No Nukes News: Reducing your electrical bill

Tue Nov 23 11:35:35 EST 2010

No Nukes News

Nov. 23, 2010

Pass this onto a friend! - a

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No sale of federal nuclear company has critics calling for halt to new
Darlington reactors

Published reports last week indicated only two companies had submitted bids
to buy the reactor side of AECL, but that the bids were far below what the
federal government feels it is worth. Beyond that, the reports indicated the
bidders would not accept responsibility for funding completion of AECL's
newest reactor, the Advanced Candu (known as the ACR), the type touted for
new build at Darlington.

Bidders' apparent unwillingness to take on completion of the ARC is proof
Candu is "at a dead end," he contended. "So, if Candu is a dead end, the
question becomes, will the McGuinty government adjust course and invest in
non-nuclear technologies or just kept driving towards the dead end?" Mr.
Stensil asked in an e-mail, noting the declining cost of other technologies.

"While Candu is stagnating, green energy technologies are innovating and
bringing their costs down," he said. Replacing energy produced by
recently-mothballed reactors at Pickering could be "completely feasible and
cost effective ... with non-nuclear clean-tech options without the lights
going out."

http://newsdurhamregion.com/business/article/165952

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'This government should be sued'

Activist warns Port Hope that radioactive waste will leak into water and air
'for the rest of time'

Port Hope's air, drinking water, fish, beach, soil - virtually everything in
the town of 16,000 poses a health risk from radioactivity, anti-nuclear
activist Dr. Helen Caldicott warned an overflow crowd Tuesday night. 

http://www.thestar.com/article/891709--sue-government-over-toxic-town-activi
st-tells-port-hope

Port Hope ponders legal action against local anti-nuke groups

After a week of provocative commentary from anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen
Caldicott, the Municipality of Port Hope may take legal action. Deputy Mayor
Lees estimates that Port Hope has lost millions of dollars in retail sales,
real estate transactions, as a result of the actions of both groups, and
certain other individuals whom he would not name. 

Following her visit, Dr. Caldicott maintained that Port Hope is dangerous.
In fact, she said with Cameco's uranium conversion facility operating on
Lake Ontario, there is no other place on earth more dangerous to human
health.

http://www.northumberlandnews.com/articlePrint/166184 

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America's Eggshell Nukes

The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has made it clear that America's 104
licensed atomic power reactors are not accidents waiting to happen. They are
accidents in progress. 

And proposals to build a "new generation" of reactors are not mere scams.
They comprise a predictable plan for permanent national bankruptcy.

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2010/11/15-4

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The Code Killers

Why DNA and ionizing radiation are a dangerous mix; An expose of the nuclear
industry

http://www.acehoffman.org/books/TheCodeKillers.pdf

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$1.7 Billion and Rising: Taxpayers' Gas Bill for Oil Sands

Extractors gobble natural gas, deducting the cost from their taxes. That
already huge public subsidy, hidden from view, is due to balloon.

http://thetyee.ca/News/2010/11/09/GasBillForOilSands/

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Burning coal helps OPG raise profits

Output from OPG's thermal plants, which mostly burn coal, rose by 250 per
cent in the three months ended Sept. 30, raising OPG's carbon dioxide
emissions 45 per cent compared with last year.

http://www.thestar.com/business/article/893670--burning-coal-helps-opg-raise
-profits

Angela's Note: Increasing OPG's profits at the expense of the climate or our
children's health doesn't make sense. [Finishing the coal phase out
<http://www.cleanairalliance.org/files/active/0/phaseout%20progress%202010%2
0rev4.pdf> ]

The good news is that Ontario's coal-free generation capacity is now 17%
greater than our peak day electricity demands.  Therefore we can achieve a
virtually complete coal phase-out today by simply putting our dirty coal
plants on standby reserve, only operating them if they are absolutely needed
to keep the lights on.  

1 Minute Action: Please send an email to Energy Minister Duguid
<http://www.cleanairalliance.org/coal_letter>  now and ask him to prevent up
to 137,500 asthma attacks per year by putting all of our dirty coal boilers
on standby reserve today.  

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The Story of Coal

Coal still generates 50% of the electricity consumed in the United States
and once people get the real picture of how dirty it is, they surely will
think a bit harder about switching to a renewable source of power. 

http://beforeitsnews.com/story/266/688/Video:_The_Story_of_Coal.html

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Reducing Your Electrical Bill

By popular demand, we have gathered together our various energy conservation
tips for reducing electrical power consumption. Recent hikes in electrical
bills in Ontario have many consumers scrambling for ways to lower their
electrical bill. Find out how to reduce them here: 

http://www.econogics.com/en/poweroff.htm

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Pay now for power

There's no such thing as free hydro. The McGuinty government's decision to
add $1 billion to the deficit to pay for lower electricity rates is
cowardly, irresponsible and will ultimately end up costing the taxpayers of
Ontario more. 

Ultimately, the people of Ontario will have to pay for power, whether
through taxes or on their bills. It's far preferable to pay now, and pay
directly. It's more honest -- it allows Ontarians to see the relationship
between the government's energy-policy decisions on the expenditure side and
the cost on their bills. It's also more fair, because it allows those
consumers who use less hydro to pay less. The shift to the tax base also
reduces the financial incentive that might have convinced more people to
find ways to save money, whether through timing their usage to coincide with
lower rates at times of less demand, or by conserving altogether. Financial
incentives are a great way to nudge people into new habits, habits that can
reduce the overall burden on the energy grid. The market works.

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/technology/power/3864678/story.html 

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Our fiscally prudent strategy to lower electricity bills

Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan announced this afternoon a $1.1
billion per year taxpayer-financed subsidy for the consumption of dirty
coal-fired and high-cost nuclear power.  But merely reducing electricity
prices masks the true costs of producing electricity. Here is our
sustainable and fiscally prudent strategy to lower electricity bills.

Put the pedal to the metal on improving energy efficiency:  Ontario's demand
for electricity has fallen by 7% since 2006, but our electricity consumption
per person is still 35% higher than New York State's.  We can do a lot more
to save consumers money by reducing electricity waste.

End blank cheques for nuclear projects: No green or clean power producer
gets to pass capital cost overruns onto consumers like the nuclear industry
does.  It's time to end blank cheque spending on wildly expensive nuclear
projects.  We must refuse to let Ontario Power Generation (OPG) max out our
collective credit card to pay for the inevitable multi-billion dollar cost
overruns on its proposed Darlington Re-Build project.  

Import more hydro power from Quebec:  Under federal rules, Quebec must offer
Ontario electricity for the same price it gets from its American customers.
Last year that was 6.5 cents per kWh, less than a third the price of power
from a rebuilt Darlington Station.  Current transmission capacity is
sufficient to import enough electricity from Quebec to provide power equal
to more than three-quarters of Darlington's output - with no radioactive
waste. 

Instead of applying costly band-aids to electricity bills, we need to
implement the following real solutions to controlling electricity costs.

Please email Finance Minister Dwight Duncan
<mailto:dduncan.mpp at liberal.ola.org>  and urge him to: 

a)      invest massively in energy efficiency and conservation programs,

b)      tell OPG that it will not be allowed to pass its Darlington Re-Build
cost overruns onto consumers and taxpayers, and 

c)      import more hydro electricity from Quebec.

Thank you for your help to usher in lower cost green electricity.

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Angela Bischoff

Outreach Director

Ontario Clean Air Alliance

Tel: 416 926 1907 x 246

625 Church Street, #402

Toronto, ON M4Y 2G1

angela at cleanairalliance.org

www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca <http://www.ontariosgreenfuture.ca/> 

www.cleanairalliance.org <http://www.cleanairalliance.org/>  

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