Forwarded by Jane Clark from Sierra Club listserves.

Price Anderson alert

Apologies for cross posting.
Please circulate widely.

URGENT ACTION ALERT:  HOUSE VOTE ON PRICE-ANDERSON REAUTHORIZATION
SCHEDULED FOR NOV. 27!

Contact your House Representative in Congress and urge him/her to oppose
H.R. 2983 on the Suspension Calendar.

CALL FOR HONEST DEBATE ON TAXPAYER SUBSIDIES FOR DANGEROUS NUCLEAR POWER

Congress is due to vote tomorrow on whether to reauthorize the
Price-Anderson Act, which is the federal government's subsidy program for
the dangerous nuclear power industry. The nuclear industry's friends in
Congress are attempting to rush the bill through the House TOMORROW,
November 27, by putting it on the suspension calendar, which does not allow
amendments to the Act and limits debate to 40 minutes. This legislation is
extremely controversial and needs full debate before it is taken up by the
House. 145 votes against the bill are necessary to return it to the normal
legislative process where amendments would be allowed.

Contact your House Representative in Congress and urge him/her to oppose
H.R. 2983 on the Suspension Calendar.

Phone (202) 224-3121 (Capitol Switchboard) or find additional contact
information for your Representative at www.house.gov.

Send a fax to your Representative for free through Public Citizen's Web
site: www.citizen.org/hot_issues/issue.cfm?ID=139

On October 31, the House Energy and Commerce Committee marked up H.R.
2983, a bill to reauthorize the Price-Anderson Act.  The Price-Anderson
Act was originally enacted in 1957, as a temporary measure in support of
the nascent nuclear industry.  Nearly 50 years later, this legislation
continues to subsidize the nuclear industry by artificially lowering
insurance costs and limiting liability of nuclear operators in case of
accidents.  Reauthorization of the Price-Anderson Act would pave the way
for the construction of new nuclear reactors.

The reauthorization bill has been put on the House Suspension Calendar
for Tuesday, November 27. That means that no amendments can be offered.
145 votes opposed would be necessary to remove H.R. 2983 from the
Suspension Calendar and return it to the normal legislative process
where amendments would be allowed.

H.R. 2983 needs amending!

- The bill does not adequately address heightened concerns about
security problems at nuclear power plants.  Congress should not promote
the construction of additional vulnerable targets.

-The bill grants special concessions to proposed new Pebble Bed Modular
Reactors.  If these reactors are "inherently safe," as the industry
claims, why do they need subsidized insurance?  This section should be
removed.

- The insurance coverage required under the H.R. 2983 grossly
understates the calculated cost of a nuclear accident.  Premium levels
should be raised.

- The bill reauthorizes the Price-Anderson Act for 15 years.  This
period should be shortened.

IT IS INAPPROPRIATE TO DETERMINE THIS SIGNIFICANT ASPECT OF NUCLEAR
ENERGY POLICY THROUGH A RESTRICTED LEGISLATIVE PROCES!

PLEASE CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVE TODAY!

Sign an online petition opposing reauthorization of the Price-Anderson
act at www.petitiononline.com/repealpa/petition.html

For more information, see Public Citizen's Price-Anderson factsheet
online at:
www.citizen.org/cmep/energy_enviro_nuclear/nuclear_power_plants/nuclear_revi
val/articles.cfm?ID=4912

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