Depleted Uranium Munitions
Action Plan
Updated November 1, 2004 by
Glen Milner
Exemption DOT-E 9649,
which allows the secret shipment of depleted uranium munitions, has not been
renewed at this time. Statements may
still be made to the Department of Transportation.
The best thing to do
is:
1. Ask for public hearings on this issue.
2. Ask elected officials to voice opposition
to the secret shipment of radioactive munitions, allowed by DOT-E 9649.
3. Ask the DOT why the likely accident
scenario involving fire and the burning of depleted uranium has not been
addressed by the DOT. The Department
of Defense has well documented the hazards of burning depleted uranium but has
chosen not to submit this information.
The DOT needs to address known hazards involving a fire and radioactive
munitions.
4. Do not give up. See below what our efforts mean to the
Department of Defense.
A number of documents
received last week show concerns of the Department of Defense regarding this
exemption:
An e-mail message from
Mr. Joseph Dugan of the Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command
(SDDC), dated May 13, 2004,
was sent to branches of the military and numerous military officials regarding
DOT-E 9649. The message stated, “We have a serious problem with the
renewal of DOT-E 9649, it will expire on 30 June 2004.
There are several environmental groups opposing the renewal of this
exemption: they have generated a grass roots opposition plan to engage DOT with
the intent to place DOT in a position where they must take an adverse action
with respect to the granting of renewal of the exemption. This group is attempting to force Public
Hearings be conducted by DOT, this is unusual and not normally part of the
renewal process… If we do not present
a solid and informative response this exemption may very well be cancelled and
if this is the case any material you may have stored in the various known
locations will be very difficult to transport at some time in the future.”
(bold type added)
An e-mail message
dated August 18, 2004
from Mr. David Tripp, of the Army Field Support Command/Joint Munitions Command,
stated, “If this exemption is not
approved, we will need to bring all DU munitions into a maintenance line for
restencilling and labeling before shipping.
All inventory is stenciled with “DOT-9649”. This would have to be obliterated and
replaced/restenciled with the word “RADIOACTIVE”. The 1999 cost estimate for this, for just the
Tank Rounds, was in excess of 10 MILLION DOLLARS, so it is critical that we do
this testing and provide the report to DOT ASAP.” (capital letters by Mr. Tripp, bold type
added)
A 45 minute
teleconference discussion was held on August 5, 2004 by 22 military and civilian individuals
representing various branches of the military, calling itself the DOT-E 9649 Advisory Working Group. A summary statement of the call said that “5
Congressional Inquires concerning DOT-E 9649” have been made as a result of
our efforts.
If you have submitted
comments regarding DOT-E 9649, please go to the DOT Document Management System
website, http://dms.dot.gov, and
make sure your statement is posted.
In the past 10
months I have received 17 statements in which copies were sent to info@gzcenter.org. Of these 17 statements, only 12 are posted,
indicating that as many as 29 percent of the statements against the renewal of
DOT-E 9649 have been misplaced.
If your statement is
not posted, please submit it again to the Department of Transportation. Please send a copy to info@gzcenter.org.
Statements regarding
DOT-E 9649, may be viewed on the Department of Transportation Docket Management
System website at http://dms.dot.gov. At the bottom left side of the webpage, go to
Simple Search and enter 18576 for the Docket Number. This
website is intended for public viewing.
The Depleted Uranium Munitions Action Plan is a national and
international effort to stop the renewal of a special U.S. Department of
Transportation (DOT) exemption, DOT-E
9649, which allows the shipment of depleted uranium munitions without a DOT
“RADIOACTIVE” placard displayed on the shipment.
The exemption was first applied for in 1986 when the
Department of Defense became aware that the shipment and use of radioactive
munitions would become a controversial issue.
The DOT exemption must be renewed every two years by the Department of
Defense and was scheduled to be renewed on June 30, 2004.
At this time, in November 2004, the exemption has not yet been renewed.
Please send correspondence regarding DOT-E 9649 to:
Mr. Delmer Billings DHM-31
Director, Office of Hazardous Materials
Exemptions and Approvals
Department of Transportation
400
7th St. SW
Washington, D.C.
20590
Fax: (202) 366-3308
E-mail:
delmer.billings@rspa.dot.gov
Please share this
information with others and local officials.
The Depleted Uranium Munitions Action Plan was initiated by Ground Zero Center for Nonviolent Action
in Washington,
Traprock Peace Center in Massachusetts,
Military Toxics Project in Maine, and Nukewatch in Wisconsin, in November 2003. Organizations such as the Twin Cities Phil Berrigan DU Group, the Port Townsend Depleted Uranium Study Team,
and the "Depleted” Uranium Weapons
Network of the Hudson
Mohawk Region, have joined in.
There are currently
over 225 statements regarding the renewal of DOT-E 9649 on the DOT website,
including some very interesting statements from government officials, organizations
and individuals, and the Department of Defense.
Whether or not the exemption is renewed this year, in 2004, the process
is far from over.
The complete action
plan is posted at http://www.traprockpeace.org/du_mun_action_plan.pdf or please contact info@gzcenter.org for a copy.
