Silence speaks volumes
EDITOR:
It was telling that DOE made no mention of Scarboro or of Scarboro’s many contributions to the department---at NNSA’s recent public meeting on the Scarboro power lines. That silence and the total absence of NNSA headquarters line management at the meeting spoke volumes.
It’s time for NNSA headquarters to recognize that hosting a major nuclear weapons plant involves a distinct economic hardship, since almost no one is willing to live next-door to these important facilities.
As you consider inviting the Secretary and Under Secretary of Energy to the Scarboro celebration later this summer, please understand that doing so will give NNSA a golden opportunity to begin building a solid future with its hosts, for the good of DOE’s vital Y-12 and UPF plants.
The forced closure of NNSA’s Rocky Flats site was a national tragedy. It showed that DOE cannot expect local communities to automatically have their back.
The corporate executives of NNSA need to become active partners with their local hosts---rather than sitting in Headquarters assuming everything’s A-OK locally.
Thank you.
Martin McBride
Oak Ridge
