidies that waste natural resources, damage the environment, hurt local recycling businesses and discourage recycling.

Community leaders from Russia and North Carolina create coalition to stop the use of plutonium fuel in nuclear power plants

NRC wants closed meetings

Savannah River in D.O.E. budget