[Occupymendocino] Fwd: Act now to end nuclear tax credit/support wind power

Sun Nov 18 09:23:20 PST 2012

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-------- Original Message --------
Subject: 	Act now to end nuclear tax credit/support wind power
Date: 	Fri, 2 Nov 2012 14:48:48 -0400 (EDT)
From: 	Nuclear Information and Resource Service <nirsnet at nirs.org>
Reply-To: 	nirsnet at nirs.org
To: 	agnes at mcn.org

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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=2RTAQf2dAWy7DJJ8GtX8C2rgcxipkCzz>

*ACT NOW AND TELL CONGRESS:

DURING LAME DUCK SESSION, REDUCE DEFICIT AND CREATE JOBS

SUPPORT WIND POWER AND END THE NUCLEAR POWER TAX CREDIT!*

November 2, 2012

Dear Friends,

Regardless of what happens in next week’s election, afterwards the 
current Congress is going to meet in a lame duck session and try to 
grapple with major federal tax, budget, jobs, and deficit issues. And 
they’re going to be looking for savings—both real and imagined—wherever 
they possibly can.

We’ve got an easy way for Congress to support tens of thousands of 
American jobs, and to reduce future budget deficits by billions of 
dollars. And our plan will also help prevent radioactive poisoning of 
our nation while building a nuclear-free, carbon-free energy future.

*Tell Congress now: End the nuclear power tax credit, renew the wind tax 
credit!* 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=hRPrqKitEpDOGyCmzbTYFGrgcxipkCzz>

While wind power itself dates back centuries ago, the era of modern 
industrial-scale wind power is only a couple of decades old, and owes 
its incredible surge in use (wind is the fastest-growing energy source 
in the U.S.) in part to a tax credit of 2.2 cents per kilowatt hour for 
new wind generators.

But that tax credit has always had to be renewed nearly every year, thus 
being held hostage by a sometimes hostile Congress, making private 
investment in wind uncertain, and actually has held back the level of 
wind power we could have. And right now, the wind tax credit is 
scheduled to expire at the end of this year. It needs to be renewed, and 
for a lot more than one year, to support the burgeoning wind industry 
and the tens of thousands of jobs it generates.

Meanwhile, almost no one (outside of the utilities that intend to use 
it) realizes that nuclear power has a similar tax credit available for 
new nuclear reactors. Except that their tax credit, established by 
President Bush’s 2005 energy bill, doesn’t expire every couple of 
years—it covers new reactors brought on line by 2021. The credit covers 
the first eight years of generation by the first 6,000 megawatts of new 
nuclear power (or about six new reactors). But the language is ambiguous 
and can be read to allow the same credit for 6,000 MW at a time, meaning 
that many more reactors could receive its benefits (and could mean that 
the credit itself could actually last until 2029!).

The nuclear tax credit is capped at $125 million per year per reactor 
(given reactors’ much greater size than wind turbines, a much larger 
amount than any wind farm could get). Thus, for six reactors, this tax 
credit would deprive the federal treasury of $750 million per 
year—billions over its lifetime, and the credit could even get extended.

Why should nuclear power’s tax credit last more than a decade, when wind 
power’s tax credit must be renewed every year or so? That makes no 
sense. Why should dangerous, dirty and expensive nuclear power receive 
that kind of support from taxpayers at all? It shouldn’t.

*Tell your Congressmembers now: end the nuclear power tax credit, extend 
the wind power tax credit.* 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=rqX5FQ2dJnVIKUPr%2BAi1d2rgcxipkCzz>

If we’re going to create a nuclear-free, carbon-free energy future, we 
need to adopt policies that move us closer to that goal. Right now, 
Congress is on the verge of going in the opposite direction. The wind 
power tax credit is in danger of not being extended, while the nuclear 
tax credit is safe and sound. That needs to be reversed, but it won’t be 
unless we all raise our voices now. *Please act* 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=WQVn1PFbzTnyglU02GyDWsl5XkQkRmW3>.

By the way, this would also be an excellent question to ask your 
Congressmembers and their challengers during the final days of this 
election campaign! We’re willing to bet 90%+ of them don’t even know 
about it! Help educate them now.

-----------------------------------------------------

For a variety of reasons, ranging from Superstorm Sandy to installation 
of our new server, we’ve been disrupted a lot during October. And our 
shrinking bank account is desperately in need of replenishment. 
*Seriously.* *Right now, we need your support--our bills are mounting. 
*Thus, we are extending our Thanks and Treat month offer for one more 
week from today: if you give NIRS $25 or more by November 9 online (or a 
check postmarked by Nov 9), we will thank you by giving you a treat of 
CDs by two of our favorite friends: Bonnie Raitt and Ani DiFranco. You 
can donate online here or after you send your letters to Congress. 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=TFXRLmrdqMMxYAaFjrMuRWrgcxipkCzz> 
Or you can send a check to NIRS, 6930 Carroll Avenue, #340, Takoma Park, 
MD 20912. And thank you so much.

-----------------------------------------------------

*Finally, some very good news. *Yesterday, November 1, 2012, an NRC 
Atomic Safety and Licensing Board issued a formal order ending the 
licensing proceeding for the Calvert Cliffs-3 nuclear reactor—in NIRS’ 
favor. With denial of the license. This is the first time that has ever 
happened. And we did it ourselves, pro se, without a lawyer because we 
couldn’t afford one. Just imagine what we could do if we had adequate 
resources! We’re now waiting for a final Commissioners’ decision on 
review of the case; we expect to win there too. We'll let you know when 
we do.

Thanks for all you do,

Michael Mariotte
Executive Director
Nuclear Information and Resource Service
www.nirs.org 
<http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=id2k%2F6HKDIey16bNz7FCkmrgcxipkCzz>
nirsnet at nirs.org <mailto:nirsnet at nirs.org>

*Stay Informed:*

*NIRS on the web *(stay up-to-date with the Nuclear Newsreel section on 
the front page, featuring the day's most interesting news on nuclear 
power and other energy issues)*:*http://www.nirs.org 
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