National Grassroots Conference Call on Lieberman/Warner

4/25/08

National Grassroots Conference Call on Lieberman/Warner

National Grassroots Conference Call on Lieberman/Warner
Climate Bill and Pro-Nuclear Amendments

Wednesday, April 30, 2008—2 pm

Dear Friend,
You are invited to a national grassroots conference call to discuss the Lieberman/Warner cap and trade climate change bill--and likely pro-nuclear amendments—on Wednesday, April 30 at 2 pm Eastern time. Call-in number is 218-936-1200; code is 91252#.

The bill is set to come to the Senate floor on June 2, for what will likely be about a week of debate.

We expect that several amendments to further support and subsidize the nuclear power industry will be offered. Senator John McCain (R-AZ), for example, has said the price of his support for the bill will be massive new federal subsidies for new nuclear reactor construction.

NIRS is setting up this conference call because we believe these will be the most significant Congressional votes of this session, and the outcome will set the marker for climate change legislation next session. We can beat back this pro-nuclear tide—but only if we have substantial help and participation from the grassroots.

Friends of the Earth, Greenpeace and NIRS are on record opposing the Lieberman/Warner bill in its current form; most other national environmental groups are supporting it with greater or lesser degrees of enthusiasm. Regardless of anyone’s position on the bill itself, however, it is essential to defeat these expected pro-nuclear amendments and support amendments that improve the bill by promoting renewable energy and energy efficiency.

Erich Pica and Kate McMahon of FoE will provide a briefing on the bill and on the expected nuclear amendments. We hope you’ll join us and take this opportunity to learn more about the issue and how we can all work together to send a powerful no-nuclear message to the Senate.

Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 340, Takoma Park, MD 20912
301-270-NIRS (301-270-6477); Fax: 301-270-4291
nirsnet@nirs.org; www.nirs.org

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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

"The No Nuker" - where No Nukes is good news !

4/25/08