This petition was created on behalf of Rocky Flats Nuclear Guardianship and citizens of Colorado.
U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has received two bids for a 300-foot wide strip of land along the eastern (Indiana St.) edge of the Rocky Flats site, one bid to make the land available for construction of a portion of the proposed Jefferson Parkway, a second to use the land for construction of a bikeway.
Studies have shown that both the proposed highway and bikeway pass through an area that is highly contaminated with plutonium released from the now defunct Rocky Flats nuclear bomb plant.
The plutonium released from Rocky Flats is in the form of tiny particles. Inhaling such particles or otherwise taking them into the body can result in cancer or other ailments. Plutonium remains dangerously radioactive for a quarter of a million years. Construction of either the highway or the bikeway along Indiana St. would almost certainly stir up clouds of plutonium-laden dust, making it available to be inhaled, endangering construction workers, nearby residents, commuters and others.
As part of what is called an Environmental Assessment, U. S. Fish & Wildlife Service is seeking public comment on how it should deal with the highway and bikeway proposals. We urge you to sign this petition today calling on Fish & Wildlife to do a full-fledged Environmental Impact Statement intended to show the danger posed by highway or bikeway construction in an area highly contaminated with plutonium.
Protect the Public from Plutonium - Do an EIS
Dear U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Chief, Refuge Manager (Rocky Flats) David Lucas
We urge U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service to do a full Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) on land along the eastern edge of the Rocky Flats site wanted for construction of either the Jefferson Parkway or a bikeway sought by the City of Golden. The EIS must determine the quantity, depth and extent of plutonium in soil in the area of proposed construction in order to ascertain the extent to which construction of either project could stir up clouds of plutonium-laden dust potentially harmful to construction workers, nearby residents, commuters and others.
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