Vote "NO" for Nuclear Power at Change.org

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Nuclear power is far from renewable and far from clean. On May 5th, 2008 ("A Grand Canyon Rush For Uranium") the Los Angeles Times reported that all this talk of new Nuclear power plants has sparked an uranium mining boom, and thousands of the new uranium mine claims are in one of our nation's natural wonders: the Grand Canyon. Uranium mining is highly toxic. The article describes the remains of a former uranium mine in the park "Elevated radiation has been detected in Horn Creek below, and signs have been posted warning visitors not to drink the water.” Additionally, according to "Atomic Dreams" by Jason Mark, "uranium mining and enrichment require vast amounts of fossil fuel energy."

Somehow the nuclear PR machine has been successful at poo-pooing what is the most toxic and depraved consequence of Nuclear Power: Nuclear Waste. We have no way to dispose of it, it will last thousands of years, and it's highly radioactive.

With so many people handling the day to day operations of each plant, can anyone honestly guarantee that not one worker will ever make a potentially fatal mistake? Just a few months ago security personal at the Peach Bottom nuclear power plant in PA were caught sleeping on the job. If terrorists picked that time and place to attack, we would not be protected by Wackenhut. Thousands of people work at these plants and are responsible for their safety. Chernobyl has thoroughly illustrated the full potential dangers these plants pose.

And the least talked about danger posed by an increased use of nuclear power is nuclear proliferation. Nuclear power plants are intrinsically linked to nuclear weapons. On March 6, 1969 Edward Teller wrote then New York Governor Rockefeller that almost any country in "possession of these fissionable materials... is likely to be able to produce fission explosives without too much difficulty.... If as much as 10% of the fissionable material can be surreptitiously extracted from the reactors, each 1,000 megawatt reactor would still be able to produce several nuclear explosives per year..... It is also claimed that the reactors will not produce weapons-grade plutonium. Unfortunately, the distinction between weapons-grade plutonium and reactor-grade plutonium has been mistakenly overemphasized…."(Rockefeller Archive Center, NY). This is the real reason protests fly from Washington when our enemies develop "safe" atomic energy--because it doesn’t exist.

Finally, the only reason nuclear power is affordable is because of the generous subsidies the tax payers provide the industry. The Price-Anderson Act, for example, provides nuclear power operators with federal insurance. Think about it--the potential liability of these monsters is so huge it’s impossible for a company to insure them privately and still make a profit. This means that if a plant melts down and kills thousands, or if it causes any other small or large disaster, you, me, and all other tax payers pay for the clean up. This is privatizing the benefits and socializing the consequences of business at it's most sick and twisted.

Nuclear Power should be taken off President Obama's table. In fact he should be working to slowly faze out all Nuclear Power plants. Nuclear Power is not safe, renewable, affordable, or clean.