Today in 1992: Nuclear production at the Rocky Flats Nuclear Arsenal – a complex used for both power plants and nuclear weapon munition manufacture – was permanently closed after repeated environmental contamination in the surrounding land and water supply, 25 miles northwest of Denver. Following closure, the facilities were completely dismantled and the site cleared.
The principal product of Rocky Flats was the fissionable plutonium trigger or “pit” at the core of every nuclear warhead in the U.S. arsenal. Since its construction in 1951, it was managed at different times by Dow Chemical, Rockwell International and EG&G. Dow and Rockwell paid fines in the tens of millions of dollars and were ordered to pay damages in the hundreds of millions to local residents for the environmental damage.
It’s today’s Action Calendar!
Tonight is the monthly meeting of the Madison Bus Area Advocates, with special guest Wayne Block, Transit Finance Manager at Metro Transit. This is from 6 to 8pm at Capitol Lakes Retirement Community, 333 West Main Street. More info at busadvocates.org
Also tonight is the Madison Infoshop Collective Meeting. New volunteers are always welcome. Find out what’s up and how you can help keep your grassroots activist resource clearing house alive and kicking. This is at 6:30pm at Madison Infoshop, 1019 Williamson Street. More info at madisoninfoshop.org.
Tomorrow night is the Occu-PIE Fundraiser, to create housing to get 20 people off the streets and out of tents, and to provide a non-profit incubator for small grassroots organizations serving homeless persons. Learn more about the project, enjoy some pie, plus great music by Combustible Trio. This is Tuesday from 5 to 7:30pm t The Fountain, 122 State Street. More info at omhouse.org.
