Compiled by leaders of groups from communities located in the shadows of U.S. nuclear weapons sites. The report card grades looks to the future and lays out an agenda for the next administration.
2008 Radioactive Report Card Grade Book
Press Release
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slideshow
‘It’s About Jobs And The Future’
By DEBORAH DANIELS
PDT Staff Writer
Pike
County Commissioner Teddie West said he’s supportive of the newly
proposed nuclear power plant that may be constructed on the Department
of Energy site at Piketon.
Duke Power Corporation, French-owned
nuclear reactor vendor AREVA and USEC Inc. announced Thursday, along
with Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and other officials, that a portion of
the DOE site will be transitioned into a 21st-century clean energy
production center. Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative is the
local agency planning to build the nuclear power plant.
“I think
it’s going to be good for the community,” he said. “The impact to the
county is this — 4,000 jobs to build it, and 750 jobs to run it.”
Additionally,
West said, the spinoff from the construction will impact the economy in
a big way, with construction workers staying in area motels, eating in
area restaurants, shopping, buying gasoline — all of these things, he
said, will add up and have a huge impact not just in Pike County, but
Scioto, Jackson and Ross counties as well.
“It’s about jobs and the future,” he said.
Karen Simonton and Maleine Davis, both of Fran Francis Realty in Waverly, were pleased with the announcement.
“It’s
a little like the 1953 boom and I think it’s going to create a lot of
jobs, which we need,” Davis said. “We’re at 15 percent unemployment
here and I think it’s a great thing for the future of Pike County and
the whole area.”
Simonton agreed.
“It’s going to impact
the area, especially the housing market,” she said. “A lot are going to
be wanting rentals … hopefully some will be able to buy.”
Fred Foster, owner of Foster’s Ace Hardware in Piketon, was taking a cautious attitude about the announcement.
“We’ll
have to wait and see,” he said. “I’ve been here a long time and over
the years there’s probably been a dozen times we’ve heard things are
going to happen and then they don’t. But if it does happen, it will be
good for the area.”
Next door to the hardware store, Brandon
Myers, manager of the Shake Shoppe, said, “It’s going to create a lot
of jobs. I know some people are going to be stressed out about it, but
I think it will be good for the area.”
Piketon Mayor Billy
Spencer was out of town on vacation and was unavailable to comment,
however, Ronda Clemmons, village administrator, said the village is
excited.
“Everyone feels that it will bring needed jobs to the
area,” Clemmons said. “We’re hoping it may increase population for
Piketon. We’ve upgraded utilities and there are several new
subdivisions ready for people to move into. We hope it all works out
and that a lot of people can gain employment.”
Waverly Mayor
Dale Reed said, “It’s exciting times for us, especially in the face of
the economy we’re going through right now. I wish it could happen
quicker, but the construction stage is where it’s going to help the
most because it will employ more.”
John Hemmings, executive
director of the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission located in
Waverly, said the announcement is welcomed news, and he’s looking
forward to seeing employment numbers increase at the site with
good-paying jobs.
“We have a base of workers that are used to
working in the nuclear field, so it’s familiar territory for us,” he
said. “I also like the fact that we’ve taken an asset we already have
and are developing it.”
Hemmings said he hopes the licensing,
government approval and financing can be put together quickly. He also
said he knows there will be some sentiment about it being nuclear, but
cited comments by government officials that it will help reduce CO2
emissions and that it will be environmentally friendly.
West said he believes the project is completely safe.
“The
people involved in this are in the nuclear business and if anybody can
make it go, they can do it. I’m looking forward to working with them. I
have kids and grandkids, so I don’t want anything coming into this
county that will harm them.”
Clemmons said technology, methods and materials have gotten better than they were in the ‘50s.
“There’s
more awareness of things that went wrong. We’re confident that things
will run better because they have better knowledge,” she said.
DEBORAH DANIELS can be reached at (740) 353-3101, ext. 234.
Looking Toward
Other Options
By FRANK LEWIS
PDT Staff Writer
When
presidential hopeful John McCain came to town during the presidential
campaign, one sign caught his eye first. It read “no nukes,” and he
gave the first question of the rally to the woman carrying the sign,
Joni Fearing, who talked about her father.
“My father worked at
that (uranium enrichment) plant for 10 years and died after doctors had
found four different cancers,” Fearing said. “And there are many, many,
many people who are ill today from working around nuclear power plants
or nuclear facilities of any kind.”
Fearing was carrying her “no
nukes” sign again Thursday at the intersection of Shyville Road and
Ohio 32 in Piketon, to call attention to those arriving at and leaving
the site of the announcement that a partnership has formed to finalize
plans for the building of a nuclear power plant in Piketon.
Fearing
also expressed her displeasure with the Scioto County Commissioners,
who were seated on the front row for the announcement.
“When
(the commissioners) were campaigning, they were talking about
supporting the Apollo program, which is the green energy program that
Governor Strickland was working on bringing to Ohio,” Fearing said. “So
because of my concern about the lack of safety of nuclear energy, I was
just disappointed that they were there supporting that meeting there
yesterday (Thursday).”
Fearing said the sources of energy featured in the Apollo program include wind, solar and bio-fuels.
Fearing was asked if she believes nuclear energy is not as safe as bio-fuels.
“Not
in my estimation,” Fearing said. “I know there is some concern about
certain bio-fuels, but nuclear is just producing tons and tons of
deadly radioactive waste that can’t be safely stored anywhere. And it’s
not safe to be around it either, as far as the workers. That’s my
concern. Scioto County provides over 60 percent of the workforce up
there traditionally over the years. And there should be some influence
about that from Scioto County.”
Fearing called attention to the new bio-fuels plant being built in the South Shore area.
“That
bio-fuels plant that they are building, they are talking now about
being one of the leaders in the industry,” Fearing said. “We should
follow suit. We shouldn’t be left in the dust. We shouldn’t be left to
only have a nuclear focus for this region. Senator (Sherrod) Brown said
that he was going to make Ohio the Silicon Valley of alternative
energy. And that included wind, solar and bio-fuels. Where is that now?”
Fearing acknowledged that Brown has supported the cleanup of the old Piketon facility.
“He
was not at this meeting, and he was not on the list of supporters to my
knowledge, but I am hoping that he will bring other sorts of energy
industry in here,” Fearing said.
On Wednesday, Brown was joined
in Washington by Apollo Alliance Chairman Phil Angelides and other
notable business, labor and clean energy leaders, as he introduced the
“Investments for Manufacturing Progress and Clean Technology (IMPACT)
Act of 2009,” a bill Brown says would put America’s ailing
manufacturing sector on the road to recovery by facilitating the
development of domestic clean energy manufacturing and production.
The IMPACT Act would provide significant resources for small- and
medium-sized manufacturers through a two-year, $30 billion
manufacturing revolving loan fund.
A spokeswoman in Brown’s
office, Meghan Dubyak said Brown has not committed to the program
pending getting some answers to some questions he has.
“It’s
very early in the proposal process,” Dubyak told the Portsmouth Daily
Times. “The Senator is reviewing the proposal, and has some questions
that he wants to be answered before the government spends time and
money on the project.”
Dubyak said Brown believes no effort
should divert funds from the current cleanup project at the old site, a
project Brown has been working toward for several years.
“He
supports efforts to promote economic development in the region, but
wants to make sure all questions are answered before they move forward
on any project,” Dubyak said.
Fearing said she would like to see alternative energy programs brought into the area.
“We
should be able to build solar panels and windmill components, and
create other forms of safe energy,” Fearing said. “The nuclear industry
has been problematic for decades, and we shouldn’t continue to promote
that.”
Fearing said she is not a part of any group.
“I’m an individual activist who is just speaking out.”
At
Thursday’s announcement Anne Lauvergeon, chairman and chief executive
officer of AREVA, one of the partners in the project, painted a
completely different picture of the proposed facility
“EPR
(European Pressurized Reactor) is a fortress. A fortress where you see
1,600 megawatts. Nothing can get out. Nothing can get in, even in the
case of a commercial airplane crash,” Lauvergeron said. “It is the
safest nuclear plant on the planet.”‘It’s About Jobs And The Future’
By DEBORAH DANIELS
PDT Staff Writer
Pike County Commissioner Teddie West said he’s supportive of the newly proposed nuclear power plant that may be constructed on the Department of Energy site at Piketon.
Duke Power Corporation, French-owned nuclear reactor vendor AREVA and USEC Inc. announced Thursday, along with Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland and other officials, that a portion of the DOE site will be transitioned into a 21st-century clean energy production center. Southern Ohio Diversification Initiative is the local agency planning to build the nuclear power plant.
“I think it’s going to be good for the community,” he said. “The impact to the county is this — 4,000 jobs to build it, and 750 jobs to run it.”
Additionally, West said, the spinoff from the construction will impact the economy in a big way, with construction workers staying in area motels, eating in area restaurants, shopping, buying gasoline — all of these things, he said, will add up and have a huge impact not just in Pike County, but Scioto, Jackson and Ross counties as well.
“It’s about jobs and the future,” he said.
Karen Simonton and Maleine Davis, both of Fran Francis Realty in Waverly, were pleased with the announcement.
“It’s a little like the 1953 boom and I think it’s going to create a lot of jobs, which we need,” Davis said. “We’re at 15 percent unemployment here and I think it’s a great thing for the future of Pike County and the whole area.”
Simonton agreed.
“It’s going to impact the area, especially the housing market,” she said. “A lot are going to be wanting rentals … hopefully some will be able to buy.”
Fred Foster, owner of Foster’s Ace Hardware in Piketon, was taking a cautious attitude about the announcement.
“We’ll have to wait and see,” he said. “I’ve been here a long time and over the years there’s probably been a dozen times we’ve heard things are going to happen and then they don’t. But if it does happen, it will be good for the area.”
Next door to the hardware store, Brandon Myers, manager of the Shake Shoppe, said, “It’s going to create a lot of jobs. I know some people are going to be stressed out about it, but I think it will be good for the area.”
Piketon Mayor Billy Spencer was out of town on vacation and was unavailable to comment, however, Ronda Clemmons, village administrator, said the village is excited.
“Everyone feels that it will bring needed jobs to the area,” Clemmons said. “We’re hoping it may increase population for Piketon. We’ve upgraded utilities and there are several new subdivisions ready for people to move into. We hope it all works out and that a lot of people can gain employment.”
Waverly Mayor Dale Reed said, “It’s exciting times for us, especially in the face of the economy we’re going through right now. I wish it could happen quicker, but the construction stage is where it’s going to help the most because it will employ more.”
John Hemmings, executive director of the Ohio Valley Regional Development Commission located in Waverly, said the announcement is welcomed news, and he’s looking forward to seeing employment numbers increase at the site with good-paying jobs.
“We have a base of workers that are used to working in the nuclear field, so it’s familiar territory for us,” he said. “I also like the fact that we’ve taken an asset we already have and are developing it.”
Hemmings said he hopes the licensing, government approval and financing can be put together quickly. He also said he knows there will be some sentiment about it being nuclear, but cited comments by government officials that it will help reduce CO2 emissions and that it will be environmentally friendly.
West said he believes the project is completely safe.
“The people involved in this are in the nuclear business and if anybody can make it go, they can do it. I’m looking forward to working with them. I have kids and grandkids, so I don’t want anything coming into this county that will harm them.”
Clemmons said technology, methods and materials have gotten better than they were in the ‘50s.
“There’s more awareness of things that went wrong. We’re confident that things will run better because they have better knowledge,” she said.
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