editorial
With Measure 9
safety comes first
If passed, Ballot Measure 9 will firmly define what is
considered to be a suitable site for current and future
radioactive waste disposal in Oregon. Present state law
specifies that a hazardous waste disposal site must be
“suitable for disposal,” but the term “suitable” remains ill
defined
The purpose of Measure 9 is to make sure that areas
chosen for radioactive waste disposal meet certain en
vironmental guidelines to make sure that public safety is
given the highest priority.
In 1975 the Oregon Legislature banned radioactive
waste disposal. But the Legislature also declared that ex
emptions to this ban can be made if the Energy Facility
Siting Council can determine a “suitable” site for radioac
tive waste disposal.
One exemption to this ban has allowed Teledyne Wah
Chang Inc., in Albany, Oregon to dump chemical sludge
containing radioactive isotopes in two unlined sludge ponds
400 feet from the Willamette River.
How was the Siting Council able to determine that dum
ping chemical sludge containing radioactive wastes next to
the Willamette River was both safe and suitable? What deter
mines suitability for radioactive waste disposal in Oregon?
Unless Oregonians answer these questions, they may
find themselves living in a state whose clean and pristine
environment is in growing jeopardy. Already, Wah Chang
has proved to be a serious problem. The Environmental Pro
tection Agency has declared that the sludge ponds at Wah
Chang are an environmental health hazard in need of
remedial clean-up.
Measure 9 was established to deal specifically with the
question of what is a suitable site for radioactive waste
disposal in Oregon. It maintains that specific guidelines
must be used to determine suitability.
Passage of Measure 9 would prevent the disposal or
storage of radioactive waste in areas near rivers, streams or
the ocean. It would also prohibit storage near earthquake
fault zones and in areas of volcanic activity. A requirement
that companies responsible for generating radioactive
wastes pay for the clean-up would also be a result of
Measure 9. In short, it states that public health and en
vironmental safety must be of primary concern in
establishing radioactive waste disposal sites in Oregon.
Opponents claim that the strict guidelines of Measure 9
are an over-reaction to the problem of waste disposal. They
argue that current waste disposal guidelines are sufficient to
ensure public safety, and that any additional rules will scare
away industries which might consider investment in
Oregon. Opponents believe that passage of Measure 9 will
result in fewer jobs for Oregonians, and economic decline in
the state.
While it is true that strict waste disposal laws will keep
some companies from investing in Oregon, the public needs
to decide where its priorities are. If current standards for
radioactive waste were sufficient in Oregon than Wah Chang
waste disposal ponds would not be on the EPA’s list as a
public health hazard.
All across America, careless toxic waste disposal is
causing harm to the health of this country and its people.
Toxic waste has reached crisis proportions in states like New
Jersey and Michigan. Oregonians have a chance to keep their
state free of hazardous toxic waste sites if they make public
health a priority.
The aim of Measure 9 is not anti-growth or anti
business. Economic growth and jobs do not and should not
depend upon industries seeking easy toxic waste disposal
laws in order to make bigger profits. Vote yes on 9.
f
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letters
Unwelcome
George Orwell predicted the
running of our lives by “Big
Brother.” Perhaps he was cor
rect. Twice in the . past week I
was unnecessarily awakened by
telephone calls. Each time I*
grudgingly arose in faith that it
must be important for someone
to call so early. On both occa
sions I discovered that the party
at the other end of the line was
not human, but a computerized
voice soliciting sales for some
product.
Immediately hanging up,.'I
was so enraged that Pcould not
return to sleep. I pondered over
what would so delude an adver
tising executive into thinking
that he could interest people in
products by waking them up
with a machine.
The question arises: Should
organizations be allowed to use
such a technique? And if they
are, is there any escape from
advertisements in this society?
It was once thought that “A
man’s home is his castle,” yet
even a home is no longer secure
from Madison Avenue techni
ques. Uninvited and
unwelcome, they come into a
home without using radio or
television. Perhaps “Big
Brother” does exist, and he has
an offer that you just can’t pass
up.
This intrusion may be
tolerated once, even twice, as a
mistake, but if the practice is
repeated I will joyfully embrace
my right as a citizen to contact
my legislators demanding
advertising restrictions. Unless
of course a government com-’
puter decides that I no longer
exist and 1 am forced to report to
a liquidation center 48 a war
casualty. ' .
Scott Brandt-Erichsen
Political Science
Hitler’s help
• On the off-chance that there
are any reasonable students on .
this campus, let us not forget
that our space' program has
done as well as .it has because of
German scientists. If . Adolph
Hitler had not .commissioned
Dr. Porsche to build a car that
could withstand the heat and
lack of water of. the North
African desert for Rommel, then
we would not have the
Volkswagen nor the Porsche.
Where would college life be
without the VW bus?
The bleeding heart-liberal
view of society holds that our
degrees should be worthless
pieces of sheepskin. When
Adolph Hitler came to power,
there was 22% inflation in Ger
many, closed factories, and as
tounding unemployment. We
are not selling out the poor
minorities, nor our ideals. We
are getting things back on track
so that the Karen Rhodes of this
world can complain about im
aginary injustices and vote for
Mondale-Ferraro.
Page McCallum
President Men’s Liberation
Stop Bhagwan
An increasingly large number
of real Oregonians are becoming
scared and angry over the ac
tions of the Bhagwan Shree Ra
jneesh and the inactions of our
elected public officials to put us
at ease. The evening news is
starting to tell the nation about
this problem. It makes us sound
puny and helpless when we
can’t, control this man who
claims himself to be'an equal of
Jesus and yet has no desire to
treat his host state with any°
respect, or his neighbors -with
any kindness as he rolls alqhg
in his fancy cars.
He beat our immigration laws -
through some fluke, captured
the quiet little town of
Antelope, and encourages his.
highest followers to swear at us .
on our own televisions.' Since
when is someone allowed to.
build their own army? We’ve
seen on the news his men. .
weapons, and helicopters that
are at his disposal to threaten
us.
Now to rub. salt . on the
wound,, they are bringing all
these homeless people here,
many of whom are ex-fighting
vets, to vote against us. They
are so bold that they will get on
the news and tell us to our face
“Today Antelope, tommorrow
Oregon’’ and then cuss and spit
in our face.
We are told not to take things
into our own hands so we look
to our elected officials to take
the correct action. If they don't,
it would be hard to guess what
will happen because people are
not going to take this lying
down. At the very least, we
must stop this influx of
undesirable people and not let
the ones already here vote on
state and local issues.
We need a statewide vote on
these issues, as they have
become statewide issues. We
blew our chance to nip this in
the bud years ago, so the sooner
it is dealt with the easier for
everyone.
Patrick Bryan
Cottage Grove
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