Claim: Rocky Flats plutonium caused Marshall Fire

A recent applicant for at-large member of the Stewardship Council made this accusation at the September 19th Zoom meeting. The idea was quickly refuted by board members.  This person appears to confuse metallic Pu (which in particle form can spontaneously burn and can react strongly with water) with PuO2, the form present in soil (indifferent…

A legitimate radiation concern for citizens: naturally radioactive brine from oil and gas wells and fracking

Rolling Stone has an important recent article by Justin Nobel [https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-features/oil-gas-fracking-radioactive-investigation-937389/ ] tracking recent attention focussed on radiation risks to workers who haul brine. He notes, “Radium, typically the most abundant radionuclide in brine, is often measured in picocuries per liter of substance and is so dangerous it’s subject to tight restrictions even at hazardous-waste sites….

A hot summer for Friends of the Refuge: the gloves are off

Those who oppose public use of the Refuge have been busy distributing an extra-large helping of misinformation over the last few months. Perhaps the most insidious effect of the activist groups is that some members of local municipalities may believe that cancers can be somehow averted if only Rocky Flats were placed off limits to…

Local homeowner perceptions of safety and use of the Wildlife Refuge

I apologize for the delay in getting survey results out; I was “holding my breath” while the Town of Superior filed its own lawsuit [Civil Action No. 1:18-cv-1746] on July 10th and until the principal court case ruling came in on August 9th. The Wildlife Refuge opened to the public on September 15th. Information about…

Another feckless public servant suckered by conspiracy theory

The Peace & Justice Center has claimed another feckless bureaucrat. Another public servant who should know better has permitted himself to be used as a political tool by a savvy set of activists. I had hoped to see in Dr. Carl (oops—Mark B) Johnson’s Denver Post guest commentary of 17th June [see https://www.denverpost.com/2018/06/15/after-decades-of-secrets-rocky-flats-still-gives-me-pause/ ] a…

Vulnerability of school systems to political pressure and misinformation

Howdy all. Some of you may have seen in last Sunday’s Denver Post John Aguilar’s article about the Denver Public School system’s hasty decision to deny school kids the opportunity to visit the Wildlife Refuge  [Full text available at https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/05/01/rocky-flats-school-field-trips-ban/ without a Post subscription.] Today I dispatched a letter about what’s really going on.  The text…

Welcome

Welcome to rockyflatsneighbors.org!  (Not to be confused with rockyflatsneighbors.com!) To my Rocky Flats neighbors who signed the mailing list in early April 2016: thanks for your patience.  I was very busy in the run-up to retiring on July 1st 2017 and now have more time and energy to devote to the web site. I am…