Schumer: Major Victory In 16 Year Fight Against Nuclear Waste Storage Facility In Crowded Brooklyn Neighborhood

SCHUMER: MAJOR VICTORY IN 16 YEAR FIGHT AGAINST NUCLEAR WASTE STORAGE FACILITY IN CROWDED BROOKLYN NEIGHBORHOOD

Radiac Stores Cyanide, Plutonium, Uranium and More - Just One Block from NYC Public School; Withdraws Application for State Waste Permit

Last Month, Schumer Stood with Multi Ethnic Coalition, Called on NYS DEC to Reject Radiac's Hazardous Waste Permit Application Fearing Public Health Catastrophe in Williamsburg - one of Brooklyn's Fast-Growing Neighborhoods

Radiac, Bowing to Public Pressure, Withdrew Application

Three weeks ago, the New York Department of Environmental Conservation held it's first-ever hearing on Radiac, the radioactive and hazardous waste storage facility in Williamsburg. The facility requires a hazardous waste storage permit, which it has received in years past, despite widespread neighborhood and environmental opposition. Prior to the hearing, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer stood with a coalition of Latino, Hasidic Jewish and other community leaders to call for the DEC to reject its permit application and shut down the Radiac facility. Yesterday, bowing to public pressure, Radiac withdrew its application for a permit. Radiac is New York's only radioactive nuclear and toxic waste facility in the state. It holds a mix of radioactive material such as uranium and plutonium as well as other poisons, chemical and flammable materials.

"This is a major victory for Williamsburg residents," Schumer said. "Aside from it being an open invitation to terrorists, there have been major public health concerns including the unacceptable risk of a catastrophic fire," Schumer said.

The Radiac facility is located just one block away from a New York City Public Elementary School that 1100 students attend with a playground that is nearly adjacent to the facility. 130,000 people live within one mile of Radiac and 50,000 are expected to move in the next few years. Just last week 11,000 new housing units were just approved right across from the facility. A fire at Radiac would release a poisonous cloud that could reach up to three miles around Radiac's surroundings, including LaGuardia airport and most of Brooklyn, Lower Manhattan, and Northern New Jersey

This week, Radiac sent a letter to the New York Department of Environmental withdrawing its request to renew its permit for hazardous waste and instead proposed that it become a "10 day transfer facility". While Radiac was previously allowed to store hazardous waste materials for up to a year, they will only be allowed to transport them into and out of the facility within 10 days. They will also not be allowed to store potentially incompatible chemicals (i.e. cyanide and acid) at the same time in the facility.

Schumer today congratulated the neighborhood coalitions for their effective advocacy. Schumer especially congratulated El Puente, led by Luis Garden Acosta, which initiated the effort to struggle to close Radiac in the late 1980's, the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg, led by Rabbi David Niederman, and Neighbors Against Garbage, led by Deborah Master, which joined El Puente and other community groups to form the Community Alliance for the Environment.

"The bottom line is that Radiac has been a ready-made dirty bomb that has yet to be detonated," Schumer said. "Now due to some incredible work by an inspirational coalition, one of the fastest growing neighborhoods in New York can breathe a bit easier."

"The community has never been more determined to rid itself of the horror of NYC's dirty bomb waiting to explode," said Luis Garden-Acosta, Executive Director of El Puente.

Radiac was built in 1969, and it began storing these hazardous poisons and chemicals just 8 years later in 1977. For decades after it was built, Williamsburg was largely industrial and Radiac's surroundings were all zoned as industrial. The last time a permit was issued for the facility was back in 1989 when the area was still mostly manufacturing. Much has changed in the 36 years that Radiac has existed and Williamsburg has become a fast growing and crowded Brooklyn Neighborhood.

http://schumer.senate.gov/SchumerWebsite/pressroom/press_releases/2005/PR41717.NukeBrooklyn.061505.html