[OKC] FW: Stop Bad Nuclear Bills

Wed May 12 06:22:35 PDT 2010

As you know at the current time Sustainable OKC does not take a position on
legislation but to fulfill our networking and education mission, we do share
info for our members to consider .

Sent: Wednesday, May 12, 2010 3:35 AM
Subject: Stop Bad Nuclear Bills

Please oppose SB 831. We don't need nuclear energy in Oklahoma. It is wrong
and foolish to make taxpayers finance this cost-prohibitive and disastrous
energy risk, which produces waste harmful to people and the environment for
thousands of years and takes funding away from safe energy solutions like
wind, solar, natural gas and geothermal. 

SB 831 is now in conference committee. SB 831 contains no provisions
requiring the Corporation Commission to consider an environmental, public
health, and economic impact due to radioactive waste storage and/or
disposal. On the whole, SB 831 is a woefully inadequate regulatory scheme
literally drafted by utility lobbyists over the course of an hour without
any stakeholder input.

SB 831 is a carryover bill that was not passed during the 2009 session.
Additional information: 

1)      The average cost of constructing and permitting for one new
generation nuclear facility is estimated between $5 and $12 billion. These
development costs could be paid by Oklahoma ratepayers in advance by adding
this language in later. This estimation does not take into consideration the
cost to taxpayers of existing subsidies provided for the nuclear industry by
the federal government.

2)      Nuclear reactors generate approximately 20 tons of highly
radioactive spent nuclear fuel and additional low-level radioactive waste
per year. No matter how safety conscious a facility claims to be, there is
no permanent storage solution to housing this radioactive waste generated by
producing nuclear energy. The waste can kill at high doses and cause cancer
and birth defects at low doses. Nuclear waste remains dangerous to humans
for thousands of years.

3)      The U.S. Department of Energy has failed to find storage sites for
highly radioactive nuclear waste for more than 10 years. By 2020, taxpayers
will have paid an estimated $12 billion in court judgments brought by
nuclear utilities who have been forced to store the nuclear waste on their
facility sites. They know it's dangerous! That's why they're suing! Yet in
2008, DOE signed agreements promising to permanently store nuclear waste
from 21 reactors to be build in the future. 

4)      Since 9/11, nuclear energy facilities in the United States have been
considered one of the most dangerous targets for domestic terrorist threats.
The increased costs for security and waste management are not included in
the estimate listed above. 

Contact the members of the Conference Committee and ask them to disapprove
SB 831 as it will have drastic impacts on Oklahoma's public health,
environment, and economy.  Oklahoma should be moving towards a clean energy
economy based upon wind, solar, geothermal, natural gas, and energy
efficiency. The Conference Committee members are as follows:

Bingman, Brian (C)

Senate

12

Republican

424 

(405)521-5528 

bingman at oksenate.gov

Crutchfield, Johnnie C.

Senate

14

Democrat

533B 

(405)521-5607 

bigger at oksenate.gov

Gumm, Jay Paul

Senate

6

Democrat

535A 

(405)521-5586 

gumm at oksenate.gov

Johnson, Mike

Senate

22

Republican

519 

(405)521-5592 

johnsonm at oksenate.gov

Mazzei, Mike

Senate

25

Republican

413 

(405)521-5675 

mazzei at oksenate.gov

Myers, David

Senate

20

Republican

414 

(405)521-5628 

ingraham at oksenate.gov

SB 1668 allows municipal power authorities to purchase electricity generated
from nuclear facilities. In current law, municipal authorities can't
consider nuclear power as an energy source. Yesterday, SB 1668 by Sen. David
Myers (R-Ponca City) and Rep. Rex Duncan (R-Sand Springs) passed through the
Senate on a vote of 27-19.  Sen. Cliff Branan (R-OKC) filed a Motion to
Reconsider and will have the next 2 days to request a revote after adequate
lobbying against SB 1668.  The following Senators voted against SB 1668,
which amends the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority Act to allow municipal
power authorities to own interests in nuclear facilities, including: Sens.
Ballenger (D), Bass (D), Branan (R), Burrage (D), Corn (D), Crutchfield (D),
Ellis (D), Gumm (D), Ivester (D), C. Johnson (D), Laster (D), Leftwich (D),
Lerblance (D), Marlatt (R), Nichols (R), Paddack (D), Rice (D), Sparks (D),
and Wilson (D).  Please contact Senators and either thank them for voting
against SB 1668 or ask those who voted in favor to change their vote on
reconsideration.

Shauna, OKC

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