1. The Department of Energy (DOE) intended to begin construction of a radioactive and hazardous waste incinerator in March 2000, at the Idaho Nuclear Engineering and Environmental Laboratory (INEEL) located 90 miles upwind of Jackson Hole, Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks.

2. In blatant violation of the law requiring an agency to study alternatives before it selects a course of action, and before starting the Environmental Impact Statement, DOE signed a $1.2 billion contract with British Nuclear Fuels Ltd. (BNFL) for construction and operation of the treatment facility. BNFL is a private company that has an unacceptable history of pollution and contamination, recently fired from the DOE Hanford site, and presently under indictment for falsification of safety records for plutonium fuel sent to Japan.

3. Soils at INEEL, the Snake River Aquifer, and local plants and animals are contaminated with hazardous and radioactive particles from INEEL activities, some activities which were once considered environmentally sound.

4. The DOE ignored environmental and health effects of the plutonium incinerator in the Environmental Impact Statement by limiting its analysis to a 50 mile radius, disregarding the fact that prevailing winds can carry airborne emissions of deadly radioactive particles as far as Wyoming and Montana.

5. If inhaled, one millionth of a gram of plutonium can cause cancer, and other lethal illnesses. According to DOE estimates, the proposed plutonium incinerator is expected to process at least one metric ton of plutonium 239 over the estimated operation period of the unit. This is equivalent to the radioactive material of at least 166 Nagasaki-sized atom bombs.

6. The rights of Wyoming citizens have been ignored in the incinerator site selection process. Only Idaho citizens were given proper notification and opportunity to make public comment on the permits for the nuclear and hazardous waste incinerator.

7. Thirty nuclear facility breakdowns at INEEL have been recorded between 1952-1989, eight of which involved filter failures releasing dangerous levels of radiation into the atmosphere. (Not including meltdowns and other deliberate releases.)

8. Age-adjusted white female breast cancer mortality rates per 100,000 population within 59 miles of INEEL rose 329% between 1950-1989. Within a 100-mile radius, breast cancer rates per 100,000 rose by 57% in the same time period.

9. Jackson Hole, gateway community to the southern entrance of Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks, is one of the most visited communities in the United States. Over 95% of these lands are in the hands of the state or federal government. Under the Clean Air Act, these Parks are required to maintain the most pristine air quality. Planned emissions from this incinerator will compromise this mandate.

10. DOE scientists at the Livermore Laboratory in California stated (contrary to what DOE scientists at INEEL are saying): "We view incineration as a violation of the cardinal principle of radioactive waste treatment; namely, containing radioactivity rather than spreading it."

11. Public opposition stopped construction of similar DOE incinerators in Colorado, New Mexico and California. Once construction begins at INEEL, it will be nearly impossible to stop the operation of this facility, which will burn at least 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, for the next 15 years.

12. The DOE really wants the incinerator just to save on handling and shipping costs: they said they had to incinerate 70-80% of the waste, but now claim only 3% "needs" incineration. Do we really want to expose the communities of three states to radioactive and hazardous fallout to save the DOE a few dollars in trucking?

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