Say No to Nuclear Energy Expansion
The U.S. Department of Energy is embarking on a project that the residents of the 13th distrrict need to know about. It's call the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership (GNEP). It is a plan to greatly expand the use of nuclear energy throughout the world, and our representative in Congress, Rep. Judy Biggert, is one of its biggest proponents. In fact, she wants to bring the centerpiece of the GNEP plan, a massive nuclear waste reprocessing facility, to our area. This facility would accept nuclear waste from all over the world.
Yes. You're read that correctly. Judy Biggert wants to make the Chicago Suburbs the world's nuclear waste dump.
It's hard to concoct a more horrible idea. Not only is the area near the proposed facility heavily populated, the facility would no doubt require that nuclear waste and weapons grade plutonium be transported along our region's rail and highway system (I-290, I-88, I-55, etc.) to Argonne and/or Morris, IL, meaning nobody is safe from an inevitable accident.
Biggert ought to listen to the Union of Concerned Scientists. Their report on GNEP labels it "dangerous, dirty and expensive". They point out that such a facility would undoubtedly be an instant target for terrorist activity and would undermine nuclear non-proliferation efforts across the world.
I am strongly opposed to this program. Aside from making a few CEOs rich, and lining the campaign coffers of a whole lot of career politicians in Congress, this plan offers little benefit to anyone in the surrounding community — only risks to life, health and safety.
Meanwhile, a company named EnergySolutions expects that nuclear fuel reprocessing of this life threatening material will gain their company over $100 Billion in profits over the next 10-15 years.
We cannot continue to put corporate profits ahead of the health and well-being of individual people. This is one reason I do not accept campaign contributions from corporate PACs.
Meanwhile, Judy Biggert, your representative in Congress, is an integral figure in promoting GNEP in our region. If she is re-elected, she will continue pushing for the nuclear reprocessing facility to be built here. There is still time.
This next year is crucial. The final decision on the GNEP reprocessing facility will be made in the next year. The solution begins with getting rid of GNEP's leading advocate: Judy Biggert. As your next representative, I, Steve Alesch, will do whatever it takes to derail this plan.
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