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3 <br />She asked that the Orange County Board of Commissioners ask the state to <br />look at other policy options that might be more reasonable for the state of <br />North Carolina. <br />Commissioner Willhoit mentioned that the compact situation is pretty <br />much in disarray in the southeast. He noted that there is not as great a <br />need for facilities as envisioned when the low-level policy act was adopted <br />in the late 70's. There is a need to look at the whole process at the <br />federal and state level. He feels that the resolution is mainly in <br />opposition to the site rather than addressing the larger policy issues. <br />Jim Warren, Director of an organization called "The Waste Awareness <br />and Reduction Network" based in Durham said they were also concerned with <br />the broader issues. He said that most of the trucks are not placarded. <br />Some of the trucks have a high concentration of radiation streaming through <br />the trucks themselves. Some are allowed to release 1,000 milligrams an <br />hour of radiation, the equivalent to 100 check x-rays three feet from the <br />truck. He noted that almost all of the radioactive waste comes from nuclear <br />power plants and not from research labs or the hospitals. Their <br />organization is opposed to the burial of nuclear waste anywhere in North <br />Carolina. He feels they need to look beyond the current position and look <br />at the broader implications. The organization feels that the fair and <br />responsible policy is to retain the dangerous waste at the nuclear power <br />plants that are producing the waste. Keep it above ground where it can be <br />monitored and where leakage can be discovered and repaired easily. Their <br />position is to keep the material off the highways and in the hands of the <br />people who produce it. <br />Mark Marcoplos feels there are too many risks in siting a low-level <br />radioactive site in North Carolina. He hopes that a message can be sent to <br />the legislators that the citizens want another way to deal with this waste. <br />He feels that the local responsibility is to build energy efficient <br />buildings and would like a commitment locally to conserve energy. He <br />supports the resolution as presented. <br />A motion was made by Commissioner Gordon, seconded by Commissioner <br />Halkiotis to approve and authorize the Chair to sign the resolution as <br />presented. <br />Chair Carey noted that the resolution would be sent to the North <br />Carolina congressional delegation. <br />Commissioner Willhoit said that one concept in the letter which is <br />not in the resolution is to provide adequate resources to the state's <br />radiation and protection division who would grant the license which instead <br />of the low-level waste authority. He feels it dishonest to propose <br />something without offering an adequate solution. If this resolution is to <br />be sent to other congressmen, he said it should encourage North Carolina to <br />have a review of the low-level waste policy. He feels that these actions <br />would be more responsible than what is contained in the resolution as <br />written. He made a motion to refer the resolution back to the staff for <br />including some of the concerns heard tonight. This motion was seconded by <br />Chair Carey. <br />VOTE ON THE MOTION TO REFER BACK TO STAFF: AYES, 2; NOS, 3 (Commissioners <br />Crowther, Gordon and Halkiotis) <br />VOTE ON THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE RESOLUTION AS PRESENTED AND STATED BELOW: <br />AYES, 4; NOS, 1 (Commissioner Willhoit) <br />