Non au Nucleaire-News from France

2/20/07

Non au Nucleaire-News from France

Phasing Out the Nuclear Age” Network – A Federation of 765 organizations
Press release: Monday, 19 February 2007

The Network "Phasing Out the Nuclear Age” is pleased with the results of the Louis Harris survey:
Only 18% of French citizens support nuclear energy

On 17 March 2007: Five demonstrations in France against the construction of the EPR nuclear reactor
The Network "Phasing Out the Nuclear Age” expressed satisfaction after the publication by the Institut Louis Harris of a survey on energy that showed that only 18.6% of French citizens support nuclear energy (*).

This opinion poll confirms earlier findings showing that, even among those who accept already existing reactors, the majority of citizens are against the construction of new reactors.

Moreover, it must be noted that only 9% of people aged 18 to 34 support nuclear energy, compared to 28% of people over 65. The future promises to be free of nuclear energy!

What's more, on 1 January 2007, seven nuclear reactors in Europe were shut down for good. Most of the 435 reactors still in service on the planet will be shut down in the next 20 to 25 years. Thus nuclear energy is unavoidably in decline, and the few new reactors to come will only slow down this process.

Thus it is necessary to stop the construction of a new reactor, called EPR, at Flamanville (Manche) planned by the French government and the EDF electrical company. To this effect, the Network "Phasing Out the Nuclear Age” and numerous other organizations have organized 5 large simultaneous demonstrations on 17 March 2007 at Rennes, Lille, Strasbourg, Lyon, and Toulouse.

(*) The question asked was “Would you like nuclear energy to continue to be the main source of electricity?”

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Ten Reasons To Say No To Nuclear Power

1. Climate change is underway. Renewable energy can be brought online faster, more cheaply and more safely than nuclear power. 2. Reactors are sitting-duck targets and are not even defended to the ferocity of the 9/11 attacks. 3. Nuclear power is not emissions-free. Reactors routinely release radioactivity and use fossil fuels at every step from uranium mining to waste storage. 4. Building more reactors in the U.S. sends the wrong message abroad. Commercial nuclear technology inevitably leads to nuclear weapons capability. 5. The Yucca Mountain high-level radioactive dump is unsound and even if opened could not accommodate all wastes if generation continues. 6. Evacuation plans are unrealistic. Hurricane Katrina taught us that a mass evacuation during a serious radiological release would be a chaotic catastrophe. 7. A typical 1000 megawatt nuclear reactor produces enough plutonium each year to make 40 atomic bombs, an unacceptable risk. 8. New and old reactors are most prone to break down. U.S. reactors are old. New ones increase the risk of accident. 9. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission—mandated to watchdog the nuclear industry – chooses to protect industry profit over public health and safety. 10. The most defenseless are at the greatest risk—children, the elderly, minorities, the poor and animals—at every phase of the nuclear fuel chain. Ten Brighter Ideas 1. If every U.S. household installed one compact fluorescent light bulb, the power savings would equal the power produced by one nuclear reactor. 1=1! 2. Twenty compact fluorescents in every U.S. home could displace at least 25% of U.S. nuclear reactors. 3. Updated lighting, appliances, heating, cooling and other electrical systems can save more energy than all 103 U.S. reactors produce annually. 4. Cost-effective energy efficiency measures for homes and businesses can save at least 20% of electricity use. 5. Turning off and unplugging electrical equipment not in use and line-drying clothes seem like small measures but can make a big difference. 6. Homeowners and renters alike can choose to buy green power instead of nuclear generated electricity. 7. Properly sealing and insulating your home can save 25%-40% of building heat loss. 8. Renewable energy sources can meet 25% of U.S. energy needs by 2025. 9. Shifting to locally-generated electricity avoids waste, reduces brownouts and blackouts, increases efficiency of service and creates jobs. 10. Every dollar spent on nuclear power instead of fossil fuels results in releasing six times more carbon than if the same dollar is spent on efficiency. www.nirs.org 301.270.6477

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2/20/07