Green Party of CT - Rock The Reactors contact 50 miles radius editors

Dear editors,

It has become apparent from the most recent pump failure and emergency shutdown at the Indian Point Energy Center in Buchanan NY that there is a pressing need to decommission the nuclear power plants closest to densely populated areas.

Rock The Reactors and the Green Party of Connecticut have identified 5 nuclear power plants in the United States top of the list for putting the public at greatest risk, not only in case of catastrophic accident, but also from long term exposure to chronic mishaps, leaks and daily venting of radioactivity.

The reactors with the most neighbors within a radius of 50 miles are:*

Indian Point, near Buchanan, N.Y., 41 miles upriver from the center of New York City, with 17.2 million people within 50 miles.

San Onofre, near San Clemente, Calif., and 45 miles from San Diego, 8.5 million.

Limerick, near Limerick, Pa., and 28 miles from Philadelphia, 8.0 million.

Dresden, near Morris, Ill., and 43 miles from Chicago, 7.3 million.

Peach Bottom, near Delta, Pa., and 36 miles from Baltimore, 5.5 million.

Hope Creek and Salem, both near Hancocks Bridge, N.J., and 43 miles from Philadelphia, 5.5 million.

*msnbc.com

The financial firm UBS has recommended to Entergy, owners of the Indian Point Energy Center, that they need to shut down their smaller nuclear power plant in Brattleboro VT to remain financially soluble. This is a Mark 1 reactor, the same design as built by General Electric in Fukushima, Japan. The state of Vermont has accused Entergy of not having sufficient funds in escrow, as required by law, to decommission Vermont Yankee. A similar situation may exist for Indian Point according to our sources.

Remy Chevalier, director of Rock The Reactors, founded in 2006 to enlist the participation of the arts and fashion community in the fight to shut down Indian Point, feels residents of Fairfield County, who live and work in the Indian Point 50-mile evacuation zone, should have a say in their future.

Riverkeeper and other local environmental organizations are in the courts fighting to prevent the NRC from awarding Indian Point a renewed operating license which would allow Indian Point to continue playing Russian Roulette with the lives of 20 million people for another 20 to 40 years, or until an accident permanently shuts down the plant.

Riverkeeper has demonstrated that Indian Point only provides a small portion of electricity to New York City and New York's 19th district, comprising Westchester, Orange, Rockland, Putnam and Dutchess counties. Electricity today can easily be made up through conservation, improved technologies like LEDs, and alternative energy generation like solar or wind.

Rock The Reactors and the Green Party of Connecticut ask that our local representatives in Fairfield County raise their voices in opposition to the relicensing of the Indian Point nuclear power plant in solidarity with our neighbors in New York.

Contact:

Remy Chevalier
Green Party state senate candidate

Environmental Library Fund
25 Newtown Turnpike

Weston CT 06883

203-227-2065
remyc@prodigy.net

www.rockthereactors.com

David Bedell

Green Party state representative candidate

Secretary, Fairfield County Green Party

116 New Norwalk Road

New Canaan, CT  06840

203-581-3193

dbedellgreen@hotmail.com
www.ctgreenparty.org

Riverkeeper’s Galley Talks Indian Point

Geraldo Rivera Report On Indian Point With Riverkeeper

Indian Point Reveals Plans To Help Boost Horrid Public Image

What in the world has happened to Riverkeeper? In a recent article, "Indian Point reveals plan for changes, " Entergy promises $100 Million for PR work with local municipalities, tours to increase "buy in" with wary locals, increased emergency facilities to allay resident fears (and better cover their own bee-hinds in the event of a nuclear "incident"), education to replace skiddish nuke workers who, as a rule, don't actually care much for working in leaky, un-safe plants, and making the power plant's elevation and shrubbery look oh-so-purdy!

My word! Riverkeeper's commentary on the way this $100 Mill is being spent simply defies belief! Reportedly, according to the stated quote of Riverkeeper's program director for the Hudson River, "If Entergy wants to pay for this study and wants to spend more money to make improvements on the plant, it's hard to argue with that."

As I see it, even from 170 miles away? It's as easy as pie to argue with the self-serving types of so-called "improvements" Entergy plans on making! Just for starters? It would certainly be a nice gesture if Entergy would use that money instead to make reparations to the millions adversely affected by deadly radioactive contamination of the air, groundwater, Hudson River, and Atlantic Coast for more than four and one-half decades.

Next, while they're at it? Perhaps Entergy could consider putting a few more bucks into trying to stop the leaks under the second radioactive waste fuel pool that have been contaminating both the area's groundwater and the Hudson for an unknown number of years. Now mind you, I'm not saying there's an easy "fix" for this catastrophic enviro-disaster. I'm simply saying that some more money thrown in this direction might be better appreciated in the scheme of our grandchildren's futures than merely spending "improvement" monies on schooling new nuke workers, conducting nuclear plant tours (with accompanying "dosing" for kids on class and scout troop trips), beefing up community emergency response services, slapping on a coat of fresh paint for the building facade, and planting some viburnum and holly bushes to spruce up the grounds!

You see, when a corporation is permitted by the federal government to nuke a community? There are, out of necessity, some quite hefty costs the nukers must be made to pay. So when we're talking about "improvements?" We need instead to be talking about substantial remediation and reparations of such a magnitude that, in the blink of any eye... we've already blown the entire $100 Mill already!

Case in point is the high cost to human health by virtue of living near a nuclear power plant.

Environmental restoration aside, medical bills alone incurred via radioactive poisoning caused by venting and leaking of 3 reactors (and nuclear fuel pools) into the environment over 46 years within the NY-NJ-CT tri-state area are of a truly incalculable magnitude.

I mean, in as far as a nuked-out Hudson and greater NYC metropolitan area, with regard to our precious children who come down with asthma and leukemia, and our friends and family with their autoimmune and neuro-muscular system disorders, breast and pancreatic cancers? Can someone tell me how you even put a dollar amount on such "costs?"

No two ways around it. $100 Million ain't gonna even begun to cut it in terms of the types of "improvements" Entergy's going to have to come up with in order to made good on the damage to public health and environmental degradation and devastation Indian Point owners and operators have been steadily perpetrating since 1962.

Permission to forward to everyone in the greater NYC tri-state area. Certainly, if the local supposed watchdog group for the Hudson is going to applaud this horrid use of $100 Million? This fact needs to be broadcast far and wide as nothing more than the Public Relations boosting stunt it is... a purely CYA effort on the part of Entergy's public image efforts, undoubtedly in need of a pretty major overhaul!

And as far as so-called enviro groups implying these types of "improvements" are a positive thing in terms of the Hudson? Why, this is nothing more than a whitewashing of real "improvements" that are sorely, critically needed with regard to the devastation being caused every day by toxic, radioactive and life-destroying Indian Point routine operations.

Cathy Garge

Go Green Expo honors Riverkeeper

The New York Hilton was packed with hundreds of eco-chic dignitaries last night, affording the $500 a plate dinner prepared by famed TV chef Rachael Ray during the Go Green Expo Gala to benefit Riverkeeper and the Amazon Conservation Association.

Treehugger founder Graham Hill, vice president of Interactive Media for Planet Green, accepted an excellence in Environmental Awareness award on behalf David Zazlav, president and CEO of Discovery Communications.

Discovery is owned by NBC Universal Cable, which is 80 percent owned by General Electric. On June 4th, the Discovery Home channel will become Planet Green, a 24/7 environmental channel, available to 50 millions homes.

And there lies the irony… How can we possibly trust Riverkeeper to lead the fight to shut down Indian Point, the old leaky nuclear power plant on the Hudson river, when Riverkeeper is sleeping with the enemy? According the Nation, 59 percent of Treehugger readers are so desperate about climate change, they approve of nuclear power.

During the fashion show of Maggie Norris’s wonderful new eco-elegance collection, American’s Next Top Model judge Nigel Barker introduced a dozen conservationists walking down the runway. They were dressed the part, for the African bush, or neoprene diving suit, a couple branding machetes!

Yet, when it was Phillip Musegaas’s turn down the catwalk, the lawyer for Riverkeeper working on the Indian Point issue, he didn’t make much of an effort to celebrate the occasion. Phillip walked down the runway in his street clothes, not even holding a briefcase to look the part. Maybe it was last minute.

The audience cheered as Nigel Barker read Riverkeeper was stopping the relicensing of Indian Point. Nothing could be further from the truth. The work Riverkeeper has done to date hasn’t even made a dent in Entergy’s relicensing plans, because Riverkeeper is compromising at every turn, hording all the resources, and constantly dropping the ball.

Riverkeeper is receiving funds from the Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors, which also contributes to Exelon’s educational programs along with Indian Point poster boy Paul Newman! How can you possibly reconcile the two?

Alex Matthiessen of Riverkeeper, beneficiary for the evening, accepted an award from Go Green Expo. He spoke at length about issues facing the Hudson river as guests dug in their plates, conversations drowning out his speech. Alex mentioned Indian Point again, which got another rise out of the audience.

New Yorkers want to see Indian Point shut down… it’s a ticking time bomb. All this wonderful green work won’t amount to a hill of beans if something goes wrong at the plant. Are all the incidents worth the measly 2000 Mw of electrical power which could easily be replaced with a state funded door to door LED light bulb replacement program? Why hasn’t Riverkeeper embraced LEDs as an alternative to Indian Point, when Mayor Bloomberg is installing LEDs all over New York!

LEDs have been Rock The Reactors’s strategy ever since the organization came into existence in April of 2006, when model Betcee May posed in front of Indian Point, becoming the most downloaded model with nuclear power plant workers. Betcee is currently featured in GQ magazine this month licking Iron Man’s face! So what is Riverkeeper waiting for? What bigger cue does Riverkeeper need to understand the role the New York fashion community needs to play in the shut down of Indian Point?

Riverkeeper and Discovery had both Graham Hill and famous green super model Summer Rayne Oakes sitting at their table. And yet, the true architects of this fashion campaign to shut down Indian Point, Rock The Reactors and Green Nuclear Butterfly were not invited to the party.

Could it be because GE is stopping Chinese LED bulbs from being unloaded at the docks, claiming patent infringement? Could it be because shutting down Indian Point could spell an immediate end to GE’s plans for an all-nuclear Navy, something Congressman John Hall voted in favor?

John Hall and I made a deal prior to his election. He shook on it with me in front of witnesses. I would help his campaign by bringing Fairfield County attention to Indian Point. We did this when the Green Party endorsed Diane Farrell’s congressional bid against Chris Shays, in exchange for Diane’s support shutting down Indian Point. John Hall in turn, agreed that the day we shut down Indian Point, Betcee May would pull the plug, in a Marilyn Monroe moment.

Facts and figures will not shut down Indian Point. The time for debate is over. Either you want to see Betcee flip the switch, or you don’t. That’s the campaign, that’s Rock The Reactors. LEDs are where we get the replacement power, which is what the governor promised! We probably already made up for it with conservation by now, had Spitzer started the countdown clock the day he stepped into office.

How did the New York Post, a newspaper which supports the relicensing of Indian Point, agree to a 28 page center pull-out section for Planet Green and Go Green Expo? This writer is baffled by the hypocrisy of the situation. What kinds of unholy alliance could possibly be going on, that would make for the Go Green Expo gala to both, advocate the shut down of Indian Point, while at the same time be in business with companies perpetuating its operation. This same evening, another receptacle of the Go Green award was no other than Con Edison CEO Kevin Burke!

The Go Green Expo has created awfully strange dynamics, by finally bringing the fight to shut down Indian Point to the New York fashion community, but at the same time, bring it to them in care of the same people who want to keep the plant open! How much were the people in that room really aware of the dangers that loom only 25 miles North up river, the tireless networking, the years put in by volunteers… all to no avail.

To the audience at the Go Green ceremony, Indian Point was but a tiny fraction of the proceedings. “Good issue” to quote Robert Kennedy Jr. who was not in attendance that evening. In the room, many people working both side of the fence, trying to have their cake and eat it to, wanting a green future for New York and its surrounding communities, while at the same time continue to live in the shadow of an environmental time bomb.

There is no compromise. You cannot promote a green life style, while at the same time stay idle, and do nothing, or make believe you are doing something, in regard to the presence of Indian Point on the Hudson.

Summer Rayne Oakes writes about the questionable sense for building new nuclear power plants on Treehugger, yet now she sits on the board of advisors of a GE owned company, Discovery's Planet Green. She has been all too silent about what should concern her most, the nuclear power plant 25 miles from where she lives.

How is raising money for Riverkeeper, which stole the grassroots from Rock The Reactors and Green Nuclear Butterfly, helping all those who did the heavy lifting with barely enough resources to get by. Does the Hudson river belongs to the Rockefellers, the Hearsts, and the Kennedys? They feel Indian Point is their business, and win or lose, they don’t appreciate outsiders coming in telling them what to do or what to think.

Riverkeeper is the caretaker of the river. So as long as Alex at Riverkeeper keeps telling the public they’re trying to shut down Indian Point, we have it all under control, we’ll take care of it… nothing happens, and the plant will get its brand new license, go on operating for another 20 years, maybe 40 years, spewing radioactive waste in the air, the ground water… or God forbid, something worse.

It’s hard to celebrate the greening of New York at a Go Green Expo knowing it’s making deals with companies on both sides of this issue, giving awards to environmentalists working for good companies owned by bad companies… what possible future can these strange bedfellows bring, other than the self-perpetuating error of our ways, which has resulted in the near collapse of our biosphere.

Sure organic cotton and natural cosmetics are all the rage on 7th avenue. I should know, I helped bring it all about. But it’s not enough, that’s just fashion… fashion can save the world, if you let it. That’s what GE is terrified of, a world where emotion and doing the right thing threatens their bottom line. A world where an environmental nightclub, home away from home for Earth First! can give birth to an Eco-Saloon which in turn gives birth to Green Order, which developed the GE Ecomagination campaign.

In a few days, Planet Green launches, benefiting from the work of so many who have wished for such a channel on TV. There have been dozens of failed attempts over the years to bring a 24/7 environmental network into existence, millions squandered. The powers that be did not want it. Yet now, the powers that be seem to have embraced the green message, rich or poor we breathe the same air.

How can we possibly entrust those families who for over a century have caused and perpetuated environmental devastation only now to make entertainment out of it? How can we possibly entrust Planet Green to General Electric, when so much of their profits come from the sale of nuclear technology?

I wonder if Summer Rayne Oakes, Graham Hill, and all the good folks at Treehugger, think about this… ponder it… wonder how they are possibly going to be able to grow the message, grow the green revolution, while cradled in the hands of the nuclear dragon.

There might be a key to all this, and it might be traveling around in a green bio-diesel eco-salon spa bus on the streets of Los Angeles… a feature story about the Earth Liberation Front… ELLE magazine getting punked… and a little farm called Camp Hill, a few miles down wind from Indian Point.

To quote Annie Wilson, energy committee chair of the Sierra Club’s Atlantic chapter: “You can’t shut down Indian Point without shutting down the entire nuclear power industry. They have it rigged that way.”

RiverKeeper Behind Times...Raises Paste and Cut Issue

Greetings Readers:

First, do apologize for having been out of site, and out of mind for well over a week here, but afraid that the flu bug took a serious bite out of me...still not up and running 100 percent, but am slowly getting back in action. Since we missed our deadline for the BAA's (Baboon Ass Awards) we will be posting those this coming Monday...the day my own beloved Ohio State plays for the National Championship.

The big news out on the street yesterday and today is the filing of a Petition to halt the licensing process until there is an investigation of the NRC's cut and paste licensing process. Well GEE, correct me if I am wrong, but both FUSE USA and Green Nuclear Butterfly brought this issue to the light of day LAST SUMMER, pointed out, and provided proof that numerous LRA and SER's contained identical language? So nice to know that Riverkeeper invited us to SIGN ON to said petition...NOT. Guess they want every one thinking it was their BRILLIANT research that uncovered this? Be honest folks, they had to wait for the IG's report, Sherwood Martinelli discovered it ALL ON HIS OWN before the IG's findings were announced.

Meanwhile, on another front, we have it from GOOD SOURCES, that the NRC is being awfully quiet about FUSE USA's latest round of filings, and that they are desparately looking for a way to TOSS THEM out of the mix. God forbid they have access to some of the crap that is going to come out in the hearing process! Who knows what they might do with such sensitive information...LIKE MAKE IT PUBLIC!

Friday
January 4, 2008

http://www.midhudsonnews.com/News/IP_Rvkpr-04Jan08.html

Copyright © 2008 Mid-Hudson News Network, a division of Statewide News Network, Inc.
This story may not be reproduced in any form without express written consent.

Citizens groups file petition to halt NRC relicensing review

Tarrytown – The Riverkeeper organization Thursday joined regional and national nuclear watchdog groups in petitioning the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to suspend current license renewal proceedings for the Indian Point, Oyster Creek, Pilgrim and Vermont Yankee nuclear power plants until what it calls “an objective and independent investigation” is conducted into the current license renewal process.

The petition is in response to an NRC Regulatory Commission Office of the Inspector General audit in September 2007 which found the NRC staff failed to verify the authenticity of technical safety information in over 97 percent of the renewal applications audited by OIG; and NRC staff reviewers routinely ‘cut and pasted’ whole sections of the renewal application text into their own safety reviews, rather than write their own evaluations.

Most recently, Entergy Nuclear Northeast submitted its application for a 20-year license extension of the Indian Point nuclear power plant in Buchanan. Riverkeeper and New York State have petitioned to intervene in the relicensing proceedings, raising a number of issues ranging from safety and security to environmental impacts.

“For years, Riverkeeper has been gravely concerned about the NRC’s lackluster approach to regulating the nuclear industry,” notes Lisa Rainwater, Riverkeeper’s Policy Director. “The results of the NRC Inspector General’s internal investigation confirm what Riverkeeper and other nuclear watchdog groups have been saying all along--the NRC is rubberstamping license renewal applications and failing to verify that these plants will be run safely during a twenty-year license extension. This cavalier approach to public safety must end.”

Riverkeeper’s announcement and claims “are more fear-mongering and name calling by Riverkeeper,” said Paul Steidler, director of Communications for the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance. “At the end of the day the NRC has an excellent track record. In more than 50 years of operation no worker or member of the public has ever died because of radiological missteps at a commercial U.S. nuclear power plant. If Riverkeeper has specific scientific or engineering concerns about Indian Point or any other plant, they should bring these to the attention of the NRC first, and save fear mongering press releases for later.”

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. founder of Riverkeeper, NOT!

New York Post

Page Six
Wed Jan 2, 08

Ready To Run ROBERT Kennedy Jr. has reportedly become an adviser to Russian President Vladimir Putin on cleaning up the environment. Kennedy, now in Aspen with his family, is said to have offered Putin his expertise in cleaning up the terrible pollution in Russia during a trip to Moscow last year. The founder of Riverkeeper also told restaurateur Nello Balan he's interested in running for Sen. Hillary Clinton's seat when it becomes vacant. Kennedy is convinced that if Clinton doesn't win the presidency, she'll quit the Senate when her term expires and join the private sector.

+++

This from members of RockNet and IndianPointSEC list servs:

Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., was NOT and is NOT the founder of Riverkeeper. The founder was and is Robert H. Boyle, author of The Hudson River, A Natural and Unnatural History. In June of 2000, Boyle and eight other directors of the organization,resigned in protest after Kennedy's puppets voted, at Kennedy's insistence, to hire William Wegner, a federally convicted environmental felon (for eight years the smuggling ringleader of protected Australian cockatoo eggs), income tax cheat and perjurer, as Riverkeeper's "chief scientist." For further information, check the Internet.

Best wishes,
Anthony Henry Smith

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Anthony Henry Smith is correct in each and every point he makes about Robert F. Kennedy.
Last summer I witnessed a TV interview at a sports event with Kennedy, a young son in tow.

After noting how long the interviewer and Kennedy had known each other, she stated that Kennedy had started Riverkeeper 20 years ago. He agreed, nodded and smiled.

We know who started Riverkeeper because we know the work of Riverkeeper’s Robert Boyle. His book, the Hudson River, a natural and unnatural history (Norton) was a seminal work in the environmental movement, locally, regionally and world-wide.

Riverkeeper’s website statement on its history reads
Our History
“Since 1966, Riverkeeper and its predecessor organization have been watchdogs for the health and protection of the Hudson River.” A clarifying statement from Riverkeeper could correct the disparity in Riverkeeper’s history.

Happy New Year to all,

Peter Rostenberg

+++

If Al Gore invented the Internet, why can't Bobby be the founder of Riverkeeper? ;o)

Giving Credit To Standard Bearers in Indian Point Battle

This has been a very emotional week for Green Nuclear Butterfly, and our grassroots group, FUSE USA. Due to some horrific rookie mistakes on the part of Susan Shapiro in filing our many FUSE USA petitions with the NRC, every single one of our contentions were dismissed and set aside. I do not feel the NRC, and the Atomic Safety Board (a bias pro nuclear board if one ever existed) acted fairly in their unilateral decision, but I also cannot argue with their belief that a licensed attorney at law like Susan Shapiro should have known better, should have known the basic steps required to execute a Certificate of Service, and see that all parties were adequately served. Oh well, water over the bridge, and in the fight to close Indian Point, we here at GNB, and over at FUSE USA simply do not have time to cry over spilt milk.

Pulling a 48 hour stretch, FUSE USA revamped our contentions, and filed them with the NRC early this morning with a proper Certificate of Service to all parties. Further, hard copies of said filings are being mailed First Class delivery to all parties of record as of the time of the filing early this morning. We also made sure to include our Notice of Appearance, so it seems we have all our I's dotted, and T's crossed. If we missed one or two, one would hope that the NRC and the Atomic Safety Board would do what is in the best interest of Public Health and Safety, rather than kowtowing to NEI and the nuclear industry, and give us a chance to fix minor errors, rather than simply trying to deny us our rightful involvement in the process...however, we will not hold our breath waiting for said board to DO THE RIGHT THING.

That being said, lets go on the record here. FUSE USA, Green Nuclear Butterfly and Sherwood Martinelli want to let it be known, that the NRC's rules and regulations have been deliberately set up to see citizens fail. Neither NRC, nor the nuclear industry want us actively involved in the process, so they hold AVERAGE CITIZENS to the SAME STANDARDS that licensed attorneys are held to. That is WRONG. Further, by holding average citizens, and small unfunded or under funded grassroots organizations to the same standards as attorneys, raises a serious Environmental Justice issue. A community's right to redress and representation in the process should not be curtailed, even eliminated because of a lack of money. Complicated procedural rules in the Licensing Renewal Hearing process that can only be understood by high priced attorneys does exactly that...denies poor unfunded or under funded citizens and grassroots organizations our voice in the process. As a perfect example, FUSE USA is having to spend money we do not have refiling our petitions. We are talking thousands of pages of printing has to be paid for, several hundreds of dollars in postage has to be covered. Unlike Entergy, we do not have a multi-million dollar budget to work with, are facing a real hardship in having to resubmit our documents. The board should be ASHAMED of itself for caving into Entergy's back room demands, carefully presented publicly to avoid any appearance of wrongdoing in their Motion To Strike that was inconveniently filed on the Eve of Thanksgiving.

FUSE USA had our contentions tossed out, not because they did not have merit, not because they failed to raise serious health, safety and environmental issues that are or should be in scope, but on technicalities. Entergy, and other key players (such as NY AREA, and the New York City Economic Development Corporation) want us out of the game, want to sink our small row boat before we even get fully into the water. That is not the intent of the Intervention Process, but it sadly is the reality. Those with the most money, the shrewdest attorney almost always win. Contentions that should be heard and that are worthy of further review because they were not worded EXACTLY RIGHT. That is WRONG.

We all know this is an uphill fight, and we know that our side is outgunned. Entergy has a $40 million dollar war chest, and some of the finest demon spawn attorneys from hell that money can buy. Couple this with Entergy, and the nuclear industry's (NEI) multi-million dollar propaganda campaign, and it is obvious that our side has the deck STACKED AGAINST US. That's OK, we here at GNB and FUSE USA like being the dark horse, the long shot in a star filled field.

So, let's applaud some of the Standard Bearers in the fight to "Close Indian Point", acknowledge those that are marching us into the Valley of Death.

Today, Nancy Burton of Mothball Millstone weighed into the fight, and we could not ask for a more seasoned veteran. Millstone, much like Vermont Yankee and Entergy's decaying Indian Point represents one of the most despicable and unsafe facilities in the entire American Nuclear Fleet of decrepit reactors. Never giving up, fighting against overwhelming odds, Nancy Burton this week was able to argue her issues before Connecticut's Highest Court. She's a trooper, and glad to know she is going to be in this fight to the bitter end.

Flanking her in this David verse Goliath on steroids fight is Westchester County Commissioner Andy Spano...now, I have to admit to having some differences with Andy Spano (do not like his robo dialer). So, when we here at GNB state that he is a serious warrior that has his heart in the right place where Indian Point is concerned, we hope it carries a LOT OF WEIGHT. He understands what is involved for our community, understands that Indian Point MUST BE CLOSED. He has been in this fight for a long time, was been battling Indian Point in the courts long before Entergy filed their License Renewal Application. Unlike Hillary Clinton, Maurice Hinchey, Nita Lowey, and sadly, even John Hall, Andrew Spano is willing to take a stand, and is DOING EVERYTHING HE CAN to shut down an unsafe nuclear facility. For that, he has the respect of GNB, and FUSE USA.

The State Attorney Generals of numerous states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Vermont deserve credit for their involvement in this and other fights to close down dangerous reactors. Groups like NIRS, WISE and Mothers For Peace all deserve a standing ovation. NEC up in Vermont is another dedicated group of warriors that are giving Entergy a serious battle, and as the old saying goes, "It ain't over till the fat lady sings."

There are other groups, well funded groups that should and must do more, have been far to silent so far in this battle. With Kennedy's recent endorsement of Hillary Clinton (who has taken BIG MONEY from Entergy and NEI donors), Riverkeeper needs to publicly DISTANCE THEMSELVES from Kennedy, as he is betraying the cause, is not being the stand up player that he should be in this fight. Further, we here at GNB hope that Riverkeeper and Clearwater when they file their contentions have not narrowed their fight to a very small group of contentions doomed to failure, not really aimed at closing down the aging, dangerous Indian Point facility. They get the LION's SHARE of the GREEN DONATIONS, and as organizations with the most, it is right to expect them to be doing the most. It is fundamentally wrong for Riverkeeper to be holding a Donor's breakfast at the home of the Rockefeller Fund, and DENYING other grassroots organizations a SEAT AT THE TABLE. God forbid that some of the smaller groups that are in this fight steal a crumb or two of support from one of their donors!

This more than any other License Renewal fight is a defining moment, will decide the path we as a community, and a nation will travel. So far, the NRC has wrongfully granted 48 reactor operators a License Renewal over community objections. However, with the gallant efforts of the folks up in Brattleboro, with Mothers For Peace stunning victory in the Ninth Circuit Court, the tide has begun to turn. Respected leaders are now speaking out AGAINST GNEP, and average citizens are beginning to realize that nuclear is not as safe and green as the industry tries to make us believe it is. If we stop the License Renewal of Indian Point, there is a good chance we stop the Nuclear Renaissance train from leaving the station, and that is a fight we need to all be involved in. For ourselves, and for our children, License Renewal for Indian Point must be stopped at all cost.

This is a "All Hands on Deck" movement, and we need every boat in the water if we are going to have a chance of killing the nuclear giant that is Entergy. So, to the real leaders in this movement, a heartfelt thank you as we all prepare to march into a battle that is going to get very ugly.

The plot thickens... Robert Kennedy Jr. & Paul Newman have their eyes on the same Connecticut Theatre!!!

OK, you're not going to beleive this... Things were weird, things just got weirder.

I'm sitting here a couple of weeks ago thinking to myself, where can I host Rock The Reactors shows... Nuke Free and Clearwater only think in terms of folk music, yet I'm an old heavy metal horse, and Sherwood's been to 200 Dead shows... (OK, that explains a lot!)

See, Wetlands was a Deadhead hang out... Although I installed all the environmental activities at the club, it's never been where my musical heart was... I grew up at the feet of Black Sabbath... I'm into what they call "industrial", basically instrumental metal... which is pretty close to classical in appreciation, but to most people who haven't developed the sensibility, just sounds like noise... it's an acquired taste, it's not for everyone... it's basically where you end up once you've exhausted every other emotional avenue.

But I digress... I'm thinking, here we are, Entergy has its own theatre in Peekskill, the Paramount, where they won't allow anti-nuclear musicians. It's not uncommon. GNB has since discovered the nuclear power industry is invested in many local live music theatres, which is why a band like Phish would only donate anonymously to the New England Coalition working to shut down Vermont Yankee, because they were afraid their anti-nuclear activism would black list them from too many live venues.

So why can't the anti-nuclear forces have their own stage somewhere, where parts and proceeds of the performances could go to fund anti-nuclear efforts, like Wetlands did... except Wetlands happened prior to the anti-nuke revival, because no new nukes were being built, and everybody had given up trying to shut down all the old ones... the sea was calm, let sleeping dogs lie... until NuStart and the relicensing period... threw the whole shebang into high gear again.

So willy nilly, quite innocently in fact, I seek out a meeting with the new owner of the old Globe Theatre in Norwalk, via a mutual friend, a local real estate agent who has been trying to help the Environmental Library Fund find a permanent home for its collection.

I meet with co-owner Andy Kydes at his favorite Greek restaurant, Ambrosia in Norwalk... we shoot the shit about the future of the theatre... He wants to put in condos... God awful idea... I try to demonstrate to him that the building as a theatre is still a very viable formula... it just needs a little tender loving care and nurturing.

He has me draft a short proposal he could show to his partner... introduced me to the leader of the local neighborhood block association, Christien A. Ducker, the owner of the Flow of Art gallery, who seems to share my dream of seeing the theatre light up again. I start to do my homework a little bit... and guess what I find out?

Andy bought the theatre last year for 1.3 million... the place is a mess, a disaster area inside... I'm told there's asbestos needs cleaning out, bathrooms were trashed, it's being used as storage for an antique store. It's structurally sound, but years of piss poor use by unscrupulous promoters ransacked the place... no wonder the new owners don't want to be bothered, they just want to blow windows through the brick face and rent out luxury condos.

They do want to preserve the facade, that's at least something...

But this doesn't fare well with my desire to promote a few metal shows there, so I can raise money for FUSE USA, and other worthy anti-nuclear organizations, organizations that won't sell out to two-face politicians or play nice with Entergy stock holders! So I jam my foot in the door... network the locals.

This large "green" development company, Poko, plans to build 300+ low-income dwellings on the whole city block, wants to acquire the theatre... claim they want to restore it. I'm inclined to beleive their intent because the Music Theatre of Connecticut (MTC) tells me they've already spent $30.000 on a theatre feasibility study with Poko.

Get this... MTC is currently running their theatrical productions in the basement of the same building as the business office of Newman's Own in Westport, CT... it's a fair bet to assume, extrapolate, that this theatrical company wouldn't be welcome in the basement of Paul Newman's building if they weren't in his good graces. MTC claims they already have commitments of $10 million to restore, rehabilitate the Globe Theatre, so it's easy to see, after the successful reconstruction of the Westport Country Playhouse, where some of that money might be coming from.

This is where it gets really interesting... I looked up the head of PR for Poko developers... Lorraine Gimblett, and would you beleive, she's the marketing director for Keeper Springs, the bottled water company founded by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.!!! And who is partner with Robert on his venture other than John Hoving, the development director of Riverkeeper who put Riverkeeper on the map as a high powered environmental organization.

This begs the question, are Robert Kennedy Jr. & Paul Newman working to acquire the Globe Theatre together, wanting to restore this amazing old vaudeville house, to rehabilitate it as a music hall? If that's indeed the case, how do these two sit at the same table, when one claims he wants to shut down Indian Point, and the other is being paraded around as Entergy's pro-relicensing poster boy?

Interesting dynamics, don't you think? Remember, it was the metal band Heart who saved Radio City!

Summer Rayne Oakes & Robert Kennedy Jr.'s Masquerade

Watch an interview with Summer Rayne Oakes at the Riverkepeer Masquerade ball by Curtiss Martin:

VIDEO

Comment by Curtiss:

"On a personal note, I was absolutely floored when Summer Rayne Oakes mentioned mycoremediation within the context of our conversation. Did she know that mycoremediation has been on my mind ever since I saw Paul Stamets lecture on his experiments with Battelle and DARPA? Or is she simply in good company amongst her fellow myco-fiends?"

See pictures from the event on the FameGame and FilmMagic websites.

View the invitation.

(The use of cameras was not permitted at the event, which explains the lack of media coverage.)

6 Pages about Indian Point in Fall 07 Riverkeeper magazine

Indian Point Campaign.

Unpeeling the Layers:
Understanding Entergy’s Latest Media Tactics.
Reenergizing New York with Governor Spitzer Leading the Way.
Environmental Review, Terrorism and Indian Point.


By Lisa Rainwater & Renee Cho contributing to this article.

PDF... starts on page 19.

IPSEC MEMBER ORGANIZATIONS

IPSEC is a non-partisan coalition comprised of citizen, health, environmental, and public interest groups. While IPSEC works closely with elected officials - at the local, state, and federal level - elected officials are not part of IPSEC.

Beacon Sloop Club
Bergen County Greens
Bronx River Research Group
Cancer Awareness Coalition
CAN DO (Citizens Against Nuclear Energy – Dobbs Ferry)
Chappaqua Against Nuclear Generated Energy (CHANGE)
Children's Health Fund
Citizens Awareness Network
Citizens for Safe Energy
CODE PINK NYC
Communities United For Responsible Energy
Council on Intelligent Energy & Conservation Policy
Croton Close Indian Point Group
Earth Save Long Island
Environmental Advocates of New York
Federated Conservationists of Westchester Co, Inc.
Fishkill Ridge Community Heritage
Friends of the Earth
Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (GRACE)
Greenpeace
Healthy Schools Network
Ironbound Community Corporation
Connie Hogarth Center for Social Action
Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc.
Irvington Neighbors Against Indian Point
KLEAN NYC
Long Island Peacesmiths
Mid Island Radiation Alert
New York City Campaign to Close Indian Point
New York City Environmental Justice Alliance
New York City SAFE (Seeking Alternatives for the Environment)
New York City Women's Action for New Directions
New York City Physicians for Social Responsibility
New York Climate Rescue
New York Public Health Association
New York Public Interest Research Group (NYPIRG)
Nuclear Control Institute
Nuclear Free Hudson
Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS)
Orange Environment, Inc.
Pace Energy Project
Philipstown League for the Environment and Safe Energy (PLEASE)
Public Citizen's Critical Mass Energy and Environment Program
Putnam Citizens Awareness Network
Rock The Reactors
Rockland Citizens Awareness Network
Rockland Coalition to Close Indian Point
Rockland County Civic Association
Rockland County League of Women Voters
Rockland County Conservation Association
Saw Mill River Audubon
Sierra Club – Atlantic Chapter
Sierra Club – Hudson-Meadowlands Group
Sierra Club – Lower Hudson Group
Scenic Hudson
Sprayno Coalition
Sound Shore Safe Energy Advocates (SSSEA)
STAR Foundation (Standing for Truth About Radiation)
Stony Point Action Committee for the Environment (SPACE)
Sustainable South Bronx
Walkabout Clearwater Chorus
Waterkeeper Alliance
Westchester Citizens Awareness Network
Westchester Green Party, Northwest
WESPAC Foundation
Westchester SAFE (Seeking Alternatives for the Environment)
Westchester Residents Advocating for Improved Neighborhoods (WRAIN)
Yorktown Close Indian Point Group

From:
http://www.ipsecinfo.org/ipsec_member_organizations.htm

State wants Indian Point reviewed as if it were new

By GREG CLARY
THE JOURNAL NEWS
(Original publication: November 2, 2007)

Before Indian Point can extend its license to operate through 2035, federal regulators must evaluate the Buchanan nuclear plant as if it were applying for the first time, state environmental officials said yesterday.

Lawyers for the state Department of Environmental Conservation demanded that the current review be rejected as too generic and that factors such as emergency planning, the potential for terrorism attacks and earthquakes be looked at in depth.

"The environmental review requirements of federal law did not fully analyze or review the adverse environmental impacts of operation of these nuclear generating facilities when they were issued the original licenses," the DEC wrote in 19 pages of comments filed with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

"The State of New York requests that the NRC conduct a full and thorough environmental review and will participate in every facet of that process," the DEC said.

Indian Point 2 was approved for its license in 1973 and Indian Point 3 in 1975; those run out in 2013 and 2015, respectively. Under current law, the NRC considers two major factors when evaluating whether a reactor that has reached the end of its 40-year operating license should be granted a 20-year extension:

- The environmental impacts of keeping the plant open.
- The operator's plans for managing aging infrastructure at the site.

The Environmental Protection Agency made similar demands this week when it weighed in on Indian Point's license renewal, but didn't ask for an evaluation that started from scratch.

NRC officials have basically said thanks, but no thanks, on the requests for tighter restrictions, noting that many of the issues raised are either reviewed continually or were evaluated before the plants opened.

"We've received the comments from New York state," said agency spokesman Neil Sheehan. "The NRC will respond to the comments as part of the scoping process."

Sheehan said the agency has already approved 48 of the country's 104 reactors using the relicensing guidelines.

Setting the bar higher for Indian Point to continue generating about 2,000 megawatts of electricity has been discussed since before Entergy Nuclear announced plans to seek 20-year extensions for Indian Point 2 and 3, nearly a year ago.

In February, Westchester County Executive Andrew Spano went to federal court after the NRC denied his request for tougher criteria, including population growth in the region.

Others joined the call for tighter restrictions, including Rockland County and the state.

The case is pending, though Westchester County lawmakers are balking at the cost of pursing the legal challenge and want to leave it to the state's bigger posse of lawyers and deeper pockets.
Indian Point officials said they're willing to go into detail on any of the environmental issues facing the plant, to make the case to residents of the Hudson Valley for turning nuclear fuel into the region's electricity.

"If we didn't address the environmental concerns to the satisfaction of the regulators on an ongoing basis, we wouldn't be allowed to operate now, let alone for another 20 years," Entergy spokesman Jim Steets said.

Riverkeeper officials say, however, that the state is on the right road with its detailed concerns.

"Riverkeeper shares New York's serious concerns regarding terrorism, emergency evacuation failures, nuclear waste and the damage to Hudson River fish populations caused by Indian Point's outdated cooling system," said Phillip Musegaas, a policy analyst with the environmental group. "The NRC can no longer rely in good faith on an outdated, generic environmental study that ignores these critical issues in order to streamline the relicensing process for Entergy's benefit. The citizens of New York deserve better."

Reach Greg Clary at gclary@lohud.com or 914-696-8566.

NYC Wants Say on Indian Point

NYC Asks to Intervene in Indian Point Relicensing

October 16, 2007

(Associated Press) - New York City, which counts on the electricity provided by the Indian Point nuclear power plants but could be vulnerable in a reactor attack or accident, wants a say in whether the plants can stay open for 20 more years.

Without taking a position, but stating that the decision "will affect the welfare of all New Yorkers," the city has filed a request to intervene in the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's relicensing process.

"The city has a clear interest in potential public health and safety issues associated with the issue of relicensure, notably in ensuring the safety of its food and water supplies," says the petition, signed by Vice President Michael Delaney of the city's Economic Development Corp.

"In addition, there is a continued need for the provision of lower-cost electric power to residential and commercial customers in New York City."

The public safety argument is often used by opponents of the Indian Point plants; the cheap electricity argument is often used by supporters. The petition was dated Oct. 1 and made public Tuesday by the NRC.

A call to Delaney was not immediately answered.

Entergy Nuclear, owner of the two Indian Point plants in Buchanan, 35 miles north of midtown Manhattan, has applied for new licenses that would allow the plants to run until 2033 and 2035.

Many of the groups that have been trying to close Indian Point since the 2001 terrorist attacks are now trying to block the relicensing.

The nuclear plants have been plagued with recent problems ranging from radioactive water leaks to balky emergency sirens to a guard caught sleeping. Opponents have long believed that the densely populated suburbs around the plants could not be quickly evacuated.

Entergy spokesman Jim Steets said, "It's sensible for New York City to take an interest, since their public buildings and infrastructure _ subways, schools, firehouses, streetlights, airports _ rely on Indian Point power."

NRC spokesman Neil Sheehan said the city's request would be forwarded to the Atomic Safety and Licensing Board, a quasi-judicial body which will assess the city's standing.

He said intervention is ordinarily granted only to those who take a position against relicensing, but sometimes a government agency "can be a party to proceeding without being an active participant."

Others who have asked to intervene include an anti-Indian Point group, Friends United for Sustainable Energy, and a pro-Indian Point industry group, the New York Affordable Reliable Electricity Alliance.

Michael J. Delaney, Esq.
Vice President – Energy Regulatory Affairs
New York City Economic Development Corporation
110 William Street, 4th Floor
New York, NY 10038
(212) 312-3787
mdelaney@nycedc.com

Top of page http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/apwire/bf93ba551df592a17644407bc44853be.htm

(Thanks to Lisa Rainwater, PhD, Policy Director Riverkeeper, Inc. for the head's up on this article. Lisa can be reached at 914-478-4501 http://www.riverkeeper.org)

Comments from Sherwood Martinelli:

I am actually very disturbed about what else was included in the article about the city of New York's filing for intervener status. Tucked in, almost as an after thought was the information that NY AREA has also asked to be accepted in as an intervener...further, it states that USUALLY only those who OPPOSE relicensing are granted such status.

This is a very alarming industry move that MUST BE OPPOSED. NY AREA is a super PRO-NUCLEAR group that was actually started and funded by Entergy...if they get status, every other group that Entergy has out there who supports Nuclear and/or Entergy is going to come in through that same door.

Sherwood
(914) 293 7458 or 734 1955

NRC Awards GNB an Extension

September 18, 2007

Mr. Sherwood Martinelli

351 Dyckman Street

Peekskill, New York 10566

Dear Mr. Martinelli:

The Commission has received your request to extend the time for filing petitions to intervene in the license renewal proceeding for Indian Point Nuclear Generating Unit Nos. 2 and 3. A Federal Register (FR) notice had set October 1, 2007, as the due date for petitions. See 72 FR 42134-42135 (August 1, 2007). In its discretion, the Commission has decided to extend that due date to November 30, 2007. A notice of this extension will be published in the Federal Register.

Sincerely,

Original signed by:

Annette L. Vietti-Cook

NRC

Comment from RemyC.

"Riverkeeper got the same letter. But this was the result of a processs started by Green Nuclear Butterfly to allow documents Sherwood Martinelli had requested from the DOE via a FOIA the time necessary to be included in the legal exploratory process. It was after Sherwood's initial request for an extension filed with the NRC, that Riverkeeper and other groups duplicated the effort.

This extention will allow Sherwood and Susan Shapiro, with their expert Ulrich Witte the opportunity to fully assemble our case within the 60 day extension period.

We here at Green Nuclear Butterfly will give credit where credit is due, and hope that Riverkeeper does the same. The hard work and timely filings of Sherwood Martinelli, Susan Shapiro and FUSE USA played a major role in this HUGE VICTORY, as did similiar filings from Riverkeeper, the State Attorney General, and four members of Congress led by Congressman John Hall. Kudos to all who played a part in making this victory possible."

click images to enlarge

New York Post Page 6 low-blow at Riverkeeper

Today's Page 6 wrote:

[[ Environmentalists at Riverkeeper have major egg on their faces. The watchdog group, which keeps an eye on Hudson River polluters, tried to fax a one-page press release to news outlets the other week, but a "technical glitch" had them sending 150 pages of unread able gobbledygook, which wasted reams of paper. "As an environmental organization, we were horrified," read a mass apology that wasted even more paper. ]]

That's too easy... How about last week when we were standing outside News Corp to deliver a letter from Helen Caldicott to Rupert Murdoch, and nobody, but nobody from the New York Post would bother to come down and accept it in person... we had to walk around the back, deliver it at the service window, while getting yelled at, intimidated and threatened with bodily harm by their security force!

The "only" reason they're making a story out of this silly fax business, is they KNOW were gaining on them, that sooner or later, they're going to have to mention Indian Point on Page 6, cause that's all 7th Avenue is talking about at this point... how a bunch of renegate green fashionistas have roped in the industry into grand opposition to relicensing...

It's a bitch hey, Richard, when a story gets so hot, management won't let you touch it, you have to resort to such low-blow tactics? Boo! Yeah, that's right... Richard... Boo... you'll know what that means soon enough... you won't resist it!

Write Page 6, let them know how ridiculous this swipe is, only camouflage for deeper woes.

Paula Froelich: pfroelich@nypost.com
Bill Hoffmann: bhoffmann@nypost.com
Richard Johnson: richard.johnson@nypost.com

Riverkeeper’s opposition to the development at Monteverde

From:
August E-Letter from Riverkeeper

Monteverde Success Story

Riverkeeper’s opposition to the development at Monteverde in the Town of Cortlandt has been successful.

Members of an informal coalition consisting of Riverkeeper, Scenic Hudson, Hudson Highlands Trust and Palisades Interstate Park Commission each wrote separately to the Department of Environmental Conservation’s Region 3 Director Willie Janeway, and the Town of Cortlandt, (cc’ing NYS Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Grannis), expressing strong opposition to the developement at Monteverde.

The coalition requested that the DEC act as lead agent in the SEQRA (State Environmental Quality Review Act) review of the large development. The development was to consist of a 39-room hotel (an area of 67,400 square feet including 20 spa treatment rooms) 50 separate hotel villas (each with 2 units and separate car port) and a 286-foot slip marina. The site is on an unusually beautiful and intimate stretch of the Hudson River and would have impacts on important scenic, historic and environmentally sensitive areas.

First, the DEC responded by writing to the Town of Cortlandt instructing it not to proceed as lead agency as the Town had already stated it planned to do. Then, at the next Planning Board meeting, the Town’s Planning Board told the developer it had decided it would not consider the developer's Petition to Rezone (which is needed for the project), and was putting together a resolution of “No Interest” -- further efforts on the plans submitted would be “futile.”

NRC's Inspector General Trying To Skew Audit?

Pick one...Mafia Hit man, Secret Service Agent, or Head of NRC's Office of Inspector General?...is there really a difference in any of the three?

So, the NRC's Office of Inspector General is coming town...Tarrytown to be more specific, in the name of doing a performance audit. Problem is, they seem bent on doing a skewed, even vulgar and obscene injustice in selecting a group of stakeholders who will be kinder and gentler towards the NRC staff performance than others. One has to be VERY SUSPECT when one of the included parties being interviewed for this audit is the NEI (Nuclear Energy Institute).

Having heard about the meeting(s), the Green Nuclear Butterfly went about trying to get a meeting with the NRC Office of Inspector General Staff to raise our own concerns and complaints about NRC processes, and oversight, or the lack thereof. We were met with NOTHING, and I do mean NOTHING. Calls were not returned, messages left on answering machines callously ignored. Today, after contacting the NRC Chairman's Office, as well as the office of Hubert Bell (could be called the DO NOTHING former Secret Service man collecting a pay check), Green Nuclear Butterfly was A) informed by Richard Barkley that the Office of Inspector General had no intentions of meeting with us for this audit, and B) we received a call from the Chairman's office promising email communication from the Office of The Inspector General outlining their reasons for refusing to meet with us...so far, still no communications from them. Despite our call to Hubert Bell's office, we have had no contact of any merit from the NRC Office of Inspector General, and as an aside, said office so far has also IGNORED some serious allegations we filed with their staff.

The NRC's Office of Inspector General is meeting with Riverkeeper on the morning of August 8th, and will be meeting with IPSEC in the afternoon...see Mannajo's letter below asking members of IPSEC Steer to send their concerns to her. (Why was this request for concerns not placed on the IPSEC list for all organizations to read and respond too?)

It's noted here, that reports have been coming in, that Mannajo has been using Clearwater's blocking ability to keep Green Nuclear Butterfly from being a full fledged member of both IPSEC, and of IPSEC STEER, which raises the ugly specter that she could deliberately pick and choose the concerns she wants presented to the NRC. Some would even go so far as to allege, that IPSEC's Petition To Intervene Sub-Committee has faltered as a result of her interference and petty jealousies, though the official word is that the IPSEC Steer Committee simply could not reach consensus at a hastily called meeting a few weeks ago, deciding instead to simply set everything aside until September of this year...just weeks before the filing deadline for Petitions To Intervene, creating the ugly possibility that IPSEC could be left out of the process. The good news, is that the sub committee's work has not been in vain, as FUSE USA has picked up where the sub committee left off, and our work continues on, though no longer under the umbrella of IPSEC.

The NRC has stated, that as a policy all Stakeholders are too be treated both fairly and equally in the process...sadly, that does not seem to be the case. NRC staff routinely gives certain stakeholders far more involvement in the process, far more access to staff that they give to others. Riverkeeper, and IPSEC if they want one, routinely have private meetings with NRC staff when they come into town. NEI has so much access and involvement in NRC day to day business that ones could call it collusion. One cannot be allowed to use the guise/excuse of limited resources to show prejudice behavior against particular anti-nuclear groups and or individuals. One cannot use the excuse of management preference to show favor towards one grassroots group over another. Yet, that is exactly what the NRC is doing, and in doing so, they are squelching public involvement, and skewing their own audit reports in a fashion that shows the NRC in its best light, rather than lettting facts on the ground see performance chips fall where they may.

Mannajo's Letter To IPSEC Steer

Riverkeeper is meeting on the morning of Aug. 8. Michel Lee and I are meeting at 1 p.m.

Please send me any information, concerns, questions you want us to bring up.

Many thanks.
Manna

Manna Jo Greene,

Environmental Director

Hudson River Sloop Clearwater

112 Market St.

Poughkeepsie, NY 12601

(845) 454-7673 x113 Fax: (845) 454-7953

mannajo@clearwater.org

Robert Kennedy Jr. on nukes!

"According to Terry Tamminen, former director of the California EPA, the true costs of our oil dependence run as high as $807 billion a year – or $2,700 for every U.S. citizen. If all the hidden costs that Americans currently pay for oil were reflected in the price at the pump, gasoline would cost more than $13 a gallon. In short, taxpayers and consumers are essentially giving the oil industry a subsidy of $10 for every gallon of gas sold in America. If we simply eliminated those subsidies and created a truly free market, renewable sources of energy would beat oil – as well as nuclear power and coal, which receive equally grotesque subsidies. It is only through these giant subsidies that gasoline has a prayer of competing with alternative sources such as biofuels and wind, which produce energy far more cleanly and efficiently, at far less cost."

Source:
http://www.robertfkennedyjr.com/articles.html

Rolling Stone
June 18, 2007

Kazuyuki Takemoto ~ I told you so!

Anti-Nuke Who's Who

Kazuyuki Takemoto: changing nuclear policy from the regions

By Noritomo Nagase*

The Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) is the largest NPP in the world, with 7 reactors and a total power output of 8,212 MWe. It was built by the largest electric power company in Japan, Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO).

Kashiwazaki City and Kariwa Village are located 250 km north west of the capital, Tokyo. The area has a population of 100,000 people and is surrounded by mountains and sea. It is mainly a region of paddy fields, but there was oil drilling there 100 years ago and some related machinery industry remains. The plan for a nuclear power plant was announced in 1969, just when agriculture began to decline.

Kazuyuki Takemoto was born in 1950, the oldest son of a farmer whose farm was near the NPP site. A farmer himself and also a technologist involved in agricultural construction, Kazuyuki is engaged in survey, planning and design work related to water and soil. He is also involved in flood response and post-earthquake recovery planning. He has opposed the NPP plan ever since it was announced, taking the view that "nuclear energy is dangerous and will ruin the local community". He has been campaigning now for over 35 years. During that period he was a local councilor for 6 terms, for a total of 24 years.

Besides protesting the all too frequent nuclear accidents, in 1979 the movement against the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa NPP initiated a lawsuit for the annulment of the plant's license. This lawsuit is still continuing. It has been campaigning against the pluthermal plan since 1997 and is also campaigning on the problem of electro-magnetic radiation associated with high voltage transmission cables.

More than 20 years have passed since the first reactor at Kashiwazaki commenced operations. Aging is a big issue and numerous cracks have appeared in the pipes and structural components of reactor cores. Kazuyuki is a key member of the movement, employing the wealth of knowledge he has picked up from experts to home in on TEPCO's weak points. Consequently, he is a very busy man.

Kariwa Village, where Kazuyuki lives, has a population of 5,000 people. One in every four families has a family member who makes his or her living at the NPP or at a related company. It is like a castle town, totally dependent on the castle, though in this case the castle is the NPP. But it was this same Kariwa Village which, in 2001, held a referendum and a majority voted against the pluthermal1 plan. This achievement was brought about by the joint efforts of many people within the movement.

Kazuyuki studied geology and seismology and in 1974 drew attention to the poor quality of the ground on which the NPP stands, pointing out that the NPP would not withstand a powerful earthquake. Ever since, he has been arguing with TEPCO, which built the plant, and the government, which approved the license, about the NPP's earthquake resistance. The Niigata Prefecture Chuetsu Earthquake occurred in October 2004. Now, the ability of the plant to withstand earthquakes has become the issue of greatest concern in the area. Recently, people working at the NPP have begun to give inside information to the anti-nuclear energy movement in Kashiwazaki and Kariwa. This is evidence that the movement, which has been campaigning for all these years, is trusted in the local area. The Kashiwazaki Kariwa anti-nuclear energy movement hopes to change nuclear policy from the regions. Kazuyuki Takemoto sees nuclear energy as war technology, which began with Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He believes that it is incompatible with human peace and environmental preservation. He is engaged in the movement against nuclear energy, because he believes that society must rid itself of nuclear energy as soon as it possibly can.

1. The term 'pluthermal' refers to the use of plutonium in the form of 'mixed oxide' (MOX) fuel in light water reactors.* Noritomo Nagase is a local councilor in Kariwa local council. He has worked with Kazuyuki Takemoto against the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant from the beginning.

CNIC
Citizens' Nuclear Information Center
Akebonobashi Co-op 2F-B, 8-5 Sumiyoshi-cho,
Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0065, Japan
TEL.03-3357-3800FAX.03-3357-3801
http://cnic.jp/english
cnic@nifty.com

Source:
http://cnic.jp/english/newsletter/nit111/nit111articles/whoswho111.html