Saturday, February 10, 2007

John Hall Announces Bill Requiring Indian Point Indy Safety Assessment

U. S. Representative John Hall
New York – 19th Congressional District

For Immediate Release
February 9, 2007

MEDIA ADVISORY FOR
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 12

Hall Announcing Bill Requiring Indian Point ISA or Face Shut Down in 2013

Strict Standards for IP Re-Licensing in Bill Co-Sponsored by Lowey, Engel, Hinchey and Shays

Congressman John Hall will announce on Monday morning his first piece of House legislation—a bill requiring a tough new Independent Safety Assessment for the Indian Point Nuclear Facility in Buchanan, NY.

Hall will make the announcement in the parking lot of the Annsville Creek Paddlesport Center just north of Peekskill, NY. He’ll be joined by members of the New York congressional delegation, other elected officials and environmental leaders.

When:
MONDAY, February 12 at 10:30 a.m.

Where:
Annsville Creek Paddlesport Center Bayview Road
(off Rte. 6 / 202 just west of Annsville Circle)
Town of Cortlandt, NY

Contact:
Arthur Harris / Communications Director
arthur.harris@mail.house.gov
202-225-0415
202-744-0707 cell

Tom Staudter / Press Secretary
staudter@verizon.net
914-762-0097
914-419-5221 cell

RemyC Commentary:

With all due respect, this is a losing strategy. All local bills around the country have been defeated 43-0, with rubber stamp relicensing across the board. We need a National Federal Bill to stop Entergy, the NRC and the rest of the nuclear industry from spreading their poisons to the land, the water and the skies.

On YouTube, we have Chris Shays clearly expressing himself as a staunch advocate of nuclear power to Nancy Burton, from the Connecticut Coalition Against Millstone. Here I quote Congressman Shays: "We need MORE nuclear power, not less. Solar energy is not ready yet!"

So what, may I ask, is the Republican Congressman from Connecticut doing on this bill, other than perhaps suffering from a sudden case of Not In My Backyard, fending off Democratic challenger Diane Farrell and her green supporters next election round? Knowing full well the bill is doomed to fail.

What is meant by "or Face Shut Down in 2013"... what do you mean "or"? We at Green Nuclear Butterfly will not wait for 2013... We want Indian Point shut down NOW, immediately, without delay, without fail, before the damage being caused to our environment, and the threat to our lives, the Hudson Valley, Manhattan, finds itself suddenly beyond repair, if it's not too late already.

Congressman John Hall has been advocating the immediate shut down of Indian Point since the 1980 No Nukes concert in Battery Park. Every year he's shared the stage with musicians like Pete Seeger at the Clearwater Festival, Pete who all his life has dreamed of a nuclear free Hudson... and with Bonnie Raitt, one of the original founders of Musicians for Safe Energy, who helped John get elected by performing countless benefits for him along the campaign trail.

I too know some of these people, just like John does. I've worked with famous actors, musicians, performers all my life as a green advocate, founded the Eco-Saloon at Wetlands in New York, where Ani Di Franco, Dave Matthews, countless others shared a song and a beer, over a nuclear free future, with members of Greenpeace, Earth First!, Rainforest Action Network, Earth Island Institute... Where Clearwater members met every month in the Inner Sanctum. What has changed that we have suddenly become so complacent, playing it safe, by the numbers?

So what the hell happened I ask you? What happened to the fire, the passion, the sense of mission... To all boil down to this, another timid, castrated, dead-on-arrival local bill advocating an independent safety assessment the NRC will just brush off like a swarm of pesky flies, with a little toxic Raid maybe, for good measure?

At GNB, and Rock The Reactors, which spent nearly a year taking the issue of Indian Point all over the country to create what is now the largest anti-nuclear coalition since the Clamshell Alliance, we say this is not enough. This will not stop Entergy and their campaign of death. This is too little, too late. We need a new approach, we need Greenpeace! We need Green Nuclear Butterfly!

RemyC.
Rock The Reactors

No comments: