Kansas City NNSA/Honeywell Watch

NBC Channel 41: Senator Bond responds to investigation of Trichloroethylene (TCE) and possible Beryllium exposure at the GSA building. Documents released under Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) show awareness of possible risks from NNSA which previously occupied contaminated area.

 National Catholic Reporter Blog: A brief analysis of Amy Goodman’s interview with Jay Coghlan of NukeWatch New Mexico on DOE’s FY2011 Congressional Budget Request. 

Don’t Forget: City Council Meeting, Tomorrow, 3 p.m., City Hall, 26th floor.                                                                                           The council might opt to hold on docket for another week,  they have three more weeks to stall according to the timeline below from GSA:

“Anticipated Milestones
Real Estate Closing: February 2010
Groundbreaking: April 2010
Relocation Start: January 2012
Full Occupancy: January 2014″

To: Kansas City News Media

From: PeaceWorks, Kansas City, and Physicians for Social Responsibility, KC Chapter

Contacts: Henry Stoever, 913-206-4088, of PeaceWorks, Kansas City, and Ann Suellentrop, 913-271-7925, of Physicians for Social Responsibility, KC Chapter

For immediate release: Feb. 1, 2010
ADMINISTRATION BUDGET PLAN CONTRADICTS OBAMA’S PLEDGE TO REDUCE NUCLEAR WEAPONS THREAT
Billions to be spent on weapons production facilities, including KC Plant

  The administration’s budget, released today, contradicts President Barack Obama’s pledge to reduce the nuclear weapons threat by working toward their elimination, according to two local organizations. Instead, the spending plan boosts funding for nuclear weapons production facilities by $625 million from last year, with almost $7 billion for these plants in fiscal year 2011.

That funding would maintain facilities such as the current Kansas City Plant, which makes non-nuclear parts for nuclear weapons, and would support transition to a new National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) facility here. The plant, operated by Honeywell, is noted in the budget for the Department of Energy (DOE) several times:

• The annual cost to run the current Kansas City Plant would rise by $73,393,000 from FY2010, reaching an estimated $535,388,000 in FY2011.
•  A $14,464,000 increase from FY2010 for repair and rebuilding of W87 warheads would promote production of firing sets at the Kansas City Plant, as well as activities at other NNSA sites.
• The costs for “Readiness in Technical Base and Facilities” (RTBF), meaning ongoing improvements at various NNSA facilities, would help support transition from the current to the new Kansas City Plant. A $30,046,000 increase from FY2010 would provide $186,102,000 for RTBF in FY 2011.
• The budget also notes FY2009 accomplishments, including production of 933 reservoirs at the current Kansas City Plant. These stainless steel containers allow for reception of tritium gas at NNSA’s Savannah River Site in South Carolina.

“The administration’s budget fails to mention that most funds for the new KC Plant would come from a bizarre public-private financing scheme,” said Henry Stoever, interim chair of PeaceWorks, Kansas City. “On Feb. 4, the City Council may OK the plan for a city-state commission, the Planned Industrial Expansion Authority, to hold title to the new NNSA facility and lease it to the NNSA. Bonds will be sold to cover most of the plant’s costs. Construction will require about $705 million; over 20 years, the plant will cost about $1.2 billion. Most of those costs won’t ever appear in the U.S. budget.”

“We’re in historic times; our president has called for a world free of nuclear weapons,” said Ann Suellentrop of the Kansas City Chapter of Physicians for Social Responsibility. “We need to hold Obama accountable to his vision and push Congress to let us dismantle our nukes. DOE workers should be retrained for our real energy needs, earth-friendly solutions such as wind turbines and solar power. We could increase employment by producing and selling green technologies to the world.”

Mark your calendars for the next Town Hall Meeting. As with the December meeting at St. Thomas More Church, former employees at the Bannister Federal Complex will share their experience with the health screening process and seeking legal redress for their illnesses.

The Town Hall meeting will be held at the Bruce Watkins Cultural Heritage Center, 47th and Blue Parkway, Kansas City, Missouri.

NBC News Includes link to statement from EPA which proposes comprehensive air sampling in partnership with the GSA on building premises and outdoors to detect contaminants.

Pitch Weekly A summary of recent developments, with remarks on the City Council holding Ordinance No. 100031 on docket until February 4th.

The ordinance was originally submitted to the City Council from the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee for a third reading on January 21st, where the vote was then delayed until January 28th. The City Council agenda states the ordinance will be held on docket; presumably the City Council will vote on the ordinance next  Thursday, February 4th.

Meetings for ongoing resistance to the Kansas City Plant and the new NNSA campus will be held at 6 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 1, and Monday, Feb. 15. For locations, call Jane Stoever at 913-206-4088.