MEDIA RELEASE

Hawaii petitioner Isaac “Paka” Harp is appealing the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) ruling of Feb. 24, 2010 that stated he lacks standing to challenge the Army’s application for a license to possession Depleted Uranium (DU) in Hawaii.

Harp, a Native Hawaiian, stated during oral arguments held in January, “The time has come for the United States to clean up their messes, repair their damages, and de-occupy our country,” and added, “It is the Army that has no standing here.”

Harp said, “The Army used Hawaii for secret biological and chemical warfare experiments, dumped thousands of tons of chemical, biological, and conventional munitions over our aina and in our ocean. They brought DU contamination to Hawaii and now they want to leave their mess in place. These acts are nothing short of environmental terrorism and show a clear lack of concern for the health and safety of the people of Hawaii. And people wonder why we want the United States out of here?”

In his appeal, Harp points out that in 1979 DU was found in air filters at a site 26 miles away from a factory producing DU airplane counterweights and DU penetrators. He contends that this proves DU can travel for many miles to threaten the health and safety of humans and the natural environment.

He also referred to an article related to DU illness published in Preventive Psychiatry E-Newsletter No. 169. In the article, Arthur N. Bernklau, Executive Director of Veterans for Constitutional Law in New York, stated “This malady (from uranium munitions), that thousands of our military have suffered and died from, has finally been identified as the cause of this sickness, eliminating the guessing. Out of the 580,400 soldiers who served in the first Gulf War, of them, 11,000 are now dead! By the year 2000, there were 325,000 on Permanent Medical Disability.”

Harp points out that “Seven (7) of the nine (9) sites that the Army wants to place under the DU license rank either 1st or 2nd in highest cancer rates in those states and that DU is the one commonality amongst these seven sites.

“It is extremely unlikely that these statistics are coincidental,” Harp said.

He also noted studies conclude DU can leach into groundwater supplies, and the NRC’s own Web site contained information on decommissioning of the Jefferson Proving Grounds complex in Rock Island, Indiana and that documents express concern of DU leaching into groundwater supplies there.

The Army’s oral arguments were based on limited and incomplete records, Harp said, and, where records were not available the Army applied assumptions.

Harp said he fears if news regarding DU contamination in Hawaii becomes widely known it could have grave impacts on Hawaii’s main economic engine, the multi-billion dollar tourism industry.

Harp will post his appeal online with other information he and other Hawaii petitioners Cory Harden and Jim Albertini have accumulated over the last few months. The information will be available at: newpacificvoice.com/du

For more information call 345-6085, or e-mail: imua-hawaii@hawaii.rr.com

(Reader Opinions Disclaimer: This column allows members of the community to share their opinions and views, which do not necessarily reflect those of Hawaii 24/7, its staff, sponsors or anyone other than the writer. Hawaii 24/7 reserves the right to refuse any column deemed to be misinformation, of an unethical nature, a personal attack, or a blatant commercial pitch.)

Malu Aina’s informational flyer at the Nov. 7 Hilo Vets parade was entitled “Help Protect Veterans & Public Health.” It warned of Army Regulation 700-48 and that most of the military vehicles in the Hilo parade (including humvees and Strykers) recently returned from Iraq — a country contaminated with thousands of tons of Depleted Uranium (DU) used by US and British forces there.

According to Dr. Helen Caldicott, MD, “depleted uranium is a deadly carcinogenic and mutagenic poison that remains radioactive for 4.5 billion years.  It’s primary hazard is from tiny aerosolized particles that are inhaled…”

Army regulation 700-48, section 2-4 requires isolation of DU contaminated vehicles from all human contact, not parading these toxic killing machines down the peaceful streets of Hilo.

We support veterans being given the best possible medical care but we are opposed to U.S. wars of aggression that keep producing more and more disabled veterans.  It’s time to end (not escalate) these illegal wars and the illegal occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.

The money being spent to kill people abroad should be spent to create jobs at home. The money used to build and parade Stryker killing machines should be used for vets medical care. If the U.S. stopped waging wars it would have money to fund schools, social services, and provide medical care for all.

It is reported that the Pentagon is going to ask for $50 billion additional funding for the wars after receiving $130 billion already. According to Wikipedia, the Department of Defense budget including defense-related expenditures outside of the Department of Defense brings the total for defense spending to between $925 billion and $1.14 trillion in 2009.

We respect Vets but not toxic Stryker Killing Machines.

We believe in respecting veterans by not further exposing them (and the public) to additional military toxins. Strykers are modern chariots of empire, hi-tech versions of Egyptian and Roman chariots whose old style weapons included swords on the wheels that mowed down people who rebelled against occupation.

Today’s high tech chariots — Stryker Urban Assault Vehicles fire depleted uranium (DU) machine gun and cannon armor-piercing and bunker-busting munitions. Strykers are presently training at the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) known to be contaminated with DU.

As a follow up to the issues raised prior to, and at, the parade, Malu Aina has written to Lt. Col. Warline Richardson, Commanding officer at PTA.

Col. Richardson had said there would be no mobile weapon systems on military vehicles in the parade. Her words turned out to be false.

There were machine guns plainly visible on several humvees. Either Col. Richardson lied to us or was over ruled by higher ups.

We have also written to Col. Richardson under the Freedom of Information Act asking her to produce copies of radiological reports on the Strykers and Humvees in the Hilo Vets parade.

We have written to County and State elected officials asking each official “what did you do to protect vets and public health and safety,” since you were asked to investigate possible DU contamination of military vehicles prior to the parade?

We now ask each of you, our fellow citizens, to write a letter to the editor and/or government officials and express your concerns on the issues. Stand up and speak out now!

Jim Albertini

Malu Aina Center for Non-violent Education & Action

P.O.Box AB

Kurtistown, Hawaii 96760

Phone: 966-7622

E-mail: JA@interpac.net

Web site: www.malu-aina.org

Jim Albertini released the following statement ahead of the Hilo Veterans Parade:

Please join with others to hold peace signs beginning at 8:30 a.m., Saturday, Nov. 7 on the makai side of Kamehameha Avenue across from the Hilo Farmers Market. (The sign holding will be stationary, not in the parade).

Prior to the parade we will need several people to hand out a flyer ahead of the parade along the parade route. In all we do (message on signs included), we request that people come with a respectful attitude to vets and their families and to all encountered during the day.

We want to raise our concerns to stop the wars and depleted uranium contamination in the spirit of aloha and the tradition of non-violence.

We support veterans being given the best possible medical care but we are opposed to U.S. wars of aggression that keep producing more and more disabled veterans.

It’s time to end (not escalate) these illegal wars and the illegal occupations of Iraq, Afghanistan and Hawaii.  The money being spent to kill people abroad should be spent to create jobs at home.  The only people who get rich off war are the arms makers.

We commend LTC Warline Richardson, Commanding Officer at PTA, who has ordered the removal of all mobile weapon systems from parade vehicles.  We expressed concern that parading weapons glorifies war and desensitizes young and old to the horrors of war.

Dr. Lorrin Pang, MD, MPH, born and raised in Hawaii and Retired Army Medical Corp, and America’s Best Doctors Listing, says, “I suggest we adhere to the precautionary principle and honor our veterans by not further exposing them (and the public) to further unknown agents.  Remember both (Major Doug)  Rokke (quoted below) and I are former Army and we are still watching out for the soldiers.”

MEDIA RELEASE

Depleted uranium report unavailable

By Cory (Martha) Harden
Moku Loa Group of the Sierra Club

After nine months of requests, Sierra Club does not have a report on depleted uranium (DU) from the Army, but does have two extra weeks to try obtaining it from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC.)

DU spotting rounds, left from Army training in the 1960s, were discovered in Hawaii in 2005. DU is radioactive and chemically toxic. It is not hazardous outside the body, but if DU compounds are inhaled or ingested, they can impact health.

NRC is in the process of granting the Army an after-the-fact license to possess the DU.

Sierra Club says the report it seeks, the Archives Search Report (ASR), seems to provide a basis for assumptions about when, where and how DU spotting rounds were used at Pohakuloa Training Area and other Army sites in Hawaii.

Sierra Club filed a Freedom of Information Act Request for the ASR with the Army in December 2008, then followed up with Army officials from Hawaii Island, Honolulu, and Washington D.C., to no avail.

When NRC posted documents on its Web site related to the Army license, and set a deadline of Oct. 13 for request for hearing and petition to intervene, the ASR was not posted. Sierra Club asked NRC to obtain and post the ASR and to set a new deadline 60 days after posting.

NRC didn’t agree to post the report, but did extend the deadline for Sierra Club to Oct. 27.

“Army Colonel Killian told Hawaii County Council there might be about 2,000 DU spotting rounds at Pohakuloa alone, and a Sierra Club consultant also estimated 2,000, but some Army documents refer to the ASR to estimate only about 700 spotting rounds statewide,” according to Sierra Club’s Moku Loa group. “We appreciate the extension, but given these conflicting statements, and knowing the report provides a basis for some decisions about DU in Hawaii, we feel the public should have a chance to see it.”

Sierra Club encourages people with comments on DU in Hawaii to contact John Hayes, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Two White Flint North, mail stop T8F5, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, Maryland 20852-2738, telephone 301-415-5928, fax 301-415-5369, john.hayes@nrc.gov.

John Hayes, of the U.S. Nuclear Regulartory Commission, talks to the audience at Hilo High School during the commission's presentation. Photography by Baron Sekiya/Hawaii 24/7

Karin Stanton/Hawaii247 Contributing Editor

Informational material from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission began its review of the U.S. Army’s application to possess depleted uranium this week on the Big Island.

The procedure to grant a license  - and establishing any conditions to that license – is expected to last into next year.

The application covers nine sites across the country, including Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island and Schofield Barracks on Oahu.

“We’re basically in the beginning stages here,” said Dave McIntyre, NRC Public Affairs Office. “We’re here to review the process and the conditions that could be put on the permit.”

Although the application includes mainland sites, McIntyre said Hawaii was a logical place to start.

“We understand there is a long-standing relationship with the military and we understand there is some mistrust there,” he said.

More than 700 spotting rounds for the 1960s Davy Crockett weapons system were shipped to Hawaii, according the U.S. Army records. They since have been confirmed at Schofield in 2005 and at PTA in 2007.

Presenters from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission at Hilo High School with a radiation detector Thursday (Aug 27).

The Army now needs a possession permit from the NRC, an independent federal regulatory board that ensures the use of radioactive material is done safely.

The series of meeting this week included Oahu, Kona and Hilo. The final meeting is 6 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 27 at Hilo High School.

Public comments will be accepted until Oct. 13; members of the public also can make a hearing request as outlined in the National Federal Register.

More than three dozen residents attended Wednesday’s informational meeting at King Kamehameha’s Kona Beach Hotel.

Among the concerns

* The Army’s continued dropping of 2,000-pound test bombs in the area, despite the county council passing a nonbinding resolution in 2008 requesting the military halt live-fire training.

* Sen. Josh Green, who also is an emergency room physician, said he is alarmed about the ‘cancer clusters’ in Kona.

* Residents called for the NRC to research whether depleted uranium may contribute to cancer, birth defects, deformations and other illness.

* Highlights of testimony from Kona resident Shannon Rudolph

I was across the highway from Pohakuloa in May 2007, with other residents watching radiation monitors for an hour and a half staying at, or below normal background  radiation levels of 5 to 20 counts per minute.

A visible “dust devil” blew up off the training range and traveled directly over the monitors and all of us. As the dust blew over us, the radiation monitors spiked 4 times, up to 75 cpm. We were horrified.

Our State Dept. of Health was contacted and they came up the mountain to measure. Their protocol for measuring radiation was to practically hold their old monitor out the window of their car for a few moments and declare safe levels.

Cabrera Services was hired to monitor, and flew over a very small portion of Pohakuloa for a couple of days in a helicopter, which residents know, wasn’t nearly enough.

Residents have gotten no answers they feel are reliable regarding questions we have about DU on our mountain, we’ve mostly gotten stalling, misinformation, and disrespect.

We need some straight answers to our questions and residents are counting on the NCR to protect us as one of our last lines of defense against the military who have a historically poor record of telling the truth.

Many residents think many more radiation weapons systems have been used beyond the Davy Crockett, tail fin spotter rounds.

I ask that in addition to absolutely foolproof, verifiable, long term, air, soil, and water monitoring, preferably by independent professionals, for all Hawaii bases that are contaminated, I plead with you to do some independent testing of sick, life long, Hawaii residents living downwind, especially in South Kona, which is at the business end of the Pohakuloa wind tunnel, in addition to wildlife near perimeters.

It is well past time that we have some straight answers from someone.

Let’s cut to the chase, IF depleted uranium is discovered in any life long resident or animal, it means the radiation is migrating off of the property.

I ask that you make the Army follow its own regulation AR 700-48 according to regulation author, Dr. Doug Rokke; to shut down these Hawaii training areas now, clean up every speck of DU, and take care of and compensate well, any soldier or resident they may have harmed.

Personally, I think if widespread contamination is discovered, the army should build us a new hospital or pay to relocate those who care to leave. If you have to pave over Pohakuloa to stop the dust, do it. We’ll have to worry about the groundwater later.

I dearly hope you will take all of our comments seriously, hold the military’s feet to the fire on the DU issue, and babysit their every move as your sacred duty to us all.

– Find out more:

Army application material: http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html, click on ADAMS Web Search, then enter docket number 04009083 in the search box.

Written comments may be sent to: John Hayes, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Two White Flint North, Mail Stop T8F5, 11545 Rockville Pike, Rockville, MD 20852-2738. Or send an e-mail to:  john.hayes@nrc.gov

MEDIA RELEASE
Kona: 6-8:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 26, King Kamehameha Kona Beach Hotel 

Hilo: 6-8:30 p.m., Thursday, Aug. 27, Hilo High School

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a notice of opportunity to request a hearing on a license application from the U.S. Army for possession of depleted uranium at two installations in Hawaii where depleted uranium remains from munitions training during the 1960s.

Enough depleted uranium remains on the sites to require an NRC possession license and environmental monitoring and physical security programs to ensure protection of the public and the environment.

The public meetings will explain the agency review of the Army’s license application and – if the license is subsequently granted – monitor and enforce the license to ensure there is no danger to public health and safety or the environment. 

Finally, the agency is requesting public comment on the Army’s plan.

In the 1960s, the Army used M101 spotting rounds made with depleted uranium in training soldiers with the Davy Crockett recoilless gun. The M101 rounds were used at proving grounds at Schofield Barracks on Oahu and the Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island until 1968.

Fragments of expended rounds remain on the ground in impact areas of those training ranges.

Following an Aug. 24 site visit to Schofield Barracks, NRC staff will conduct a meeting with Army representatives at the Hawaii Army National Guard’s Wahiawa Armory 487 FA. This meeting will be primarily for Army officials to discuss their monitoring plans for managing the depleted uranium.  

To request an adjudicatory hearing on this application, potential parties must demonstrate standing by showing how the proposed license might affect them. They must also raise at least one admissible contention challenging the license application. 

Guidance on how to file a petition for a hearing is contained in a Notice of License Application and Opportunity for Hearing, published Aug. 13 in the Federal Register and available online at edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/pdf/E9-19449.pdf.

The deadline for requesting a hearing is Oct. 13. 

Members of the public may submit comments on the Army’s application until that date as well, to the NRC project manager, John J. Hayes, U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Mail Stop T8-F5, Washington, D.C., 20055-0001, or by e-mail at John.Hayes@nrc.gov.

The Army license application and associated documents, including the environmental monitoring and physical security plans and site characterization studies, are available through the NRC’s ADAMS online documents database at www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/adams/web-based.html by entering these accession numbers: ML090070095, ML091950280, ML090900423 and ML091170322.

Also visit: www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/news/2009/09-135.html

MEDIA RELEASE

July 20, 2009, Big Island of Hawaii….. Big Island residents will be able to receive news, information and entertainment live and in real time starting 5:00 PM, Saturday, August 1, when Big Island Live Broadcasting Network (BILB) launches its premier broadcast via the internet on www.bigislandlive.com. The unified multimedia network will be using cutting edge technology allowing the home audience to call in and interact with the shows at (808) 987-8610 BILB Network programming will be aired on the internet, cable-TV and on Public Access stations throughout the state.

This will be a live interview on the subject of Depleted Uranium (DU), with Dr. Lorrin Pang. The live broadcast will be on Saturday, August 1, 2009 from 5:00-6:00 PM. The public and press will have the unique opportunity to ask Dr. Pang questions and become more educated about the possibly hazardous waste being found at Pohakuloa Training Area on the Big Island. The live show will be aired on www.bigislandlive.com and phone calls with questions will be taken at (808) 987-8610.

Depleted Uranium, and its possible hazard to the residents of Hawaii, have been an issue for the last four years since its discovery on Oahu. In July, 2008, the Hawaii County Council passed Resolution # 639 08 calling for the army to halt live-fire training on the Big Island until proper tests can be done and assess the situation.

The military has refused to comply and claim they have tested for DU and there is no contamination or threat to human life.

The Big Island Live Broadcasting Network is dedicated to the people of Hawaii, providing an outlet for multimedia coverage of breaking news and live entertainment on the Big Island of Hawaii.

To watch a short trailer of the interview, follow this link:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=beZZoCanpm0

MEDIA RELEASE

Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for Environment, Safety, and Occupational Health, Addison “Tad” Davis, IV, met with Hawaii legislators Thursday, Feb. 26 at the State Capitol to discuss three U.S. Army environmental initiatives on the Big Island, reported the Hawaii House Blog.

“Hydrogen Highway” – The Army is working with the Hawaii Natural Energy Institute and the Environmental Protection Agency to implement recommendations from the Hawaii Clean Energy Initiative. One initiative is working to establish a hydrogen fueling station at the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park.

“I am excited about the possibility of the County of Hawaii and Hawaii state government to partner with the Army to allow and enable our local government fleet to fuel up at a hydrogen fuel station,” said Rep. Cindy Evans, a former vice chairwoman of the House Energy & Environmental Protection committee. “As more county and state vehicles turn to hydrogen fuel, not only will we decrease our dependency on foreign oil, but we will also see significant savings in the future. My hope is that this first station will be one of many that will dot a ‘hydrogen highway’ where private and public vehicles can tap into the benefits of this renewable energy source in the future.”

Sustainable Military Complexes ­ – Wind turbines and photovoltaic solar panels will help the Pohakuloa Training Area (PTA) and the Kilauea Military Camp (KMC) become completely self-sustainable complexes on the Big Island.

“We are pleased that the Army’s sustainability initiatives are in line with the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Plan which was the result of the Hawaii 2050 Sustainability Task Force convened by the Hawaii State Legislature in 2005 and submitted its report in 2008,” Evans said.

Depleted Uranium Update – Deputy Assistant Secretary Davis gave an update on the Army’s continuing assessment on Depleted Uranium (DU) at the Pohakuloa Training Area and Schofield Barracks:

There is a continuing assessment of health risks and data from air monitoring stations to measure levels of DU at PTA. In the near future, the United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission will review and set restrictions, limits, and mitigation measures on DU levels at Pohakuloa. Currently, based on historical usage and ground assessments, there are 950 acres that will no longer be used.

“The money being spent by the military to insure public safety is important to safeguard and preserve our quality of life on the Big Island,” Evans said.

– Find out more:

Army Web site: www.imcom.pac.army.mil/DU
Hawaii House Blog: www.hawaiihouseblog.blogspot.com