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Why is That $50 Billion Radioactive Antique Toilet Still in the Stimulus Bill?
Feb 10, 2009
The infamous $50 billion nuke power loan guarantee package meant to use
your money to build new nuke reactors has gone missing from saturation
media coverage of Obama's Stimulus Package. But it's still in the
Senate version of the bill, it could be voted on this week, and it
could kill us all.
Like that $30,000 antique toilet that disappeared into the
banking bailout, the corporate media carries not a word about this
gargantuan handout to the dying reactor industry. All the hype about a
"nuclear renaissance" will come to naught without this massive taxpayer
handout. But if it goes through, the landscape could be pock marked
with lethal new nukes.
We have days---maybe hours---to stop it. While aid programs to
the states, for education and the truly needy are slashed, this
gargantuan boondoggle is poised to sail through with virtually no
public knowledge.
The loan guarantee package was slipped into the Senate version of the
Stimulus Bill by Senator Robert Bennet (R-UT) who proceeded to vote
against the overall package. It is not currently in the House version.
As the two bills are reconciled, armies of radioactive
lobbyists will be marching through the Halls of Congress. They know
Wall Street will never pay for new nukes, so that leaves...you and me!
The estimated price of building new reactors has nearly
tripled since the beginning of 2007. It is virtually certain to at
least double again before any new nuke could come on line, which could
not happen in less than a decade.
Reactors built from the 1960s to now came on line an average of 200%
and more over budget. A French-based reactor construction project in
Finland has soared more than $2 billion over budget and is more than
two years behind schedule. The Government Accountability Project warns
that at least half those who build new reactors are likely to plunge
into bankruptcy. To this day the industry cannot get private insurance
to cover the full potential liability of a reactor catastrophe.
But Bennett's maneuver, supported by Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) would
divert billions away from renewables and efficiency, and into these
failed terror targets.
Calls and letters are desperately needed to the Congressional
leadership---NOW!--- to flush this horrific boondoggle out of the
stimulus package. With White House pressure mounting to get it passed
this week, every minute counts.
Numerous major national environmental organizations offer
websites from which to sign on and send letters, including www.nirs.org
, www.beyondnuclear.org and www.nukefree.org. The Congressional phone
line is 202-224-3121 or (toll free) 800-962-3524.
Do not hesitate: the melt-down you prevent could otherwise kill you;
the money re-directed to green alternatives could save our planet...and
our economy.
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
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Harvey Wasserman
Harvey Wasserman is an activist and author. His first book "Harvey Wasserman's History of the United States" was published in 1972. Harvey edits www.nukefree.org.
The infamous $50 billion nuke power loan guarantee package meant to use
your money to build new nuke reactors has gone missing from saturation
media coverage of Obama's Stimulus Package. But it's still in the
Senate version of the bill, it could be voted on this week, and it
could kill us all.
Like that $30,000 antique toilet that disappeared into the
banking bailout, the corporate media carries not a word about this
gargantuan handout to the dying reactor industry. All the hype about a
"nuclear renaissance" will come to naught without this massive taxpayer
handout. But if it goes through, the landscape could be pock marked
with lethal new nukes.
We have days---maybe hours---to stop it. While aid programs to
the states, for education and the truly needy are slashed, this
gargantuan boondoggle is poised to sail through with virtually no
public knowledge.
The loan guarantee package was slipped into the Senate version of the
Stimulus Bill by Senator Robert Bennet (R-UT) who proceeded to vote
against the overall package. It is not currently in the House version.
As the two bills are reconciled, armies of radioactive
lobbyists will be marching through the Halls of Congress. They know
Wall Street will never pay for new nukes, so that leaves...you and me!
The estimated price of building new reactors has nearly
tripled since the beginning of 2007. It is virtually certain to at
least double again before any new nuke could come on line, which could
not happen in less than a decade.
Reactors built from the 1960s to now came on line an average of 200%
and more over budget. A French-based reactor construction project in
Finland has soared more than $2 billion over budget and is more than
two years behind schedule. The Government Accountability Project warns
that at least half those who build new reactors are likely to plunge
into bankruptcy. To this day the industry cannot get private insurance
to cover the full potential liability of a reactor catastrophe.
But Bennett's maneuver, supported by Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) would
divert billions away from renewables and efficiency, and into these
failed terror targets.
Calls and letters are desperately needed to the Congressional
leadership---NOW!--- to flush this horrific boondoggle out of the
stimulus package. With White House pressure mounting to get it passed
this week, every minute counts.
Numerous major national environmental organizations offer
websites from which to sign on and send letters, including www.nirs.org
, www.beyondnuclear.org and www.nukefree.org. The Congressional phone
line is 202-224-3121 or (toll free) 800-962-3524.
Do not hesitate: the melt-down you prevent could otherwise kill you;
the money re-directed to green alternatives could save our planet...and
our economy.
Harvey Wasserman
Harvey Wasserman is an activist and author. His first book "Harvey Wasserman's History of the United States" was published in 1972. Harvey edits www.nukefree.org.
The infamous $50 billion nuke power loan guarantee package meant to use
your money to build new nuke reactors has gone missing from saturation
media coverage of Obama's Stimulus Package. But it's still in the
Senate version of the bill, it could be voted on this week, and it
could kill us all.
Like that $30,000 antique toilet that disappeared into the
banking bailout, the corporate media carries not a word about this
gargantuan handout to the dying reactor industry. All the hype about a
"nuclear renaissance" will come to naught without this massive taxpayer
handout. But if it goes through, the landscape could be pock marked
with lethal new nukes.
We have days---maybe hours---to stop it. While aid programs to
the states, for education and the truly needy are slashed, this
gargantuan boondoggle is poised to sail through with virtually no
public knowledge.
The loan guarantee package was slipped into the Senate version of the
Stimulus Bill by Senator Robert Bennet (R-UT) who proceeded to vote
against the overall package. It is not currently in the House version.
As the two bills are reconciled, armies of radioactive
lobbyists will be marching through the Halls of Congress. They know
Wall Street will never pay for new nukes, so that leaves...you and me!
The estimated price of building new reactors has nearly
tripled since the beginning of 2007. It is virtually certain to at
least double again before any new nuke could come on line, which could
not happen in less than a decade.
Reactors built from the 1960s to now came on line an average of 200%
and more over budget. A French-based reactor construction project in
Finland has soared more than $2 billion over budget and is more than
two years behind schedule. The Government Accountability Project warns
that at least half those who build new reactors are likely to plunge
into bankruptcy. To this day the industry cannot get private insurance
to cover the full potential liability of a reactor catastrophe.
But Bennett's maneuver, supported by Senator Tom Carper (D-DE) would
divert billions away from renewables and efficiency, and into these
failed terror targets.
Calls and letters are desperately needed to the Congressional
leadership---NOW!--- to flush this horrific boondoggle out of the
stimulus package. With White House pressure mounting to get it passed
this week, every minute counts.
Numerous major national environmental organizations offer
websites from which to sign on and send letters, including www.nirs.org
, www.beyondnuclear.org and www.nukefree.org. The Congressional phone
line is 202-224-3121 or (toll free) 800-962-3524.
Do not hesitate: the melt-down you prevent could otherwise kill you;
the money re-directed to green alternatives could save our planet...and
our economy.
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.