Why join the Partnership for Science and Technology

Many of us here in Eastern Idaho have worked at the INL or know someone who has. We take pride in the many accomplishments of the laboratory, and for good reason. This is the place where nuclear energy was invented, where the first naval nuclear reactors were demonstrated, and where countless nuclear safety advances were conceived. Today, the lab is not only developing a new generation of nuclear technologies, it is also helping to protect our troops by producing tank armor, to protect our borders by developing cutting-edge weapons detectors, and to uncover the secrets of our solar system by manufacturing long-lived batteries for space exploration.

From the very beginning, Eastern Idaho has been supportive of the INL. To the rest of the state the lab was long something of a mystery. That began to change as people came to realize that waste at the site was perched over the aquifer. Governors Andrus and Batt publicly pressured the government to get the waste out of Idaho and protect the aquifer, and the INL was in the headlines across the state.

In recent years, disagreements between the State of Idaho and the Department of Energy (DOE) have remained in the public eye. Other DOE sites have used this to their advantage, claiming that Idaho no longer supports the INL and urging DOE to look elsewhere when deciding where to build new nuclear energy research facilities. Our competitor labs may be having an impact – just a few years ago DOE released a budget request that said it planned to close down the INL. While DOE quickly backed away from that claim, we can’t sit back and assume the lab has a bright future.

Now more than ever, Eastern Idaho needs to show that it stands behind the INL and that it wants the lab to remain the focal point for DOE’s nuclear energy program. That’s where the Partnership for Science and Technology comes in. The Partnership is a grassroots organization through which interested citizens and business leaders can join together to advocate for nuclear and environmental technologies and decisions that are in the public interest. Through its website (www.partnershipforscienceandtechnology.org) and its work with the media, the Partnership will also help fill a pressing need for a credible third-party to provide accurate and timely information on activities at the INL Site.

To be successful, the Partnership must be able to show that it speaks for a broad cross-section of our community, including individual citizens, business, civic organizations and other groups. If you want to see the INL flourish, I urge you to join us and add your voice to the chorus of INL supporters here in Eastern Idaho.

M. Lane Allgood
Executive Director

Some of the Benefits of Membership

Demonstrate your support for approved missions at the Laboratory.
Ensure information in the public domain is correct and accurate.
Provide a forum for responsible and balanced information.
Unified voice for new missions and jobs at the INL site.
Offer the community’s voice – not just professional activists’.
Opportunity to actively participate in debate of key issues of national and regional importance.
Counterbalance scare tactics and misinformation.