TELL ENERGY SECRETARY STEVEN CHU AND

YOUR CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION:

SUSPEND LOAN GUARANTEE PROCESS FOR AREVA EPR REACTORS!

December 2, 2009

Dear Friends in Maryland, Missouri, New York and Pennsylvania:

Twenty-two environmental groups concerned about proposed Areva EPR reactors in MD, MO, NY and PA today urged Energy Secretary Steven Chu to suspend the loan guarantee process for these reactors.

We pointed out that on November 2, 2009, the nuclear power regulatory authorities in France, Finland and the United Kingdom issued an unprecedented joint letter to Areva, the manufacturer of the EPR reactor design. This letter cited serious problems with the EPR's digital Instrumentation and Control systems (I&C).

This design problem is significant and fundamental to safety, and is, so far, unresolved.

We also noted skyrocketing cost estimates for the EPR--up to $15 Billion for a single reactor. We brought up the problems Areva has been having with construction of the first EPR, in Finland, where some 3,000 construction deficiencies have been identified, and the reactor is 3 ½ years behind schedule and 75% over-budget. And we raised the possibility that EPRs may not even be licensed by the NRC because of the overwhelming French involvement in the projects.

You can see the letter here.   

And you can help: send your own e-mails and faxes to Secretary Chu in support of our letter, as well as your Congressional delegations, President Obama, and officials at DOE's loan guarantee program--all at once! It's easy: just go to this link.

Then, ask your friends and colleagues to send letters too. Let's make sure everyone understands that risking taxpayer dollars on reactor designs known to be dangerous, defective, and extraordinarily expensive is not only bad policy, it amounts to negligence.

For those of you in the D.C. area, on Friday, December 11 at 11 am, a group of people will be gathering in front of the DOE headquarters on Independence Avenue to protest the loan guarantees, support the International Don't Nuke the Climate actions in Copenhagen, and do a little street theater. We hope you can join us! Contact nirsnet@nirs.org for more information!

Thanks for all you do,

Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service