>X-UID: 000e79a9 >Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 12:23:10 -0400 >Subject: Tritium: Bill responds >To: krobson@igc.org >wandwill@clark.net >jriccio@citizen.org >dculp@igc.org >asquared@pirg.org >panukes@igc.org >hisham@igc.org >cferg@fas.org >fvhippel@princeton.edu >disarmament@igc.org >skerr@clw.org >vision@igc.org >nuke-waste@igc.org >disposition-ana@igc.org >Cc: btiller@psr.org, Eddarnold@aol.com, psrwase@igc.org >From: ledwidge@psr.org (ledwidge@psr.org) >MIME-Version: 1.0 >Content-type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > >To: Tritium trackers >Fr: Lisa Ledwidge > >Below is a letter I received today from President Bill Clinton regarding >the Administration's position on tritium and the Markey-Graham >amendment. No surprises, they still oppose the amendment. The letter >is apparently in response to the letter 65 organizations sent him on >July 28, also attached below. > >As you know, the U.S. does not need more tritium to maintain a "credible >nuclear deterrent." Tritium can be recycled from excess or dismantled >nuclear weapons, of which there are plenty. Tritium production in >civilian reactors would violate a long standing US nonproliferation >tenet which separates military and civilian nuclear activities. > >I hope you will encourage your networks to take action in support of the >Markey-Graham amendment which would prohibit the production of tritium >in commercial nuclear reactors. We are trying to convince the Defense >Authorization bill conference committee to include it in the final >bill. The committee will reconvene in early September so action is >needed now. You'll find an action alert below. > >Thank you very much. Please let me know what you hear, and if you need >more information. > >. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . >. Lisa Ledwidge . >. Physicians for Social Responsibility . >. 1101 14th Street NW, Suite 700 . >. Washington, DC 20005 USA . >. tel. 202-898-0150 ext. 222 . >. fax 202-898-0172 . >. http://www.psr.org . >. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . > >THE WHITE HOUSE >WASHINGTON > >August 18, 1998 > >Ms. Lisa Ledwidge >Associate Director for Security Programs >Physicians for Social Responsibility >1101 Fourteenth Street, N.W., Suite 700 >Washington, D.C. 20005 > >Dear Ms. Ledwidge: > >Thank you for your letter regarding tritium production. The >Markey-Graham Amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act for FY >1999 would prohibit the use of a commercial light water reactor for the >production of tritium for use in United States nuclear deterrent >elements. > >The Markey-Graham Amendment assumes that the use of such reactors to >produce tritium is inconsistent with our nonproliferation policy. My >Administration has extensively reviewed this issue and we have concluded >that the use of a commercial light water reactor to produce tritium >would not be inconsistent with U.S. nonproliferation policy, and that >the Department of Energy should continue to pursue the reactor option. > >The United States must establish a reliable source of tritium to >maintain a credible nuclear deterrent. My Administration is pursuing a >dual-track strategy for tritium production that calls for the >development of two technology options: use of a commercial light water >reactor or the construction of a linear accelerator. We remain on track >to make a final tritium technology decision by December 1998. > >The Markey-Graham Amendment, by prematurely terminating one of the >tritium production options, prejudges the outcome of the tritium >decision-making process, and would preclude a decision based on a >careful and deliberate cost, technical and policy review of each option. >Such a review is essential to ensuring that we continue to reliably and >economically meet our security needs. For this reason, I oppose the >Markey-Graham Amendment. > >Again, thank you for sharing your concerns with me on this very >important issue. > >Sincerely, > >Bill Clinton > >******************************************************* > >TRITIUM PRODUCTION IN CIVILIAN POWER PLANTS ENDANGERS NATIONAL SECURITY >AND UNDERMINES U.S. NON-PROLIFERATION POLICY > >July 28, 1998 > >The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton >President of the United States of America >The White House >1600 Pennsylvania Ave. NW >Washington D.C. 20500 > >Dear President Clinton: > >On behalf of national, regional and local organizations representing >hundreds of thousands of citizens nationwide, we strongly oppose >Department of Energy (DOE) plans to utilize commercial nuclear power >reactors to produce tritium for nuclear weapons. In our view, this >policy blurs the line between military and civilian nuclear power and >sets a dangerous precedent. In addition, further reductions in nuclear >arsenals, which you have supported, would make this policy unnecessary. > >We write to urge your Administration to support the language of the >Markey-Graham amendment to the FY99 Defense Authorization bill, >prohibiting the use of commercial nuclear reactors for the production of >tritium. > >It has been the longstanding policy of the U.S. to separate military and >civilian uses of nuclear technology. We stand behind that policy and >continue to believe that in this area, the US must make >non-proliferation concerns paramount. Plans to produce tritium in >commercial reactors have already drawn international criticism; for >instance, in response to concerns about the potential military >applications of its second nuclear reactor, Egypt criticized the use of >Tennessee Valley Authority's Watts Bar reactor for "military purposes" >(Arabic News, October 1997). > >Section 57e of the Atomic Energy Act forbids special nuclear material >produced in a commercial reactor from being used "for nuclear explosive >purposes." While the definition "special nuclear material" does not >include tritium, this technicality does not mask the fact that the DOE >plans to use a source of civilian electricity as a source of material >for nuclear weapons. > >Prohibiting the use of commercial reactors for tritium production will >not, as DOE has claimed, jeopardize national security. Other viable >options exist, including a re-evaluation of the "need date" for tritium >production. The current U.S. time line for securing a new source of >tritium is based on out-dated thinking in terms of the size of the U.S. >nuclear arsenal; the DOE still bases its planning on a START I arsenal. >Implementation of START II will delay the "need" for new tritium until >at least 2011 because the tritium from the nuclear weapons being retired >under the provisions of the START treaties can be recycled into the >nuclear weapons slated to remain in the arsenal. The lower nuclear >force levels envisioned under the broad outlines of START III, which you >successfully negotiated with President Yeltsin last year, will delay the >"need" for new tritium even further into the 21st century. > >The United States does not need to move forward with a tritium program >that has the potential to undercut longstanding non-proliferation >policy. Please prohibit the commercial reactor production of tritium: >support the Markey-Graham language in the Defense Authorization bill. >Please use the power of your office to support this language, which is >so crucial to our national security, rather than to oppose it. > >Thank you very much for considering our views on this important >matter. Please direct correspondence to: Lisa Ledwidge, Physicians >for Social Responsibility, 1101 14th St. NW, Suite 700, Washington DC >20005, tel. 202-898-0150, fax 202-898-0172. > >Sincerely, > >NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS > >Robin Caiola >20/20 Vision > >Kay Camp >Women's International League for Peace & Freedom > >Tom Clements >Greenpeace International > >Scott Denman >Safe Energy Communication Council > >Maureen Eldredge >Alliance for Nuclear Accountability > >Bruce Hall >Peace Action > >John Klotz >Sierra Club Nuclear Waste Task Force > >David Krieger >Nuclear Age Peace Foundation > >Lisa Ledwidge >Physicians for Social Responsibility > >Michael Marriotte >Nuclear Information Resource Service > >Christopher Ney >War Resisters League > >Maurice Paprin >Fund for New Priorities in America > >Jim Riccio >Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy Project > >Dave Robinson >Pax Christi USA > >Susan Shaer >Women's Action for New Directions > >Edith Vallastrigo >Women Strike for Peace > >Joe Volk >Friends Committee on National Legislation > >Paul Walker >Veterans for Peace > >Barbara Weidner >Grandmothers for Peace International > >Peter Weiss >Lawyers Committee on Nuclear Policy > >REGIONAL AND LOCAL GROUPS > >Bill Akin >Tennessee Peace Action > >Sue Bailey >Nashville Peace Action, Tennessee > >Mavis Belisle >The Peace Farm ,Texas > >Patricia Birnie >GE Stockholders for a Sustainable, Nuclear Free Future, Arizona > >Jacqueline Cabasso >Western States Legal Foundation, California > >Francis Chiappa >Cleveland Peace Action > >Clark Coan >The Southwind Group, Kansas > >Vina Colley >Portsmouth/Piketon Residents for Environmental Safety and Security, >Kentucky > >Van Crandall >Sierra Club North Carolina > >Virginia Dollar >Alternatives In Action!, Georgia > >Bruce Drew >Prairie Island Coalition, Minnesota > >Dave Druding >Peoples Action for a Safe Environment > >Marylin Elie >The Indian Point Project, New York > >Eric Epstein >Three Mile Island Alert, Pennsylvania > >Barbara George >Women's Energy Matters, >California > >Roxane George >Flagstaff Opposed to Nuclear Transportation, Arizona > >Claire Greensfelder >Plutonium Free Future, California > >Don Hancock >Southwest Research and Information Center, New Mexico > >Ann Harris >We The People, Inc >Tennessee > >Erica Harrold >California Peace Action > >Dawn Hawkins >Wolf Creek Watchdog Group, Kansas > >Barbara Hickernell >The Alliance to Close Indian Point, New York > >Daniel Hirsch >Committee to Bridge the Gap, Washington > >Ralph Hutchinson >Oak Ridge Environmental Peace Alliance, Tennessee > >Molly Johnson >Save Ward Valley, California > >Judith Johnsrud >Environmental Coalition on Nuclear Power, Pennsylvania > >Deb Katz >Citizens Awareness Network, Massachusetts > >Marylia Kelley >Tri-Valley CAREs (Citizens Against a Radioactive Environment), >California > >Dan Kerlinsky MD >New Mexico Physicians for Social Responsibility > > >Jacqueline Kittrell >American Environmental Health Studies Project, Tennessee > >Phillip Klasky >Bay Area Nuclear Waste Coalition, California > >Paige Knight >Hanford Watch, Oregon > >David A. Kraft >Nuclear Energy Information Service, Illinois > >Mary Lampert >Massachusetts Citizens for Safe Energy > >Lloyd Marbet >Don't Waste Oregon > >Mark Marcoplos >Orange County Greens, North Carolina > >Tom Marshall >Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center, Colorado > >Kevin Martin >Illinois Peace Action > >David Lyons McBride >Georgians Against Nuclear Energy > >Pamela S. Meidell >Atomic Mirror/Earth Ways Foundation, California > >Greg Mello >Los Alamos Study Group, New Mexico > >Richard Nielsen >Citizen Alert, Nevada > >Richard Ochs >Maryland Safe Energy Coalition > >Anu Pugalia >Our Earth, University of Oklahoma > >Alfredo Quarto >Mangrove Action Project, Washington > >Wendy Perron >Physicians for Social Responsibility, New York >City > >Peggy Prince >Los Alamos Action Coalition, New Mexico > >Andy Reid >The Pacific Party, Oregon > >Betty Schroeder >Arizona Safe Energy Coalition > >Alice Slater >Global Resource Action Center for the Environment Public Fund, New York >City > >Gail Snyder >Pikes Peak Justice and Peace Commission, Colorado > >Lynne Stembridge >Hanford Environmental Action League, Washington > >Ellen Thomas >Proposition One, Washington, DC Kathy Thornton, RSM > >NETWORK: A National Catholic Social Justice Lobby > >Judy Treichel >Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force > >Amy Vas Nunes >The Connecticut Green Party > >Chris Williams >Citizens Action Coalition of Indiana > >Greg Wingard >Waste Action Project, Washington > > > cc: > >The Honorable Al Gore >Vice President of the United States of America >ATTN: Leon Furth >Old Executive Office Building >Washington D.C. 20501 >fax 456-9500; 456-2883 > >The Honorable Madeleine Albright >Secretary of State >ATTN: Lynn Davis and Robert Einhorn, Arms Control and International >Security Affairs >Department of State >2201 C St. NW >Washington, D.C. 20520 >fax 736-4397; 647-0775 > >The Honorable William Cohen >Secretary of Defense >ATTN: Franklin Miller, International Security Policy, and Franklin >Kramer, International Security Affairs >The Pentagon >Washington, D.C. 20301 >fax 703-697-9080; 703-693-9146; 703-697-7230 > >The Honorable Bill Richardson >Secretary of Energy Designate >Forrestal Building >1000 Independence Ave. SW >Washington, D.C. 20585 >fax 586-4403 > > >The Honorable John Holum >Acting Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security >Affairs >Department of State >2201 C St. NW >Washington, D.C. 20520 >fax 647-6721; 647-6928 > >The Honorable Sandy Berger >National Security Advisor >ATTN: Robert Bell >The White House >1600 Pennsylvania Ave. >Washington, D.C. 20500 >fax 456-2883; 456-9190 > >John Podesta, White House Chief of Staff > fax 456-1907 > >Members of the Senate Armed Services Committee > >House National Security Committee, Defense Authorization Conferees > >The Honorable Thomas Daschle >Minority Leader >U.S. Senate >Washington D.C. 20510 > >The Honorable Richard Gephardt >Minority Leader >U.S. House of Representatives >Washington D.C. 20515 > >******************************************************* > >ACTION ALERT >August 1998 > >Ask Congress to >STOP BOMB MATERIAL PRODUCTION IN COMMERCIAL REACTORS > >Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121 > >The Department of Energy is set to make a decision on tritium production >this year. Tritium is a key component of modern nuclear weapons, the H >in H-bomb. Producing it in commercial reactors would violate a long >standing US policy separating civilian and military nuclear programs. > >DOE's own documents have stated that using commercial reactors for >tritium production "could tarnish an important symbol of US nuclear >restraint..." The House of Representatives wisely included language in >their Defense Authorization Bill that would prohibit the production of >tritium in commercial reactors. > >But this language, called the Markey-Graham amendment, is at risk of >being excluded from the final bill, which is now in House-Senate >conference committee. Timing of the conference may not be until >September, but we believe that staff will be working out the difference >in the bills this month. I will keep you posted if the schedule >changes. > >*** WHAT YOU CAN DO *** > >URGE MEMBERS OF THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE (LISTED BELOW) TO SUPPORT THE >MARKEY-GRAHAM LANGUAGE IN THE DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION BILL. > >202-224-3121 (Capitol Switchboard) > >The Honorable __________ The Honorable _______ >US House of Representatives US Senate >Washington DC 20515 Washington DC 20510 > >Please act before Labor Day, September 7, 1998, when the full Congress >is back in session. Also, please let me know of any response you >receive. Thank you. > >. Lisa Ledwidge >. Physicians for Social Responsibility >. 1101 14th Street NW, Suite 700 >. Washington, DC 20005 USA >. tel. 202-898-0150 ext. 222 >. fax 202-898-0172 >. http://www.psr.org > >* * * * * * * * > >TALKING POINTS ON TRITIUM > >==> Plans to produce nuclear weapons materials like tritium undercut our >non-proliferation goals. The U.S. has long maintained a clear >distinction between nuclear weapons work and commercial nuclear >programs. The US has tried to persuade other nations to do the same. >Violating this long-standing policy would set a dangerous precedent >worldwide. > >==> In addition to non-proliferation concerns, using commercial reactors >to produce tritium has serious environmental and public health impacts. >Tritium is extraordinarily difficult to contain. Elevated tritium >levels have already been found in the air and water around reactor >sites. Far from harmless, tritium contamination has been associated >with a variety of public health problems including birth defects and >cancers. > > ==> DOE's concern and time line for tritium production are based on >out-dated thinking in terms of the size of the U.S. nuclear arsenal. >The DOE still bases its planning on a START I (Strategic Arms Reduction) >arsenal. Implementation of START II - which has been ratified by the >U.S. Senate and is awaiting action in the Russian Duma - will delay the >"need" for new tritium until at least 2011. As we comply with START II >we can recycle the tritium from the dismantled warheads to those slated >to remain in the arsenal. The lower nuclear force levels envisioned >under the broad outlines of START III agreed to by President Clinton and >Yeltsin last year will delay the "need" for new tritium even further in >to 21stcentury. > >* * * * * * * * > >CONFEREES - HOUSE > >Conferees for the House from the National Security Committee on the >Defense Authorization Conference: > >Republicans: >Spence (SC-Chair) >Stump (AZ) >Hunter (CA) >Kasich (OH) >Bateman (VA) >Hansen (UT) >Weldon (PA) >Hefley (CO) >Saxton (NJ) >Buyer (IN) >Fowler (FL) >McHugh (NY) >Watts (OK) >Thornberry (TX) >Chambliss (GA) >Jones (NC) >Pappas (NJ) >Riley (AL) > >Democrats: >Skelton (MO) >Sisisky (VA) >Spratt (SC) >Ortiz (TX) >Pickett (VA) >Evans (IL) >Taylor (MS) >Abercrombie (HI) >Meehan (MA) >Harman (CA) >McHale (PA) >Kennedy (RI) >Allen (ME) >Snyder (AR) >Maloney (CT) > > >CONFEREES - SENATE > >All Senate Armed Services Committee members are on the Defense >Authorization Conference: > >Republicans: Democrats: >Thurmond (SC-Chair) **Levin (MI-Ranking member) >Warner (VA) Kennedy (MA) >McCain (AZ) Bingaman (NM) >Coats (IN) Glenn (OH) >Smith (NH) Byrd (WV) >Kempthorne (ID) Robb (VA) >Inhofe (OK) Lieberman (CT) >Santorum (PA) Cleland (GA) >Snowe (ME) >Roberts (KS) > > >**SENATOR LEVIN IS ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT TO CONTACT. He is the ranking >minority member of the Defense Authorization Conference and we need his >support to maintain the Markey- Graham language in the conference. >Senator Levin spoke on the Senate floor in support for not limiting >DOE's choice for additional tritium production. By saying this, he is >speaking in opposition to the Markey-Graham language. If you have >relatives or friends in Michigan, ask them to urge Senator Levin to >support Markey-Graham. > >Senator Carl Levin >459 Russell Senate Office Building >Washington, DC 20510-1005 >tel. 202-224-6221 >e-mail senator@levin.senate.gov > >. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . >. Lisa Ledwidge . >. Physicians for Social Responsibility . >. 1101 14th Street NW, Suite 700 . >. Washington, DC 20005 USA . >. tel. 202-898-0150 ext. 222 . >. fax 202-898-0172 . >. http://www.psr.org . >. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . > >Thanks to Kimberly Robson of WAND and Brad Morse of ANA for helping with >this alert. > > >--- Internet Message Header Follows --- >Received: from igc7.igc.org (192.82.108.35) > by firstclass.jcca.org (FirstClass Mail Server v5.11) > transient id 181; 12:53:43 PM -0400 >Received: from kds5.kivex.com (kds5.kivex.com [204.177.32.2]) > by igc7.igc.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id JAA05062; > Wed, 26 Aug 1998 09:18:35 -0700 (PDT) >Received: from atlantic (pc42.psrus.org [204.177.54.42]) > by kds5.kivex.com (8.8.8/8.8.7-KIVEX) with SMTP id MAA25074; > Wed, 26 Aug 1998 12:18:03 -0400 (EDT) >Message-ID: <35E4366E.C04@psr.org> >Date: Wed, 26 Aug 1998 12:23:10 -0400 >From: Lisa Ledwidge >Organization: Physicians for Social Responsibility >X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.04 (Win95; I) >MIME-Version: 1.0 >To: krobson@igc.org, wandwill@clark.net, jriccio@citizen.org, >dculp@igc.org, > asquared@pirg.org, panukes@igc.org, hisham@igc.org, cferg@fas.org, > fvhippel@princeton.edu, disarmament@igc.org, skerr@clw.org, > vision@igc.org, nuke-waste@igc.org, disposition-ana@igc.org >CC: btiller@psr.org, Eddarnold@aol.com, psrwase@igc.org >Subject: Tritium: Bill responds >Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii >Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit > > Alice Slater Global Resource Action Center for the Environment 15 East 26 St. New York, NY 10010 212-726-9161(tel) 212-726-9160(fax) GRACE is a member of Abolition 2000: A Global Network for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons - To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com" with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. 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