Senate Energy Bill Introduced-Call in Thursday October 15,2009

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_Nuclear Information and Resource Service_

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SENS. BOXER & KERRY INTRODUCE SENATE CLIMATE BILL

 

McCAIN, ET AL, WANT MORE NUKES IN BILL

 

NATIONAL CALL-IN DAY OCTOBER 15:

DON'T NUKE THE CLIMATE!

September 30, 2009

 

Dear Clean Energy Supporter:

 

Senate Environment Committee chair Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and Sen. John

Kerry (D-MA) today introduced their long-awaited climate bill. As yet

unnumbered, it is called the ''Clean Energy Jobs and American Power Act. "

 

The response from nuclear power fanatics was swift:

 

" When asked by Reuters if he could support the Democrats' bill Senator

John McCain said: " Of course not. Never, never, never. " McCain complained that

the Democratic bill merely paid lip-service to the nuclear power

industry. "

 

McCain and his pals, like Lamar Alexander (R-TN), will try to lard the

bill with billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies for new nuclear power-and

then they're going to vote against any bill addressing climate change

anyway.

 

That's the kind of attitude we're all going to have to fight the rest of

this year. And we're going to be seeing the same kinds of lies and deceit,

exaggeration, and corporate deception that characterized the health care

issue all summer. Except in this case, it will be on behalf of dirty energy

like nuclear power and coal.

 

Your help is essential if we're going to stop them. _Please contribute as

generously as you can_

(http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2 & c=ygNdjNDkpEjnGX8WlUVMGcHzG\

qDtYI+K) so we can out-organize and

out-mobilize the dirty energy interests and prevent billions of your dollars

from

streaming to the nuclear power industry.

 

And start preparing now for the National Don't Nuke the Climate Call-In

Day on Thursday, October 15. Start spreading the word, start getting e-mail

lists and phone trees together, plan call-in parties at your home, a local

restaurant or pub, on-campus, or anywhere it's easy to gather people

together. Note: send us info on any such event you'd like us to publicize, and

we'll do so!

 

On October 15, NIRS will be on Capitol Hill, distributing the list of

more than 600 U.S. organizations that have signed the statement on nuclear

power and climate. _Check one more time to make sure your organization is on

that list_

(http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2 & c=nFexFZx8thI7GA+ZZT6ojMHzG\

qDtYI+K) . If it isn't, _please sign by October 12 to be

included.

_ (http:

//org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2 & c=Hnr7dTc7jjTiHr1a8ZR8fsHzGqDtYI+\

K)

And we'll also be hand-delivering the thousands of postcards to your

Senators that you have sent in. We'll need all postcards in our office by

October 14--but that still leaves you time to distribute some more, so if you'd

like some, call (301-270-6477) or send us a quick _e-mail_

(nirsnet?subject=postcards) .

 

Back to the climate bill: you can read the full 821-page text _here_

(http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2 & c=wwxnk03/k2t1Ps6mnBt4N8HzG\

qD

tYI+K) .

 

As Sen. Boxer announced a couple of weeks ago, the bill contains a

nuclear title aimed at garnering support from some " moderate " Senators. But if

the reaction from McCain is any indication, they needn't have bothered. And,

of course, there shouldn't be a nuclear title in a climate bill at all. In

any case, it provides support for job training programs for nuclear

workers; requires DOE to start a new research program on reactor

aging--dangerously suggesting that DOE should help find ways to extend reactor

licenses

beyond 60 years; and authorizes an unspecified amount of money for research

and development of radioactive waste technologies--including reprocessing.

 

For those following along, the nuclear title runs from pages 111 to 119 of

the bill.

 

Thank you to all of those of you from California and Massachusetts who

called Sens. Boxer's and Kerry's offices yesterday. Your efforts succeeded in

making some 11th-hour changes to the text. For example, nuclear power is

no longer falsely described as a carbon-free energy source, as was the case

in earlier drafts. There is no longer an assertion that renewables cannot

be baseload energy sources. And, importantly, the NRC has been removed from

a promotional role with DOE in the research program on reactor aging.

 

And thank you to everyone who has donated to NIRS recently, both online

and by mail. We appreciate your support--we can't do this without you. But if

you haven't contributed recently, _please do so now, as generously as you

can_

(http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2 & c=EFuqM8Ro01P8EqumIuit+8HzG\

qDtYI+K) . Help us stop the upcoming efforts by nuclear fanatics

to add billions of dollars of your money to this bill for new reactors.

 

Indeed, we are going to have to fight not only the McCains and Alexanders

of the world, but apparently Energy Secretary Stephen Chu as well, who was

recently quoted as saying he'd be happy with another $20 billion in

taxpayer loan guarantees for new reactors! Let's make sure he doesn't get a

dime

of it!

 

Again, please start organizing for the October 15 National Don't Nuke the

Climate Call-In Day. Let us know what you're doing and how we can help you.

And spread the word as far and wide as you can….

 

Together, we will achieve a nuclear-free, carbon-free future.

 

Thanks for all you do,

 

Michael Mariotte

Executive Director

Nuclear Information and Resource Service

_nirsnet_ (nirsnet)

_www.nirs.org_

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301-270-6477

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