Urgent Alert! Mobile Chernobyl Act Has Reached Senate Floor! It Has a New Number - S.1936 (it was S.1271). Calls, Faxes, E-mail, Letters Needed to the Senate!!
The "Mobile Chernobyl Act" is now being debated and filibustered on the Senate floor. A final vote could occur as early as Monday, July 15, though it is more likely later in the week.
As you probably know, S. 1271 (now rennumbered as S. 1936) is best known as the "Mobile Chernobyl Act." It would set up an "interim" storage dump for high-level radioactive waste near Yucca Mountain, Nevada. It would begin the unprecedented transportation of some 15,000 or more large canisters of high-level radioactive waste on our nation's highways and railways. More than 50 million people, in 43 states and the District of Columbia, live within just two miles of these waste thruways. The bill also would remove nearly every major environmental law from the radioactive waste issue, and would trample on the authority of states to protect their residents from hazardous projects. S. 1936 masquerades as a "solution" for the radioactive waste issue; in reality, it just adds to the problem.
For all these reasons, President Clinton has promised to veto this bill.
There are a few changes in S. 1936, most seem to have been made to make the bill more "reasonable," and perhaps avoid a presidential veto. But the bill can't be made reasonable and Senators need to know a few cosmetic changes won't reduce the public's opposition. The nuclear industry has been waging its own "grassroots" campaign in favor of the bill. This is it! We must step up our activities.
Senate Majority Leader Lott and Energy Committee Chairman Murkowski wanted Nevada Senators Bryan and Reid to limit their filibuster efforts. Fortunately, the two said no, so a filibuster fight will be on. The key vote will be a "cloture" vote, which is used to cut off a filibuster. To win (to keep the filibuster going), Bryan and Reid need 40 votes. Please call your Senators, and ask them to 1) oppose S. 1936; 2) support the Bryan/Reid filibuster and oppose the "cloture" vote; 3) actively support the filibuster by speaking on the Senate floor. 4) Then, when you hang up the phone, please call a friend and ask him/her to take steps 1 through 4 as well.
If your Senator is already opposed to the bill, emphasize support for the filibuster. Even if your Senator is completely committed to S 1936 (or is a co-sponsor), it is important for Senate offices to know that the opposition is out there and nationwide. Some people may think it is impolite to call their Senator's office more than once. But Senate staffers just as often think you don't care any more if you don't stay in regular touch--they need to know they can count on you to provide political cover if their boss actually decides to represent YOU. And the change in bill number offers a perfect opportunity to call again, even if you're written and called before. PLEASE CALL TODAY, let your Senator know that you can't dress up a turkey and expect to get a swan. S. 1936 is still the Mobile Chernobyl Act and must be defeated.
Call: Capitol switchboard: 202-224-3121
ALWR VOTE LIKELY JULY 17
The U.S. House of Representatives is likely to vote on the future of the Advanced Light Water Reactor (ALWR) Program around July 17. Reps. Obey and Foley intend to offer an amendment (to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill) to !QT! all funding for this program, which offers a direct subsidy to the world's largest corporations to work on reactor designs that probably will never be used.
Most of the money this year would go to the Westinghouse AP-600 reactor (General Electric and ABB/Combustion Engineering are also program beneficiaries), for which no U.S. utility has expressed interest. (GE recently even stopped work on one of its new "advanced" designs, also a 600 MW model, because of lack of utility interest).
Under the 1992 Energy Policy Act, funding is to be provided only for those reactor designs with a potential for domestic sales--clearly not the case here. Further, the funding was set to expire after five years, yet the program is now entering its sixth year. And the funding was intended only for designs which could achieve design certification by FY 1996--the AP 600 isn't scheduled for review until at least FY 1997, and probably later.
The Clinton administration had asked for $40 million for this program in FY 1997. An Appropriations subcommittee July 10 cut that number to $17 million. But there likely will be efforts to increase that amount later.
The Obey/Foley amendment, however, would end the program completely--and that's the message we want to send to the House. Contact your representatives and ask them to vote For the Obey/Foley amendment to the Energy and Water Appropriations bill, and to end this waste of taxpayer money once and for all.
For more information on the amendment, contact Jim Adams at Safe Energy Communication Council, 202-483-8491.
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