Editorial
Unsafe N Reactor
should be shut down
Controversy is heating up in Congress over the status of
Hanford's N Reactor, a 23-year-old nuclear facility used to
produce about a third of the nation’s vveapons-grade
plutonium. The debate is between those who want to per
manently shut down the reactor, which has been closed
since January for repairs, and those who assert that its
renewed operation is vital to national security interests
Those arguing that the N Reactor should be allowed to
resume operation, however, have failed to consider two
salient points: 1) Safety violations have plagued operations
at Hanford and 2) alternative sources of plutonium can be
used to satisfy demand.
According to a report published in The Oregonian last
Thursday, a congressional draft released Oct. 20 cited
pratices by the U.S. Department of Energy, including the un
safe operating conditions of Hanford's N Reactor. The report
included the following safety problems:
•Some workers have been exposed unnecessarily to
radiation and to extrema hazards.
•Soma inspectors who checked tho N Koactor for safety
violations were not certified for the job.
•The Energy Department ignored a policy of minimiz
ing worker exposure to radiation in order to increase pro
duction of weapons-grade plutonium at Hanford.
Furthermore, a report by the National Academy of
Sciences that reviewed the hydrogen mitigation system at
the N Reactor states that plans for preventing a hydrogen
buildup may be improperly based on conservative accident
scenarios.
Regardless of whether or not shutting down Hanford's
N Reactor would affect national security interests, the reac
tor should be shut down permanently if the Department of
Energy's Hanford operations continue to neglect safety pro
blems and enviromental affects.
Evidence, however, shows that the strategic plutonuim
reserves that proponents of restarting the N Reactor are con
cerned with could be attained by other means.
A second recent study, for example, conducted by
Senator Mark Hatfield's staff and also reported in The
Oregonian, showed Hanford's N Reactor could be retired
without hampering the defense capacity of the U.S.
Hatfield's report asserted correctly that recycled
plutonium from obsolete weapons and plutonium recovered
from waste products could be substitued for the amount of
plutonium otherwise produced at the Hanford reactor.
Because operations at Hanford's N Reactor violated
safety procedures and because plutonium could be attained
by other means, Hanford's N Reactor should be shut down
permanently.
If. however, the future supply of weapons-grade
plutonium becomes inadequate to ensure national security,
the Congress should approve the Energy Department's re
quest to construct a modern, safer nuclear reactor in a loca
tion where environmental concerns are less immediate than
at Hanford’s site.
The construction of a new reactor also would placate
those who oppose shutting down Hanford’s N Reactor
because such action would displace workers. Hanford’s
employees could Ire transferred to the new plant, where safer
conditions hopefully would exist.
But whether or not a new reactor is built, the unsafe N
Reactor at Hanford should be not be permitted to resume
operating.
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Letters
Duck spirit
I was a graduate student at the
University from 1982*85. My
three years in Kugene were easi
ly the most enjoyable of my life
Kooting for the Ducks in foot
ball during those years was very
much a bittersweet experience.
We had a whammy on Arizona,
tied the Irish, and clobbered
OSU. But lost to UOP one year,
too.
Now that I'm at UCLA.
Oregon once again has a super
team On Saturday. I went to the
Kose Howl, sat in the Bruin stu
dent section, and hoped as hard
as I could for an Oregon victory
Alas, it wasn't to he Heat,
smog and fumbles doomed the
Ducks Hut the game was not
lost through lack of effort, and
that is what makes Oregon
teams so special Often outmau
ned. frequently out-scored, but
never short on spirit.
It was really great of the
University to send the band
down with the team What a
Herculean undertaking this
must have been, but what a
wonderful show of support for
such a major game
Seeing that hand march into
the Kose Bowl made me so
Oregon Daily
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proud And that hand, on an
otherwise miserable day,
honored the Unviersity Thank
ing them is the real reason
behind this letter.
And just maybe the Bruins
will slip a little It might be a bit
far-fetched, but if Cal can rise to
the occasion, and SC return to
its old form on the last Saturday
of the season, maybe, just
maybe, the Ducks and the band
will be back to Pasadena come
New Years Day.
Robert Hanks
Santa Monica. Calif.
Fight hunger
We would like to express our
gratitude to the Oregon Daily
Kmerald for recognizing the
serious hunger problem in the
state of Oregon (ODE. Oct. 21).
The problem of hunger is a
serious one. and the number of
Oregonians requesting
emergency food assistance is
increasing.
The Oregon Student Public
Interest Research Group
(OSPIRG) on campus is working
to combat hunger on both the
local and international level. As
part of "World Food Focus,"
we sponsored a teleconference
to educate people to the pro
blem of world hunger
Currently, OPSIRG's Cam
paign Against Hunger group is
gearing up for Oxfam's Fast For
A W'orld Harvest and a Break
Fast dinner on November 19
This event will give people the
chance to fast, for a meal or a
day. and donate their food
money to Oxfam's programs to
alleviate hunger in needy areas
We urge people to get involv
ed in working against hunger. If
you would like to help organize
the Fast For A World Harvest or
participate in the fast itself, call
us at OSPIRG. t>8b-4:t77, or stop
by KMU Suite 1.
|anet Walters
Pat McAuliffe
OSPIRG Campaign Against
Hunger
Distractions
While listening to (he lecture
by former Senator Gaylord
Nelson on Tuesday. Oct. 20. I
was reminded of an annoying
act common at such events A
photographer, presumably from
the Knterald. moved about the
room taking numerous
photographs of the speaker.
The body movement and
click of the shutter are very
distracting I realize that a nice
picture of the speaker gesturing
with his or her hand dresses up
an article a bit. but it doesn't
seem that it should take twenty
or thirty tries to get that one
photo.
The photographer at the
Nelson lecture took at least that
many. I write this in the hope
that photographers from the
Emerald and elsewhere will
make themselves a little less
obtrusive.
Glenn Thackray
Student
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