No Nukes News: don't stick our head in the sand

Thu Oct 8 15:19:06 EDT 2020

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"Betting on nuclear as a climate solution is just sticking our heads in the sand because SMR technology is decades away, extremely expensive, and comes with a nasty pile of security and waste headaches.” Jack Gibbons, Ontario Clean Air Alliance in his Toronto Sun Op Ed, Nuclear power no solution to climate change 

The World

☢ World Nuclear Industry Status Report 2020 assesses the status and trends of the international nuclear industry and analyzes the additional challenges nuclear power is facing in the age of COVID-19.

☢ World Nuclear Industry Loses Ground to Cheap Renewables as Canada Considers Small Modular Reactors The world nuclear industry continues to be in stasis, with power plants shutting down and the few new construction projects running into catastrophic cost overruns and schedule slippages. New nuclear is clearly losing to wind and solar, with the two renewable technologies now receiving about 10x the investment.

☢ Throne speech signals Canada's support for new nuclear reactors as opposition builds New Brunswick may be the first province to receive federal funding for 2 new nuclear reactors, if the NB Premier gets his way. Two foreign companies (US and UK) hope to develop prototype nuclear reactors using a risky process – reprocessing – to open up existing high-level radioactive waste from the Lepreau CANDU reactor, and to access the plutonium inside for new fuel for their prototype reactors. These would threaten the transition to renewable energy, create new forms of dangerous radioactive waste, could revive a "plutonium economy," and are unlikely to be successful and would be very expensive.

☢ 'I want to puke': David Suzuki reacts to O'Regan's nuclear power endorsement In response to Canada's Minister of Natural Resources Seamus O'Regan praising small modular nuclear reactors (SMNRs) as a climate solution, David Suzuki said: "I want to puke. Because politicians love to say, "Oh, yeah, we care about this and boy, there's [nuclear] technology just around the corner.” My God, we need action now... That kind of nuclear development is decades away from becoming anything like the possibility to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We've got to act now."

☢ Who should lead Canada’s public consultation on federal radioactive waste policy? It has become abundantly clear that public confidence in the field of radioactive waste management cannot be secured unless there is a scrupulous avoidance of conflict of interest. 

Ontario
☢ Defund Nuclear and Lower our Electricity Bills Ontario’s residential electricity rates are up to 90% higher than Quebec’s and up to 50% higher than Manitoba’s due to our dependency on high-cost nuclear energy. And it's about to get worse as the Ford gov't moves forward with rebuilding 10 aging reactors at the Darlington and Bruce nuclear stations. The solution to our rising electricity bills is simple: Defund Ontario’s $25.8 billion nuclear program and instead invest more wisely in lower-cost renewables and energy efficiency. You can send a letter to ON party leaders here.

☢ Ontario should phase out – not ramp up – its gas fired power plants 50 second video. Doug Ford wants to ramp up Ontario's gas-fired power plants by more than 300% during the next 5 years blowing us past our climate targets. But there's a better way to keep our lights on – we can invest in conservation, water power from Quebec and made-in-Ontario wind and solar energy. More than 44 citizen groups including the Ontario Clean Air Alliance are calling for a phase out of Ontario's gas-fired power plants by 2030. Add your name to the petition and send a letter to Doug Ford here. 

Renewables and Conservation
☼ Renewables Employed 11.5 Million in 2019, Could Approach 30 Million by 2030 Renewable energy, now predominant in new electric power capacity, has proven especially flexible, cost-effective, and resilient in the face of the 2020 health and economic crisis.

☼ Renewables are more effective for national carbon reductions than nuclear power according to an analysis of 123 countries over 25 year period of data collected from the World Bank and International Energy Agency. “If countries want to lower emissions as substantially, rapidly and cost-effectively as possible, they should prioritize support for renewables, rather than nuclear power.”

☼ Clean Energy Is Canceling Gas Plants Renewable energy, storage technology and conservation costs continue to fall, with expanding adoption by utilities and other investors, while new gas-fired power plants face ever-stronger financial headwinds. 

Take Action
☢ End the nuclear gravy train Send a message to Premier Ford, NDP Leader Andrea Horwath, Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca and Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner and tell them that we need to defund the nuclear industry to prevent our electricity rates from sky rocketing. Click here now. 

☢ New nuclear is NOT part of the path to net zero Call upon the federal government to minimize the generation of radioactive waste and to cease all support and taxpayer funding for small modular nuclear reactors. Send a letter here to Minster of Natural Resources O’Regan and your Member of Parliament here. And sign the House of Commons E-Petition 2849

☢ Click here to send a message to Premier Ford Tell him to deliver on his promises to help Ontarians deal with the economic fallout from COVID-19 and lower our electricity rates by 12% by making a deal with Quebec to import their low-cost, surplus renewable water power.

☢ Send a message to all four Ontario Party Leaders asking them to close the Pickering Nuclear Station in 2024 when its license expires and immediately dismantle the station.

☢ Sign the petitions to phase out Ontario gas plants and immediately dismantle the Pickering Nuclear Station after shutdown in 2024

☢ Order your FREE leaflets here calling on the Ford Government to phase out gas plants and immediately dismantle Pickering Nuclear Station after shutdown in 2024. High school students can gain volunteer service hours. Contact angela at cleanairalliance.org for more info.

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Events

☢ Smog Town Wed. Oct. 14, noon EST. Documentary film, part of Planet in Focus International Documentary Film Festival

☢ Clearing the Air Thur. Oct. 22, 7 – 8:30 p.m. EST. Can we save lives with electric vehicles? Plus the results of the Guelph Attitudes on EVs Survey. Webinar.

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Our mailing address is:Ontario Clean Air Alliance160 John St, #300
Toronto, On M5V 2E5 Canada

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