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Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2013 13:44:25 -0500<BR>From: nirsnet@nirs.org<BR>To: annxpress@live.com<BR>Subject: Nuke industry lobbying to stop Fukushima fixes; make YOUR voice heard<BR><BR>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><A href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=/vU%2BWt7a8B0HzK7DhJddeK%2Bk0n7VoJSL" target=_blank></A><IMG alt="" src="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/o/5502/images/titlebar2(1).gif" width=558 height=55></P>
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<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: center"><B><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger"><SPAN style="FONT-FAMILY: Arial">NUCLEAR INDUSTRY LOBBYING SHAMELESSLY TO PREVENT POST-FUKUSHIMA SAFETY CHANGES;<BR><BR>RAISE YOUR VOICE TO CLOSE/STRENGTHEN DANGEROUS GE REACTORS<BR></SPAN></SPAN></B></P>
<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><BR><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger">March 4, 2013<BR><BR>Dear Friends,<BR><BR>Shortly before Christmas, we alerted you that the NRC Commissioners were expected to vote on an NRC staff recommendation to require filtered containment vents on General Electric reactors. And, despite the busy Holiday season, more than 2500 of you did so. Well, more than two months later, the NRC Commissioners still haven't acted. And, in the meantime, the nuclear industry has vastly stepped up its lobbying effort to convince the Commissioners to reject the recommendation--and save some utilities millions of dollars.<BR><BR><A href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=VnZw8dFVDc8N7%2BPL7%2BWlsBZo0tLxwCxS" target=_blank><B>It's time to raise more of our voices, and raise them louder. Tell the NRC--and your members of Congress--to a) permanently close these dangerous reactors and b) send a message that public safety matters by approving these filtered vents.</B></A><BR><BR>The nuclear reactors that exploded at Fukushima in March 2011 and released toxic radiation across our planet were designed and manufactured by General Electric. There are still 23 nearly-identical GE Mark I reactors operating in the U.S. and 8 more very similar GE Mark II reactors. All suffer from fundamental design flaws. All are dangerous to all living beings.<BR><BR>The NRC staff, through its Fukushima Task Force, has recommended installation of filtered containment vents that could reduce the amount of radiation released from these reactors in the event of an accident. The NRC Commissioners are expected to vote soon on whether they will implement that common-sense recommendation. But the nuclear industry has been lobbying hard against that. For example, see this <A href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=60b89HWe0ioOE2ifScfQ%2BBZo0tLxwCxS" target=_blank>March 1 article from Bloomberg News</A>. Why? Because they just don't want to spend the money to protect public safety. Their self-serving greed must be defeated.<BR><BR>Our position is that all of these reactors should be closed permanently. But we also believe the Commissioners need to make a statement in favor of public protection by voting to require these filtered containment vents.<BR><BR><A href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=MX8Bea7lcWQOKUi6RyDEhRZo0tLxwCxS" target=_blank><B>We encourage you to send a letter to the NRC in support of requiring filtered containment vents. Letters will go to your elected officials at the same time urging them to contact the NRC in support.</B></A> Some legislators already have weighed in. </SPAN><A href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=zlhof6P6XKX7ekM9xuf1VhZo0tLxwCxS" target=_blank><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger">11 Senate Democrats and Independent Bernie Sanders sent a letter</SPAN></A><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger"> to the NRC urging them to adopt this recommendation now; </SPAN><A href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=BTsCAkjrhi8Kf%2BR1F/4lAhZo0tLxwCxS" target=_blank><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger">so did five top House Democrats</SPAN></A><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger">. Meanwhile, a number of Republicans, for example </SPAN><A href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=08VEU6UXFZPdTjd/eiAHaq%2Bk0n7VoJSL" target=_blank><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger">Sen. Vitter of Louisiana</SPAN></A><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger"> and Rep. Shimkus of Illinois, have urged the Commissioners to do the bidding of the nuclear industry. It's time to raise our voices into the mix.<BR><BR>--------------------------------------------------------------------------<BR></SPAN></P>
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<P style="TEXT-ALIGN: left"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger">Thanks for all you do,</SPAN></P>
<SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger">Michael Mariotte<BR>Executive Director<BR>Nuclear Information and Resource Service<BR></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium"><A href="http://org2.democracyinaction.org/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=MOv4WnXf3cCkmzcNuVg1txZo0tLxwCxS" target=_blank>www.nirs.org</A></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium"><BR></SPAN><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: larger"><A href="mailto:nirsnet@nirs.org"><SPAN style="FONT-SIZE: medium">nirsnet@nirs.org</SPAN></A></SPAN><BR>
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