URGENT! To: environmental, human rights, medical, and peace organizations STOP MOX! International Action Day March 16, 1998 At the outset of 1998, the Anti-Nuclear Camapaign of the Socio-Ecological Union put forth an initiative at the international level to organize a Day of Action against the nuclear industry's dangerous new project, the implementation of MOX fuel programs in civilian nuclear power plants. MOX fuel contains plutonium, a highly hazardous radioactive material, which in a certain form is used as the explosive in nuclear warheads, and which must be isolated from the environment and the population. Public organizations from various countries have supported the call of the SEU Anti-Nuclear Campaign to hold an International Day of Action against the use of MOX on March 16. Projects for the use of MOX in civilian nuclear reactors is gaining strength in Russia, the United States, and other countries that possess developed nuclear complexes. Weakening control over plutonium, which will be taken out from under military oversight, could lead to increased theft of this substance and consequently to an increased threat of nuclear terrorism. The implementation of MOX fuel will also lead to massive increases in spending by the nuclear industry that will be covered out of the pockets of taxpayers. These costs will include means to boost security of transports, the need for new fuel factories and special storage facilities for spent MOX fuel, and modernization of pre-existing reactors. It has been assumed that the Russian MOX program will employ pre-existing VVER-1000 and BN-600 reactors. The VVER-type reactors were designed to burn a fundamentally different type of fuel, and even when loaded with the intended kind of fuel, they hold first place for number of incidents at Russian nuclear reactors. Only one Russian reactor, the BN-600 at Beloyarsk nuclear power plant, can work with a variety of fuel types, but at this time there is a complete lack of practical experience as far as MOX-fuel loading is concerned. Russia's MOX program is thus an effort to implement a new commercial technology despite a total lack of necessary conditions and experience. The need to convert weapons plutonium to non-weapons-usable form so it can never again be used in nuclear weapons serves as the official reason for the implementation of the MOX program, according to international agreements between the United States and Russia. After MOX fuel is burned, the plutonium will in fact no longer be of weapons grade. But this reactor-grade plutonium can still be used to build nuclear arsenals. That means the MOX program cannot achieve its essential political aim. The SEU Anti-Nuclear Campain is protesting the implementation of this economically damaging, politically provocational, and technically imperfect MOX program in Russia. We are calling on activists from all public movements that support our position on MOX programmes to organize any action that would inform the public, political leaders, and the mass media about the danger of the nuclear industry's new initiative. Come up with your own type of action or choose one of the actions listed below: -- Send out press releases about the International Day of Action Against MOX to regional or central mass media or hold a press conference about it; -- Hold a demonstration near any business or institution connected with the nuclear industry. Demonstrations can also be organized near the representative offices of foreign firms that contract with the Russian government to implement the MOX program here -- such as Siemens and COGEMA -- or in other parts of the world, such as General Electric, Westinghouse, and Bechtel. -- Organize a round table with other public organizations in your region, city or county. Invite local politicians and journalists. -- Drop in on your local legislative representative on Monday, March 16, and tell him or her about the Day of Action, and offer information about this initiative. -- Hang banners reading STOP MOX! in an area of heavy traffic during the morning or evening rush hour. -- Stop by your local library and offer to put out information about MOX, give out information sheets on the Action Day, and write letters to local or central authorities expressing your attitude toward the MOX program. We can supply you with information about MOX, as well as about what is planned on this day in various cities throughout Russia, the United States, and in other countries. Let us know what you are planning to do, too, so we can tell other participants and the mass media. For additional information about the Day of Action please contact Vladimir Sliviak or Yelena Nikulina The Anti-Nuclear Campaign of the Socio-Ecological Union P.O. Box 211, 121019 Moscow, Russia Tel.: 7 (095) 271-29-06 Fax: 7 (095) 298-30-87 e-mail: anc@cci.glasnet.ru The Anti-Nuclear Campaign, Ecodefense! P.O. Box 1477, 236000 Kaliningrad, Russia Tel./fax: 7 (0112) 43-72-86 e-mail: ecodefense@glas.apc.org Mary Olsen and Michael Marriotte Nuclear Information and Resource Service 1424 16th St. NW #404, Washington, DC, 20036 Tel. 1 (202) 328-0002 Fax: 1 (202) 462-2183 e-mail: maryo@igc.org