[Sustain] Fwd: Big news! And take action now: No Nuke $ in Lame Duck

[Eric Brooks]

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6930 Carroll Avenue, #340, Takoma Park, MD 20912; 301-270-6477; 
nirsnet at nirs.org <mailto:nirsnet at nirs.org>; www.nirs.org 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=Y4rESk8BZu3ShOrinbREIAG9l903dUk4>

*NEW REACTOR AT CALVERT CLIFFS STOPPED!
AND NUCLEAR "RENAISSANCE" SPUTTERS!

SO INDUSTRY PRESSURES CONGRESS TO MAKE IT EVEN EASIER TO GET TAXPAYER 
MONEY....
_ACT NOW _TO PREVENT NEW NUKE SUBSIDIES DURING LAME DUCK SESSION

...AND, PLEASE JOIN THE VIRTUAL MARCH ON WASHINGTON!*



October 12, 2010

Dear Friends,

*This is a huge victory: Over the weekend, Constellation Energy 
announced it is pulling out of the proposed Calvert Cliffs-3 reactor 
project in Maryland, which effectively ends this new reactor.*

*NIRS has spent more than three years fighting this reactor tooth and 
nail.* We've intervened twice in Maryland Public Service Commission 
proceedings. We're the lead intervenor in NRC licensing proceedings for 
Calvert Cliffs--and our contention against foreign ownership in this 
project (it's dominated by the French government through Electricite de 
France and Areva) has proven a major stumbling block. And with all our 
allies in the Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition we've been in the 
streets, the media and the public arena demanding an end to this boondoggle.

*And, on Saturday, we won!*

Here is a link 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=mRaOPgsSDagCsTwseelLxQG9l903dUk4> 
to our statement released Saturday. Here is a link 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=4nDPT3m58dcuTBdmfY8vcwG9l903dUk4> 
to a New York Times article on some of the reasons behind this decision. 
And here is a link 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=y9jY5OtBgYFsRJ0aL95tdwG9l903dUk4> 
to an article I wrote in August predicting exactly this outcome.

Please act now to protect this victory at Calvert Cliffs, and to stop 
any more taxpayer money being wasted on new reactors, by writing your 
Senators and Representative here 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=x8pAh5XpidUaXq6YIksFSgG9l903dUk4>. 
Here's why:

In its statement announcing it is shelving Calvert Cliffs-3, 
Constellation claimed it was doing so because the terms of a $7.5 
Billion loan the Obama administration was ready to give the company were 
too "onerous."

For this $10 Billion+ reactor (the French government was going to chip 
in another $2.9 Billion), the administration wanted the utility to 
either put up $880 million of its own money (called a credit subsidy 
cost, kind of like the down payment you would have to put on a 
mortgage), or $300 million and guarantee sales of only 75% of the 
reactor's electricity.

This was too risky and "onerous" for Constellation Energy. In other 
words, they admitted they wanted taxpayers to take ALL the risk of this 
project.

In fact, that was just a smokescreen. Constellation would have cancelled 
Calvert Cliffs even if there had been no credit subsidy cost at all--the 
economics of the project simply didn't make sense. And it's telling that 
Constellation shares skyrocketed up in the first day of trading after 
their announcement: investors were delighted Constellation got out of 
this dumb deal.

*But the nuclear industry is already working in Congress to not only get 
more taxpayer money for nuclear loans, but to force the administration 
to make taxpayers take _all_ of the risk for those loans. And they're 
hoping they can sneak such legislation through in the lame duck session 
that begins in mid-November.*

All year, with your help, we have blocked the industry from receiving 
any new funds for nuclear loans. Now we have to act again.

Please protect this victory at Calvert Cliffs, act to stop any more 
taxpayer money being wasted on new reactors and to make sure taxpayers 
don't have to take all the risk of new reactor construction, by writing 
your Senators and Representative here. 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=vcwQPz3HfS%2Bmxt3Bf6xJNwG9l903dUk4>

Here is a link to this action that you can forward to your friends and 
colleagues who will want to take action too: 
http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5502/p/dia/action/public/?action_KEY=4378. 
The industry lobbying effort will be strong and well-financed, and it 
will take as many of us as possible to counter them.

We are, of course, walking on air that our long battle over Calvert 
Cliffs was successful (as, so far, has been our campaign to stop new 
taxpayer subsidies for new nukes). But these successes are only possible 
with your help and support! Please celebrate this victory by making a 
tax-deductible donation to NIRS today. You can do so online here 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=jFnKJT%2Bn89kxuspDaDuHdQG9l903dUk4>, 
or send a check to NIRS, 6930 Carroll Avenue, #340, Takoma Park, MD 20912.

*Virtual March on Washington*
Have you joined the Virtual March on Washington yet? Stand up and be 
counted! It's easy and it's fun. An outgrown of the actions of 
International Radioactive Waste Action Day, the virtual march will keep 
building between now and April 26, 2011--the 25th anniversary of the 
Chernobyl catastrophe.

All you have to do to join is send in a photo of yourself to 
nirsnet at nirs.org <mailto:nirsnet at nirs.org>. If you'd like to hold a sign 
(and we encourage that!), you can download and  print a sign here 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=qSOBA4EggGCdOHoXlXiYVQG9l903dUk4>, 
or make one of your own. You can also see a slideshow 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=xDszj7IBAVHZ6uFZgefRpAG9l903dUk4> 
of the growing number of people who have joined in so far.

So send your pictures in today, and let's get thousands of people to 
join in this Virtual March on Washington!

Thanks for all you do,

Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
nirsnet at nirs.org <mailto:nirsnet at nirs.org>
www.nirs.org 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=tDWBvCbMXX38USJGolQHBwG9l903dUk4>

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