Speak Out Against Nuclear Power in Mississippi!

Next Tuesday, June 28, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)
will host a public meeting in Port Gibson, Mississippi--in Claiborne
County--to discuss Entergy's proposal to build two new reactors at
the Grand Gulf nuclear plant along the Mississippi River. The meeting
will allow members of the public to give transcribed, on-the-record
comments about new reactors in Mississippi and their environmental,
health and safety impacts.

If you would like to carpool to Jackson, there are a couple of
options: The Alliance for Affordable Energy is taking a van-load up,
and they have at least 3 slots left. Please contact Heather Borst at
HBorst@all4energy.org and let her know if you want a ride in the van.

Additionally, for folks who would like to stay over that night in
Jackson, Karen Wimpelberg will be getting a hotel room and heading
back in the morning. If you interested in sharing space and costs
with her, please contact her at: kaawgg@aol.com Cell: 452-8864

While the time allocated for each individual to give comments will be
only several minutes, the impact will be huge. This is the one and
only public meeting to discuss the negative health, safety, and
economic consequences the new reactors will have on Port Gibson and
Mississippi. There's likely to be a substantial media presence there,
so high turnout among opponents of the project will be important.

The Grand Gulf plant is already a burden on the local population -
unjust tax laws prevent Claiborne County from recouping in taxes what
they have to pay to provide emergency services. As a result, those
services--from the police to fire fighters to hospital--are not up to
the appropriate standard, posing a hazard that extends well beyond
the county line. Even the NRC admits that with a new reactor, "It is
not clear whether Claiborne County would receive property taxes,
sales, and use taxes, or other taxes and public monies commensurate
with the costs of its additional emergency management and public
services obligations.
The net financial burden may fall on local residents and taxpayers,
most of whom are minority and low-income persons."

As a nation, we can't afford to start down the road of nuclear power
again, after a 30-year hiatus. Nuclear power continues to rely
heavily on taxpayer subsidies because it is so expensive, and
proposed language in the energy bill in the current Congress
indicates billions more dollars could be on the way. There is still
no solution to the waste problem; the proposed nuclear waste dump at
Yucca Mountain is in a downward spiral and wouldn't be large enough
to hold waste from a new reactor even if it did go forward. Safety
continues to be sacrificed in favor of higher profits by both the
industry and the NRC. And security standards at nuclear plants are
downright pathetic.

Please help us put a stop to nuclear power once and for all by
attending this public meeting from 7-10 p.m. at the Port Gibson City
Hall, 1005 College Street, Port Gibson, MS. Please encourage family
and friends to attend also. If you'd like to speak at the meeting, be
sure to arrive at least 30 minutes early to register, or e-mail
GrandGulfEIS@nrc.gov. If you are unable to attend on Tuesday or
don't wish to speak publicly, we encourage you to send written
comments by July 14 via e-mail to GrandGulfEIS@nrc.gov.

For more information about the specific problems with a new reactor
at Grand Gulf, visit http://www.citizen.org/cmep/grandgulf. You can
also direct questions to Brendan Hoffman of Public Citizen's Critical
Mass Energy and Environment Program at bhoffman@citizen.org or (202)
454-5130.

For more about the fatal flaws of nuclear power, visit
http://www.citizen.org/cmep/fatalflaws.