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February 17, 2006
NTS advisory board looking for members
By PHILLIP GOMEZ
The CAB is made up of community volunteers who oversee government activities at the 1,350-square-mile Nevada Test Site, authorized by President Harry Truman in 1951 as the nation's primary proving grounds for atomic bombs. Department of Energy officials who operate the NTS often brief the board about their activities. The advisory board serves as a watchdog over the NTS, making suggestions regarding issues of public health and safety. The last atmospheric bomb test was in 1962, but in the 30 years since then until 1992, 828 atomic detonations have taken place underground, giving cause for concern regarding possible radioactive contamination of the underground aquifer and down-gradient flows off the test site where contaminants could migrate. At the meeting last week, John Pawlak, who served as chairman of the transportation and waste committee, was awarded a plaque for his past six years of service on the advisory board. Pawlak, resigning his seat on the board effective last week, saw his last meeting working on DOE management issues to safeguard the environment. Now, the board is recruiting new members from Nye County. You need not be a technical specialist in any aspect of nuclear energy, board members say. There is no pay for the volunteer job, but it is a learning experience. Travel expenses are provided to attend four annual public meetings in the region, and trips to out-of-state nuclear storage facilities, of which there are nine in the nation, occasionally come open for members to attend. But you must commit to doing your homework on advisory board issues. So far 25 people have indicated interest in replacing Pawlak and the late Bill King, who served on the board. But only three applications have been tendered. Advisory board leaders are interested in gaining additional members from Nye County. Because the NTS is 65 miles north of Las Vegas and closer to rural Nye County (30 miles from Pahrump and half that distance from Amargosa Valley), the latter stands more to lose from possible radioactive contamination of the aquifer than Clark County, said Genne Nelson, a board member from Amargosa Valley. Yet only two members currently serve from Nye County, Nelson and Marian Lawrence, the board's vice chairwoman, from Pahrump. For more information about applying for a seat on the advisory board please call (702) 295-2836, or e-mail the board at NTSCAB@aol.com. |
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