Act Now

JOIN REP. TED LIEU TO MAKE PUERTO RICO SOLAR

Dear Colleague, 

We invite you to join us in sending a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) urging it to invest in more resilient energy infrastructure as it engages in Puerto Rico recovery efforts. 

It has been two months since Hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall on Puerto Rico, decimating the island and leaving the residents without access to power, clean water, and other basic necessities. Despite the work of FEMA and its government partners as well as of many private renewable energy companies, as of November 16, only 43 percent of Puerto Rico’s power grid had been restored. 

Congress has appropriated billions of dollars in disaster relief packages to assist the people of Puerto Rico and rebuild the island’s infrastructure. We believe that recovery dollars dedicated to restoring power should be spent on a modernized and resilient energy grid—focused on renewable energy technologies and distributed generation—that can withstand powerful storms. Rebuilding the same type of electric grids that will be vulnerable to the same type of hurricanes would be an enormous waste of taxpayer resources.

Please join us in advocating for the wise spending of disaster relief recovery funds in Puerto Rico. If you are interested in signing this letter, please contact Elizabeth Arevalo in my office at [email protected] by close of business on November 27.

Sincerely, 

Ted W. Lieu
Stacey Plaskett 

November XX, 2017

The Honorable William B. Long

Administrator

Federal Emergency Management Agency

500 C Street, SW, Room 8 SW

Washington, D.C. 20472

 

Dear Administrator Long,

Thank you for your agency’s efforts to respond to the natural disasters wreaking havoc in the United States, particularly in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. As you and your government partners engage in recovery efforts, we strongly urge you to invest in a more resilient energy infrastructure focused on renewable energy technology and distributed generation.

It has been well over a month since Hurricanes Irma and Maria made landfall in the Caribbean, cutting off access to power for most communities on the islands. Without electricity, critical sites such as hospitals and wastewater treatment plants remain inoperable, local businesses stay closed, and performing regular tasks become nearly impossible. Following the storms, reports surfaced of solar power systems successfully providing energy to farmers, hospitals, and fire stations. Yet, on November 16, only 43 percent of Puerto Rico’s power grid had been restored. This is a travesty.

The power crises in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands clearly demonstrate the need to invest in electric infrastructure that is resilient and able to withstand powerful storms like Hurricanes Irma and Maria. Restoring the same type of grid that will be vulnerable to the same type of hurricane would be a monumental waste of taxpayer resources and an injustice to the American citizens living there. As such, we ask that rebuilding efforts on these islands include investment in a more resilient power grid, deploying renewable energy technologies and employing distributed generation systems. In recent years, hurricanes and other natural disasters have occurred at alarming rates. Rather than rebuilding dated electric grids, focusing on resiliency will improve our energy security and ensure that taxpayer dollars are spent wisely.

Again, thank you for your efforts to provide assistance to those affected by the recent hurricanes and wildfires. We appreciate your attention to this request. 

Sincerely, 

Ted W. Lieu                                                                                        Stacey Plaskett

Member of Congress                                                                          Member of Congress

Draft Seismic & Water Resolutions vs. Diablo Canyon

Here are draft resolutions for cities/towns/counties etc to consider on Diablo.  Please remember this is not necessarily about nuclear power; it's about basic issues of sanity at the two biggest operating power plants on the California coast.


A primary source on the earthquake issue is Dr. Michael Peck's Report to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, available through the Friends of the Earth site:



On the water issue you might consult the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility website:  www.a4nr.org and the Mothers for Peace site..

Here are the DRAFT resolutions.  Variations are welcome and inevitable.  Please let me know at [email protected] / [email protected] when they pass.  

I'm also posting these drafts at www.nukefree.org.

btw:  as it turns out , Berkeley actually passed an anti-Diablo resolution 3 years ago!!


Thanks!!!   HarveyW


SEISMIC:


1.  WHEREAS:

Since the Diablo Canyon reactors were built, roughly a dozen earthquake faults have been found in the near vicinity:

The Diablo Canyon reactors are 45 miles from the San Andreas fault, half the distance as Fukushima from the earthquake that destroyed it;

One recently discovered fault line, the Shoreline, passes within 700 yards of the two Diablo reactors;

New evidence strongly indicates these fault lines are interconnected;

Dr. Michael Peck, former Nuclear Regulatory Commission chief on-site inspector at Diablo Canyon, has written a lengthy memo warning that these reactors cannot withstand a likely earthquake;

Diablo is also in a tsunami zone, and its intake pipes are especially vulnerable to damage or destruction from a massive wave;

The damage from a major disaster involving the health and property of the millions of people downwind is essentially inestimable;

The owners of Diablo Canyon are only marginally liable for the damage that a disaster would do;

There is no credible plan for what to do with the radioactive waste from Diablo Canyon;

There has never been a credible evacuation plan in case of an accident at these two reactors;

The power from these reactors is not needed to continue the state’s business;

There are roughly a thousand jobs at Diablo all of which will be easily replaced by a conversion to renewable energy;
Many of the workers at Diablo would continue working there through the lengthy decommissioning process once the reactors are shut;

There are some 55,000 Californians now working in the solar industry, which would directly benefit from the shutdown at Diablo;


THEREFORE:

We the citizens of _______ request that the Diablo Canyon reactors be immediately shut at least until a satisfactory federal and state investigation has been conducted to evaluate the ability of Diablo Canyon to withstand an earthquake as warned of by Dr. Michael Peck of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  


WATER:  

WHEREAS:

The Diablo Canyon reactors are not in compliance with state and federal water quality laws;

Some 80% of illegal discharges from California power plants into the ocean are being released at Diablo Canyon;



WE THEREFORE RESOLVE THAT:

The Diablo Canyon reactors must be closed until its owners have installed the necessary equipment to come into compliance with the law, and have demonstrated that they are doing so.



To be passed by cities, towns, counties etc.

To go to Gov. Brown, all members of the California legislature, all mayors and city governments in PG&E territory and near the reactors, the California Water Quality Board, Power Board, etc., selected media, etc.  

 

An Appeal: Do You Have a Copy of "Pandora's Promise"?

 

The makers of the pro-nuclear "documentary" PANDORA'S PROMISE say they can't spare us a review DVD. Do you have one? If so, please contact us at [email protected]. Thanks!!!