 |
|
|
Nuclear Power is Not the Solution. Wednesday, May 4, 2005 Contacts: NUCLEAR POWER IS NEITHER CLEAN NOR SAFE, SAY GREENS, WHO INSTEAD URGE FAR-REACHING ENERGY CONSERVATION MEASURES WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Green Party leaders spoke out against plans to expand the use of nuclear energy as a substitute for fossil fuels, calling nuclear energy neither clean nor safe. Greens instead urged dramatic steps to reduce consumption of energy in the U.S. and investment in clean, renewable energy sources. "Nuclear power creates massive amounts of hazardous radioactive waste, which must be stored somewhere," said Julia Willebrand, co-chair of the Green Party's International Committee. "No one wants to live near a nuclear waste storage site. Wherever the waste gets stored, the danger of leakage threatens the environment, especially water tables. Furthermore, nuclear power plants face all sorts of security problems, from possible meltdowns to sabotage." In his April 28 press conference, President Bush spoke of the need to reduce U.S. dependence on foreign energy sources: "[W]e must find innovative and environmentally sensitive ways to make the most of our existing energy resources, including oil, natural gas, coal and safe, clean nuclear power." "The problem isn't just foreign sources, it's the whole range of environmentally damaging energy, from coal to oil to nuclear power," said Greg Gerritt, secretary of the Green Party of the United States. "Mr. Bush's emphasis on foreign energy sources sidesteps the advance of global warming. Furthermore, despite his current rhetoric about foreign energy dependence, the President launched the invasion of Iraq in part to secure U.S. control over oil resources -- for which Ahmed Chalabi, who was named acting oil minister last week, will undoubtedly serve as broker for U.S. companies." Greens note that both Democrats and Republicans support nuclear energy; Democrats like John Kerry have endorsed expansion of oil drilling in Alaska (while publicly opposing drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge). "The only remedies against the combined threats of greenhouse gases, the looming oil production peak, future wars for oil, and the disastrous economic and environmental consequences remain conservation and reduced consumption," said Nan Garrett, Georgia Green and Spokesperson for the National Women's Caucus. "President Bush himself admitted that Americans' consumption of energy has grown 40 times faster than energy production over the past decade. If we don't reduce consumption levels, we'll see violent global upheavels, from dangerous weather patterns to food supply emergencies to new wars over energy sources. We face the end of our own democratic system as corporations gain greater control over ever scarcer resources," added Ms. Garrett. Greens have called for land use policies that prevent sprawl and encourage walking and bicycling to jobs and stores; increased funding for public transportation; major increases in mileage requirements for cars and trucks; and an end to subsidies for gas-powered cars. "Clean, renewable alternative energy -- wind and solar power, hydrogen and fuel cell development, and other technologies -- is urgently necessary, but won't be sufficient at this late date to thwart global warming," said Mark Dunlea, New York delegate to the national party and former national coordinator of the Campaign for Safe Energy. "Conservation and equitable distribution of energy and other resources must be the great national and global project of the 21st century. It's one of the reasons the Green Party exists." MORE INFORMATION The Green Party of the United States
|