The Environment Agency have published all 108 pages on the website, available in PDF format (adobe acrobat reader needed) (see http://www.environment-agency.gov.uk) they also have links to AWE under "whats new" on their home page and also under their "consultation" page.

The EA will accept public responses to their document until November 5th 1999.

This is the first time such public consultation about AWE has occurred (due to previous administration's' concerns over national security'), we must make the most of it - and tell the EA what we think.

If you don't have the time/energy to read all 108 pages - plus appendices, there is a briefing pack, model letters and pre-messaged postcards to make it easy for people to respond.

These are all available via the Network Information Project (NIP)

We can be contacted by:
e-mail: nipdimac@gn.apc.org
Phone/Fax: +44 (0)2380 554434
Post: 30 Westwood Road, Southampton, SO17 1DN, Britain

FIRST OPPORTUNITY FOR PUBLIC CONSULTATION ON AWE ALDERMASTON
At Aldermaston's Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) hundreds of nuclear weapons have been built during 50 years of operation, and warheads are still being manufactured there today.

Three changes set in train by the previous Conservative government have contributed to more openness about AWE - especially about their nuclear waste. First, the Environment Agency became the regulator for nuclear discharges, then the consortium of Hunting BRAE took over management of AWE, and finally, the site became licensed.

AWE NUCLEAR WASTE
Nuclear Waste from AWE can be considered under seven headings:

historical discharges - particulate waste dispersed into the atmosphere from the chimney stack, and liquid waste to streams, local sewage works and River Thames every day for fifty years;

historical arisings - liquid and solid waste from the past currently stored on site;

decommissioned waste - old glove-boxes which are now being taken apart leaving highly contaminated plutonium (Pu) solid Intermediate Level Waste stored carefully on site;

decommissioning waste - particulate and liquid waste produced during decommissioning anddispersed into the environment;

plant awaiting decommissioning - disused glove boxes and the buildings they are in waiting to be decommissioned over the next 25 years. These facilities are continually ventilated for safety reasons, causing Pu to be dispersed to air through the stack after filtering;

current waste - particulate and liquid waste from weapons productions operations dispersedto air, streams, the Thames, and sewage works;

low level waste - solid waste is removed to other sites for storage or dispersal;

AWE RADIOACTIVE DISCHARGE AUTHORISATION
Over the years consent for radioactive discharges has been given by the regulator of the time, roughly in line with contemporary knowledge and international and national radiological limits. The Environment Agency(EA) is now the regulator, and AWE's Application for a Radioactive Discharge Licence has been under consideration by them since February 1998. They have required seven sets of detailed 'further information' from AWE, and have delayed further, since they discovered an unlawful discharge of Tritium to the Aldermaston stream. At the beginning of August, and for the first time ever, The EA is producing a Consultative Document (CD) on AWE's radioactive discharges, inviting public response.

A ROUGH GUIDE TO REASONABLE DEMANDS

• Discharges should be reduced to near ZERO.
• The logical first environmental option is to STOP production.
• Decommissioning must be at a pace which minimises the risk to local people's health.
• Existing AWE nuclear waste must be safely contained and monitored on site.
• The site should become the above-ground Atomic Weapons Waste Establishment (AWWE).

THOUSANDS OF RESPONSES NEEDED
The Consultation Period is from August to October 1999. We hope that thousands of ordinary people, in addition to the expert responses which we and many organisations will be making, will respond and show their concern about radioactive discharges from AWE.

In order to assist people to take this opportunity to comment on AWE, and respond to the CD, the Network Information Project in Southampton will provide CD briefings, a model letter and postcards for signature.
Contact 023 80554434 or e-mail: nipdimac@gn.apc.org

The following services have been started by Paul Mobbs in relation to the review of the Radioactive Substances Act (RSA) authorisations for AWE Aldermaston and Burghfield:

A website:
For the duration of the consultation there will be a web site containing information on the consultation, background information to assist those wishing to object, and technical papers submitted by people working in AWE and radioactive contamination. The address of the website is: http://www.gn.apc.org/pmhp/awe/

Currently there's links to the Environment Agency's Adobe Acrobat online version of the consultation paper (but it's in Acrobat 3 so people may have difficulty reading it if their software is not up to date). We hope shortly to put an HTML version of the consultation paper online.

Within the next week or so we also hope to get a briefing sheet, detailing what the issues are, and what can be done about it, onto the website. There will also be pro-forma response cards to print off and send.

What would be useful is if people who have information about Aldermaston, it's activities and its discharges could send it to me for publication on the website. This way we can create a body of information for people to study and produce more detailed responses. If there's something you'd like to contribute, please get in touch as soon as possible.

An email list:
In order that people can circulate information, and discuss aspects of the RSA application, I'm setting up an email list. All you have to do is send an email with your information to mobbsey@gn.apc.org, including at the beginning of the subject line "[AWE]" (so I know that the email's for the list - I've done it for this email to demonstrate).

If you'd like to join the list send an email asking to be put on the 'AWE list' to:
THE FREE RANGE ACTIVISM NETWORK
Facilitators -
Paul Mobbs - mobbsey@gn.apc.org, tel./fax 01295 261864
Tim Shaw - timshaw@gn.apc.org, tel./fax 01558 685353
website - http://www.gn.apc.org/pmhp/rangers/

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