Michael Mariotte / Nuclear Information and Resource Service – 2009-02-13 22:27:47

VICTORY! YOU DID IT!

(February 13, 2009) — Late last night, we got word that the $50 Billion in taxpayer loan guarantees for new nuclear reactors and “clean coal” plants has been stripped from the final economic stimulus bill!

Your actions made a huge difference.

To recap, you:
• sent more than 7,600 letters to your Senators in one week

• sent more than 3,000 letters to your Representatives in the House in three days

• sent more than 1100 letters to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid just yesterday afternoon (unfortunately, most letters to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi were blocked; we’ll work on that problem with our Congressional database service).

• made thousands of phone calls to your Senators and Representatives

• brought needed attention to the issue through your blogs, letters to the editor, your Facebook and Myspace pages, and much more.

The final bill should be voted on in the House later today, and in the Senate probably tomorrow. The final bill almost certainly will pass, and there will be no amendments on this final bill, so the taxpayer money for the dirty and dangerous nuclear/coal industry will stay out of the bill.

Take a moment to celebrate today!

But make no mistake: the nuclear industry and its Congressional backers will try again, and sooner rather than later. Two days ago, for example, they began a new push to have nuclear power declared a “renewable” energy source in Senate Energy Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman’s (D-NM) upcoming Renewable Portfolio Standard bill, which is intended to increase renewable energy production in the US (although first indications are that the bill is much weaker than it should be). This is likely to become a major issue in March.

And there will be new efforts to set up a federal “clean energy bank” to finance nuclear reactors with taxpayer dollars in the coming weeks and months.

In other words, we’ll have to stay vigilant and active, and continue growing this movement if we are to attain the safe, clean, nuclear-free, carbon-free energy future our nation and planet needs.

You have now proven your effectiveness, but we can and must do even more. President Obama’s campaign was successful in large part because of the support of a constantly growing number of ordinary people, taking action and making small donations, that built into an enormous political force. We are taking the same approach: in the past three months, NIRS contact lists have grown by more than one-third–a key element of today’s success. Let’s continue building this movement!

Your support is gratefully appreciated and every penny is used as wisely as possible.

And from all of us at NIRS: THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO!!!!

Nuclear Information and Resource Service
nirsnet@nirs.org
www.nirs.org