Baltimore - in front of Constellation Energy’s downtown headquarters, members of the
Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition held a colorful Valentine’s Day-themed protest
against the new atomic reactor proposed to be built on the Chesapeake Bay in Calvert County.
The red and pink clad protestors handed out leaflets warning
about the flaws in Constellation’s love affair with the atom, including the
high costs to ratepayers and taxpayers, and the long time delay in building a
nuclear power plant. The coalition’s “Valentine,” handed out to passersby, also
warned about the risks to safety and security, public health, and the Chesapeake Bay environment from a new reactor.
“Nuclear power’s insurmountable risks mean that it is not a
solution to the climate crisis,” said Dr. Judith Johnsrud of the Environmental
Coalition on Nuclear Power.
“Maryland
could experience brown-outs in as few as three years. Building a new nuclear
reactor that could take a decade to bring on line is just bad math,” said
Allison Fisher of Public Citizen.
“Marylanders have suffered enough ratepayer robbery from the
two Constellation reactors already at Calvert Cliffs,” said Michael Mariotte of
Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS). NIRS has intervened before the
Maryland Public Service Commission against the proposed new reactor.
“For the love of the Chesapeake,
we cannot let another atomic reactor be built on its shores,” said Paul Gunter
of Beyond Nuclear. “There are already eleven reactors dumping massive amounts
of thermal pollution, and even chronic radioactivity releases, into the Bay
watershed, harming the aquatic ecosystem.”
“The true solution to Maryland’s
energy needs and climate challenges is renewable sources of electricity and
efficiency,” said Johanna Neumann of Maryland PIRG.
“The bottom line on nuclear power is that it is an expensive and risky way
to address global warming,” said Steven Soifer, associate professor of social
work at the University of Maryland School of Social Work. “Shifting from one
dangerous addiction to another — from fossil fuels to nuclear power — is the
last thing the doctor would order.”
