Greenpeace protests plutonium consignment destined for France

[Thurston Howell IV]

CHERBOURG, France (AFP) Sep 16, 2004
A group of activists from the environmental group Greenpeace broke into a military naval base here on Thursday to protest the arrival later in the year of a consignment of plutonium.
The activists paddled into the base in canoes, evading police security boats, and managed to unfurl a large banner along the quay reading "Stop Plutonium," before 13 of them were arrested.

http://www.spacewar.com/2004/040916214250.dap3ezf1.html

[KoKo]

1. Greenpeace and Locals Protest in SC over Plutonium shipment to France

and then back to SC/GA to Savannah River Plant. This is the waste from Rocky Flats Nuclear Waste Depository which is being shipped through America to Charleston then on ships to France, back to Charleston then onto Georgia. Here's my post from Editorials:

KoKo01 (1000+ posts) Mon Sep-13-04 10:56 AM
Original message
Group flies Kites to Protest Plutonium shipments/Charleston, SC



(Now what about Iran?) Is this story scary or what???


Group flies kites on Sullivan's to call attention to upcoming shipment through Charleston

BY ADAM FERRELL
Of The Post and Courier Staff

About 200 yards of thin cord strung through a series of bright yellow kites arched some 50 feet in the air Sunday morning above the beach at Sullivan's Island. Beneath gray clouds, a black letter on each kite spelled out S-T-O-P P-L-U-T-O-N-I-U-M.


They said they want people to think about why it's a bad idea to ship loads of powdered plutonium, Cold War leftovers, through Charleston Harbor to be processed into fuel for nuclear power plants in the United States.The protesters said the containers are susceptible to sabotage or accidents that could disburse harmful contaminants into the environment. Among other things, they also argue that because the fuel is unproven in our nuclear reactors, its use is dangerous.

Two armed ocean freighters from Great Britain are scheduled to arrive at Charleston Naval Weapons Station later this week. The protesters, who call themselves Citizens Against Plutonium, are planning a protest flotilla at 5 p.m. Wednesday in Charleston Harbor.

The freighters will pick up the plutonium here and head to France where the load is to be converted into reactor fuel. Then the fuel will be shipped back through Charleston and trucked to Duke Energy's Catawba reactor in York County for testing. If the fuel works, the Department of Energy plans to dispose of 34 metric tons of surplus plutonium at a plant to be built at the Savannah River Site near Aiken.

Ideals are like stars: you will not succeed in touching them with your hands, but like the seafaring man on the ocean desert of waters, you choose them as your guides, and following them, you reach your destiny.

[KoKo]

2. Kick. Powdered Plutonium traveling all over US and overseas and back

is big news.