Re:Pu in the park

["W. Steven Huff" <wefly2@bellatlantic.net>]

Marianne,

You stated "the public believes there is a public health and evironmental
safety problem, the experts say not so, REMOVE the offending material!!  It
shouldn't cost all that much if it really isn't a problem."

Unfortunately, I believe you are incorrect in that assumption.  The 95%
solution is relatively cheap (it is easier and cheaper to recoup heavier
concentrations).  The less the concentration is, the more it costs in
dollars/volume!  I believe that there are already examples where cleanup has
reached well over a million dollars per gallon of contaminant!  I'd say that
relative to the National Debt of 560 some trillion dollars, maybe you are
right (relatively cheap to cleanup).  However, I would say that we are far
better off spending the money (there is only so much to go around, and we,
as taxpayers are footing the bill for this, not DoD) on the highest actual
risk first is the right approach (which is what is being done).  Once all of
that cleanup is accomplished, perhaps then it will be time to re-evaluate
the cost and possibility of cleaning up the sites that are below action level.

Steve Huff