Editor,
On Saturday, April 23, Tri-Valley CAREs had the honor to celebrate with Tracy residents Earth Day. This event was designed to empower, inspire and inform individuals on becoming active, responsible guardians and caretakers of our planet.
We shared information with the community about Livermore Lab and its Site 300 high explosives testing range, which is located a mile from the Tracy city limits.
Our board Secretary, Gail Rieger, and our Bilingual Community Organizer, Raiza Marciscano-Bettis, asked festival participants if they knew about Site 300. They explained that Site 300 is an experimental testing site that supports the Lab’s nuclear weapons programs. Tracy residents learned that Site 300 is federal “Superfund” site, as is the Lab’s Main Site. The Environmental Protection Agency had placed the Main Site on its list of most poisoned sites in the country in 1987 and Site 300 joined the list in 1990.
We explained that Livermore Lab has plans to increase the size and power of open-air high explosives tests at Site 300 up to ten-fold, from the current 100-pound limit to up to 1,000 pounds of high explosive per blast.
Residents also learned that nuclear weapons activities at Livermore Lab have resulted in hundreds of toxic and radioactive contaminants released into our air, soil, groundwater, and even some surface waters at Site 300.
Further, our Tri-Valley CAREs team discussed ways to prevent pollution and talked about how important is for the community to learn about these issues, so they can participate in decision-making in regards to the Livermore Lab and their community.
Tri-Valley CAREs thanks all of the organizers as well as the participants who came to support Earth Day in Tracy! Our goal is to work with all of you, so that together we can protect the environment and the health of our community.
Raiza Bettis,
Tracy
