A Case Study in Radioactive Waste Management

 The Meltdown in Democracy!

Governor Healey is pushing legislation that embraces nuclear power and undermines the democratic process by repealing a law that requires a referendum on nuclear power before any reactor can be built in the state! Healey doesn't want the voters to decide what a "clean" energy future looks like. This legislation is on a fast track! It’s important that Healey and our legislators know that this is unacceptable.

It's a slap in the face to Massachusetts' communities that have borne nuclear power's assault on their lives and undermined their waterways, air, and land. Our communities are stuck with high level radioactive waste dumps—vulnerable to acts of malice and climate disruption.

Last year Healey got the legislature to designate nuclear as “clean.”
There’s nothing clean about nuclear waste. We fought hard to shutter six out of nine reactors in New England including the two operating in Massachusetts. We shut Vermont Yankee, CT Yankee, and Millstone Unit 1, as well as Maine Yankee. The people did it! We can’t let dirty nuclear control our state and once again undermine our waterways and abandon its toxic waste in our communities. We must stop the industry again!

Stop the Meltdown in Democracy!

Bill H.4144—An Act relative to energy affordability, independence and innovation: https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/H4144

See the bottom of page 2 of Healey's letter to the committee, recommending nuclear to include in the legislation relative to energy affordability, independence, and innovation:

"In Massachusetts, in addition to requiring rigorous federal, state, and local approvals through formal siting and licensing processes that require public input, any proposed new nuclear fission facility must also secure approval via a statewide ballot initiative with a majority vote. No other generation source in the state requires this statewide ballot initiative approval. This Act would repeal a 1982 law that mandates that any new nuclear facility receive approval through a statewide ballot initiative, eliminating a major barrier to the consideration of new small modular reactors that could improve reliability, stabilize prices, and decarbonize the region’s power grid. Since 2020, eight of the 14 states with a nuclear moratorium or similar provisions have either fully or partially lifted limitations on building new nuclear and three more states are exploring it."

Protect Vermont from Climate Disaster

Dear CAN Supporters,

This Action Alert is very important and needs to be acted on ASAP by our supporters in Vermont.

Some key Republicans in the Vermont Senate are threatening to dismantle key pieces of legislation that protect Vermonters from climate disaster and help build a more affordable future: the Global Warming Solutions Act and the Renewable Energy Standard. Among the changes they are pursuing for the Renewable Energy Standard is to define Nuclear Power as “clean.”
We can’t let this happen!

Anti-climate, Pro-nuclear, Senators are pursuing every avenue they can think of to roll back our climate laws—including a possible attempt to bypass the traditional committee process to force a floor vote to take immediate action (likely on a Senate version of this climate rollback bill), as soon as THIS WEEK. Before any voting begins on efforts to gut these laws, we urge you to contact your Senator(s) and ask them to stand up for Vermonters and defend climate action.

Please call or email your Senator(s) (or call the Sergeant at Arms to leave your Senator(s) a message) as soon a