To his credit, President Richard Nixon signed a bill which asserted that “America pays its debt to the past by reclaiming the purity of its air, its waters and our living environment.”
The resultant 1969 National Environmental Policy Act requires the Environmental Protection Agency to prepare its own documents to ensure all federal agencies meet NEPA requirements when proposing new programs. Under Section 309 of the 1970 Clean Air Act, EPA is also required to review the environmental impact statements of federal agencies' proposed project for the Savannah River Site (SRS) and comment on their environmental impact adequacy and acceptability.
The plutonium pit production program, a Department of Energy plan currently proposed for the Savannah River Site, is subject to NEPA requirements for environmental impact studies and EPA reviews. The status of the program is confusing, varying in its scope, timelines and funding. As such, DOE and EPA should hold a joint meeting in Aiken for the general public to make transparent all studies, documents, ongoing and planned actions of the program.
Venue and space for the meeting should be convenient and notice of the meeting should be given well in advance. The meeting agenda should also provide adequate time for all public questions and comments.
Dr. Rose O. Hayes
Aiken