ALLIANCE LEADS SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN TO SAVE CALIFORNIA'S NUCLEAR SAFEGUARDS LAW
A Message from Rochelle
April was a very busy month for the Alliance and May promises to be even more exciting. We had several actions and appreciate all of you who joined us.
- On April 1st, we asked you to turn off your lights for 5 minutes to demonstrate that individuals can make an energy difference. We are still waiting to see if the efforts were measurable, but in the meantime, thanks to all who joined us.
- Over a 3-day period in Sacramento, we met with assembly members whose districts are smack in the middle of a proposed transport route for 40% of the nation's radioactive waste. Outreach Coordinator David Weisman put together maps of each district. By the time we left, all were interested in contacting the Department of Energy to demand hearings be set in California before the proposed route is adopted http://a4nr.org/library/transportation/yuccamtnroutes/view On April 18th, an announcement was released that this route may be cancelled as it would traverse tribal land in Nevada. We are awaiting final decision on the tribe's action before meeting with representatives still on our list. http://news.rgj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070419/NEWS07/704190342/1016/NEWS
- The highlight of the month was the 17th, when Assemblyman Devore attempted to convince the Natural Resources Committee to lift California's 1978 moratorium on the siting of new nuclear plants until there is a permanent solution for the safe storage of highly radioactive waste. http://a4nr.org/library/nuclearrenaissance/2007.02.22-devore/view The bill was defeated in a 6-3 partisan vote. The Alliance had contacted national and statewide organizations and individuals and flooded the Committee with letters of opposition. There were no letters of support. http://a4nr.org/library/nuclearrenaissance/2007.04.16-assmcomnatresources/view http://www.nuclear-free.com/english/devore.htm
- While the Alliance was elated that the bill was defeated, an announcement that the Fresno Nuclear supporters are planning to initiate a statewide initiative to lift the ban brought us back to earth. Assemblyman Devore announced during a recednt debate that next year he plans to introduce a bill to build a reprocessing plant in California and SCE stated they would like to build nukes in CA "someday". We plan to continue our path to educate communities on the costs/benefits and risks of our state's continued reliance on aging nuclear plants.
- Of great assistance in that strategy: We continue to work closely with the California Energy Commission as it prepares for its upcoming cradle-to-grave analysis of nuclear issues. Before the analysis begins, the CEC will hold a two-day workshop, June 25 and June 28th. The Alliance has been invited to be a participant.
- The Alliance was invited by the students at Fresno State and the Chemists for Peace a UC Berkeley to debate the issues of nuclear power. Both forums were well attended and brought both new and “younger” faces to the table.
- As May begins, the will be joining Dan Hirsch of Committee to Bridge the Gap in debating Assemblyman Devore and a representative from San Onofre on Friday the 4th in San Clemente. The debate is sponsored by KPCC and the NPR affiliate in Pasadena and hosted by Patt Morrison. The program will be live-broadcast -http://www.scpr.org/programs/pattmorrison/index.shtml
Letters to Senators Boxer http://boxer.senate.gov/contact/ and Feinstein http://feinstein.senate.gov/contact.html , as well as Speaker Pelosi http://www.house.gov/pelosi/contact/contact.html and your local Congressperson http://www.house.gov/writerep/ to vote “no” on continued subsidies for new nuclear plants are still needed – please call write or fax today.
Stay tuned as we don't anticipate many dull moments over the next year, and we invite you all to join us whenever and wherever you can.
In Peace Rochelle
Rochelle Becker, Executive Director Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility
www.a4nr.org
(858) 337 2703
Upcoming Events
Important events for the Alliance
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Rochelle's Annual Peace Potato Party
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Breaking News
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Under Obama, nuclear industry faces tough test - President-elect still vague about his degree of support
The nuclear industry's hopes for a renaissance are still on. But with President-elect Barack Obama taking office in January, and Democrats retaining control of Congress, the industry knows its uphill battle has not gotten any easier on Capitol Hill - especially with the instability of the world's financial markets.
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Areva's Finnish nuclear costs rise sharply
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Duke doubles cost estimate for nuclear plant
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Green Investments and Jobs: A Response to the Heritage Foundation
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Forget Nukes, Go Renewable Energy
Governor Schwarzenegger endorsed Senator McCain for president and supported his energy proposal to build more nuclear reactors. Yet, our new president has expressed his concern for nuclear safety and the lack of a permanent solution to nuclear power's deadly byproduct: high-level radioactive waste.
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Fire Hazards at Reactors Leave Millions at Risk (from Beyond Nuclear)
Deliberate bureaucratic negligence has left millions of Americans exposed to unnecessarily high risks from fire hazards at the nation’s nuclear power reactors for more than a decade, according to a new report written by experts at Union of Concerned Scientists, Beyond Nuclear and NC WARN.
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THE FLAWED ECONOMICS OF NUCLEAR POWER
“Over the last few years the nuclear industry has used concerns about climate change to argue for a nuclear revival. Although industry representatives may have convinced some political leaders that this is a good idea, there is little evidence of private capital investing in nuclear plants in competitive electricity markets,” says Lester R. Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute, in a recent release, The Flawed Economics of Nuclear Power. “The reason is simple: nuclear power is uneconomical.”
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Conclusions - CEC Draft Report Sept 2008
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Recent Articles
Recent articles of interest posted on the ANR website
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YES WE CAN. . .Phase out aging nuclear reactors on California’s precious coast!
(This is used on the home page as part of a content panel)
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DRAFT REPORT & PUBLIC MEETINGS - FALL 2008
Here you will find the draft report, conclusion and links to the public hearings and testimonies.
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Foreign Nuclear News and Information
The US is not the only country with nuclear power plants. Here you will find information from all over the world regarding nuclear power in places other than the US.
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Nuclear France - Myths and Fantasies (from Beyond Nuclear)
France gets nearly 80% of its electricity from its 58 reactors. However, such a heavy reliance on nuclear power brings with it many major, unsolved poblems, most especially that of radioactive waste. Despite assertions to the contrary, the French nuclear story is far from a gleaming example of nuclear success. The example, set by the French nuclear infrastructure - and best exemplified by its giant nuclear corporation, Areva, is not to be emulated.
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AB 1632 Assessment of California's Operating Nuclear Plants - Draft Report
Posted 9/12/08. (Acrobat PDF file, 326 pages, 3.7)
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Carbon Free Nuclear Free Website
Here is the link for the Carbon Free Nuclear Free Website
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Rochelle's Annual Peace Potato Party
Most States Can Be Energy Independent, New Report Shows