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ACTION ALERT – KANSAS CITY PLANT
The Kansas City Plant (KCP) is at the heart of the nuclear weapons complex. It produces all of the non-nuclear components that go into a nuclear warhead. The Honeywell Corporation, which runs the KCP under contract to the National Nuclear Security Administration, estimates that the KCP produces 85% of the parts that make up a nuclear weapon. These non-nuclear components go into the firing and arming mechanisms of nuclear weapons, including their guidance systems, and reservoirs for tritium. Tritium is a radioactive gas used to boost the destructive power of nuclear weapons.
Despite its central role in nuclear weapons production, the KCP has been left out of the national "Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement" that includes all key nuclear weapons facilities. Each of these sites have the opportunity to analyze and comment on the environmental impact of what is called the "Complex Transformation" – a $150 billion plan to modernize and expand the nuclear weapons complex. The Kansas City Plant, however, is subjected to a less rigorous "Environmental Assessment" which means far less citizen input. This defies logic given the centrality of a new proposed $500 million Kansas City Plant that would be tied directly to the development of a new generation of new nuclear weapons called the Reliable Replacement Warhead.
Last May 23rd, over 100 citizens attended the Scoping Hearings for the Kansas City Plant Environmental Assessment. However, on October 16th, the General Services Administration informed the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability that there would be no public hearing following the draft of the Environmental Assessment. Due to the large number of participants in the first hearing and the substantial number of scoping comments, the Kansas City community must request a public hearing with a 90 day extension for the public comment period.
ACTION Call your senators and congresspersons TODAY and DEMAND that there be a formal public hearing after the Environmental Assessment is released by the General Services Administration with a 90 day period for public comment. Let each of us do our part and have the phones ring steadily at our Missouri and Kansas Congressional offices. Thank you for your commitment – From the PeaceWorks KC Board Missouri Sen. Christopher Bond (816) 471-7141 Sen. Claire McCaskill (816) 421-1639 Rep. Emanuel Cleaver (816) 842-4545 Rep. Ike Skelton (816) 228-4242 Rep. Sam Graves (816) 792-3976 Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (913) 492-6378 Sen. Pat Roberts (913) 451-9343 Rep. Dennis Moore (913) 621-0832 Rep. Nancy Boyda (785) 234-8111
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