Dear Friends:

The Senate yesterday (Tuesday, June 10) voted 50-48 to reject the Wyden-Sununu amendment that would have eliminated billions of taxpayer dollars in loans and credit guarantees to the nuclear power industry promised in the Senate energy bill, S 14 (Domenici, R-NM). The close vote is testament to your hard work and efforts, and we appreciate it! The final vote list is below.

But we can, and must, do more: we need to defeat S 14!

Here is how you can help. First, it is crucial to “thank and spank” the Senate. Look at the vote list below and find your Senators. If they voted FOR the Wyden-Sununu amendment, please call them and thank them for their vote, and urge them to filibuster against final passage of this unacceptable legislation. If they voted AGAINST the Wyden-Sununu amendment, please call them and express your outrage that they would give taxpayer dollars to this deadly, obsolete industry. Urge them to reconsider their position, and to vote against final passage of S 14.

Remember, the Senators won’t know how you feel unless you tell them!

Capitol Switchboard: 202-224-3121

Then, go to Public Citizen’s www.stopenergybill.org to send your free fax to your Senators. Do this even if you already have sent a fax, as the message has changed. Even more effective is to send your own fax to your Senators. There are various places on the internet to obtain their fax numbers. Here is one that is updated regularly: http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/   Unfortunately, we no longer recommend sending personal letters by postal mail because of huge delays experienced by Senators in receiving their mail since the Anthrax incidents.

Next, write a brief letter to the editor of your local newspaper(s) thanking or spanking your senators for their vote, and pointing out that S 14 needs to be defeated in its entirety.

And next, ask your friends and colleagues to take all of these steps (including this one!). If you’re not yet on NIRS’ e-mail Alert list, please join. Just send your name, address, and e-mail address to nirsnet@nirs.org . We’ll keep you informed as S 14 makes its way through Congress. Check NIRS’ website ( www.nirs.org ) regularly for new information and resources. Contact organizations you may belong to: everything from civic organizations to PTA’s to churches and your local governments, and urge them to take a position against S 14. In a time of spiraling budget deficits, how can the Bush administration and Senate justify risking tens of billions of dollars on a failed and unwanted industry? Even the Congressional Budget Office predicts a greater than 50% likelihood that utilities will default on federal loans. And that’s only one provision in a bill that offers nothing for consumers and taxpayers--only for energy production interests.

In other news, we do not yet know when Sen. Bingaman’s amendment, to stop taxpayer funding of a new atomic hydrogen reactor, will be considered. We will let you know as soon as we do; encourage your Senators to SUPPORT this Bingaman amendment. A pro-nuclear amendment being offered by Sen. Voinovich (R-Ohio) apparently has been withdrawn and will not be considered. We will let you know if this changes.

We CAN stop this bill that would set our nation’s energy and environmental policies in the wrong direction for decades to come, but we need to act, to organize, to mobilize.

Thanks for your help!

Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service

VOTE LIST, WYDEN/SUNUNU AMENDMENT

YEAs ---48
Akaka (D-HI)
Baucus (D-MT)
Bayh (D-IN)
Biden (D-DE)
Bingaman (D-NM)
Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Campbell (R-CO)
Cantwell (D-WA)
Chafee (R-RI)
Clinton (D-NY)
Collins (R-ME)
Conrad (D-ND)
Corzine (D-NJ)
Daschle (D-SD)
Dayton (D-MN)
Dodd (D-CT)
Dorgan (D-ND)
Durbin (D-IL)
Edwards (D-NC)
Ensign (R-NV)
Feingold (D-WI)
Feinstein (D-CA)
Graham (D-FL)
Gregg (R-NH)
Harkin (D-IA)
Jeffords (I-VT)
Johnson (D-SD)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)
Kohl (D-WI)
Kyl (R-AZ)
Lautenberg (D-NJ)
Leahy (D-VT)
Levin (D-MI)
McCain (R-AZ)
Mikulski (D-MD)
Murray (D-WA)
Reed (D-RI)
Reid (D-NV)
Rockefeller (D-WV)
Sarbanes (D-MD)
Schumer (D-NY)
Smith (R-OR)
Snowe (R-ME)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Sununu (R-NH)
Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---50
Alexander (R-TN)
Allard (R-CO)
Bennett (R-UT)
Bond (R-MO)
Breaux (D-LA)
Brownback (R-KS)
Bunning (R-KY)
Burns (R-MT)
Carper (D-DE)
Chambliss (R-GA)
Cochran (R-MS)
Coleman (R-MN)
Cornyn (R-TX)
Craig (R-ID)
Crapo (R-ID)
DeWine (R-OH)
Dole (R-NC)
Domenici (R-NM)
Enzi (R-WY)
Fitzgerald (R-IL)
Frist (R-TN)
Graham (R-SC)
Grassley (R-IA)
Hagel (R-NE)
Hatch (R-UT)
Hollings (D-SC)
Hutchison (R-TX)
Inhofe (R-OK)
Inouye (D-HI)
Landrieu (D-LA)
Lincoln (D-AR)
Lott (R-MS)
Lugar (R-IN)
McConnell (R-KY)
Miller (D-GA)
Murkowski (R-AK)
Nelson (D-FL)
Nelson (D-NE)
Nickles (R-OK)
Pryor (D-AR)
Roberts (R-KS)
Santorum (R-PA)
Sessions (R-AL)
Shelby (R-AL)
Specter (R-PA)
Stevens (R-AK)
Talent (R-MO)
Thomas (R-WY)
Voinovich (R-OH)
Warner (R-VA)

Present - 1
Allen (R-VA)

Not Voting - 1
Lieberman (D-CT)