[NukeNet] NIRS Alert: Stop pro-nuke Lieberman/Warner climate bill

Wed Feb 13 17:45:03 EST 2008

 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 at nirs.org; www.nirs.org <http://www.nirs.org/>  

February 13, 2008

It's too weak on climate....

It's too strong on nuclear....

STOP THE LIEBERMAN/WARNER CLIMATE CHANGE BILL!

An aide to Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-CT) says the Lieberman/Warner climate
change bill (S. 2191) "would be the most historic incentive for nuclear
in the history of the United States." (E&E Daily, February 8, 2008).

He's not kidding: the bill's complicated "cap-and-trade" carbon system
could give billions of dollars-perhaps $500 Billion (no, that's not a
typo--$500 Billion)--to "zero or low-carbon" energy technologies,
including dirty energy like nuclear power.

Moreover, the bill falls far short of the carbon emissions cuts
necessary to address the climate crisis: a cut of only about 60-65% by
2050. There is a better way: we need to go carbon-free and nuclear-free,
and it can be done by 2050-but only if we all act to make it happen.

S. 2191 is expected to be debated on the Senate floor this Spring. Let's
start telling Senate offices now that we want a real climate change
bill, one that leads to a complete end to carbon emissions and one that
supports sustainable energy technologies, not one that resurrects the
failed nuclear power program of the 20th century.

Your help is needed:

1.      Call, write and/or e-mail your Senators now. Capitol
Switchboard: 202-224-3121; mailing address: U.S. Senate, Washington, DC
20510. You can look up your Senators' e-mail addresses at 
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
<http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm> 

2.      Contribute as generously as you can to NIRS' efforts to build a
sustainable, carbon-free, nuclear-free future on our secure server at at
https://secure.campagne-online.com/registrant/donate.aspx?EventID=2927&L
angPref=en-CA
<https://secure.campagne-online.com/registrant/donate.aspx?EventID=2927&
LangPref=en-CA> 

To make matters worse, pro-nuclear Senators-including Lieberman and
Warner themselves-are planning to introduce numerous amendments on the
Senate floor to provide additional support for the nuclear industry.
They're planning on including everything from more loan guarantees and
other subsidies for new reactors, to setting up an "interim" high-level
waste storage site, to forcing the opening of Yucca Mountain.

Our allies at Friends of the Earth have taken the lead on challenging
the current Lieberman/Warner bill. You can find their factsheets on the
bill at 
http://action.foe.org/content.jsp?content_KEY=3723&t=Lieberman_Warner.dw
t.

Want to learn more about how to attain a carbon-free, nuclear-free
energy future? Check out the Institute for Energy and Environmental
Research website at http://www.ieer.org/

Don't wait until the Lieberman/Warner bill reaches the Senate floor to
act; by then, many Senators will already have made up their minds. Start
now by contacting your Senators and organizing among your friends,
colleagues, your group's members, everywhere you can, to bring our
pro-climate, anti-nuclear message to Capitol Hill.

We know many of you have been contributing to various presidential
candidates, and we support that, of course. And the candidates have
certainly been raising a lot of money. But don't forget that a president
can't do it all: NIRS exists to represent you in Washington and across
the country on the sustainable energy issues that matter so much. Just
1% of what the Democratic candidates have spent over the past few months
would meet NIRS' budget needs for more than a year.

This is NIRS' 30th anniversary year: we've been here for you for 30
years now; help us kick off our next 30 years, and our work to build a
nuclear-free, carbon-free energy future, with your most generous
contribution possible. Please donate at 
https://secure.campagne-online.com/registrant/donate.aspx?EventID=2927&L
angPref=en-CA
<https://secure.campagne-online.com/registrant/donate.aspx?EventID=2927&
LangPref=en-CA> 

Don't forget to call your Senators! Thank you for all your support and
activism,

Michael Mariotte

Executive Director

Nuclear Information and Resource Service

p.s. and look for a new NIRS Alert soon on taxpayer loan guarantees for
new reactor construction. Hint: there is going to have to be another
vote on them this year, we can stop them!

LATE BREAKING NEWS:  We just got in word that the NRC has suspended the
license application process for NRG's South Texas Nuclear Project! The
order is at http://www.nirs.org/nukerelapse/stexas/stporder2-13-08.pdf.
Last Friday, four groups (NIRS, SEED Coalition, Sierra Club, Beyond
Nuclear) filed a motion with NRC to suspend the proceeding because of
the company's incomplete license application. While NRC says this
renders our filing moot, it's pretty clear that they just didn't want to
directly answer it, which can be found along with exhibits at 
http://www.nirs.org/nukerelapse/stexas/stexashome.htm. 

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