EnergySolutions is trying to convince the public that nuclear waste really isn’t that bad for Utah.  Just let them take you on a guided infomercial--I mean, tour-- and you can see for yourself.

 

I hope you’ll pardon my skepticism.  Because the truth is that people who’ve taken the EnergySolutions tour in the past seem to walk away with some very strange ideas:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Really. This is the kind of garbage EnergySolutions has been telling our state legislators for years--a message made that much more palatable with a campaign contribution to top it off.

 

Think about it.  Would you trust the Tobacco Institute to give comprehensive information about the impacts of the cigarette industry? No. Likewise, we don’t think it’s reasonable to pretend that a company making billions of dollars off of nuclear waste can be counted on to talk responsibly about the risks of that same nuclear waste.

 

And now we hear that EnergySolutions wants to “educate the public” by taking us on these tours--an interesting choice given that EnergySolutions has literally spent millions of dollars in lobbying, campaign contributions, and lawsuits to stop that same public from having any say over what happens with nuclear waste in Utah.

 

At it’s deeply cynical core, EnergySolutions’ tour and message seem to boil down to this: Let us bury Utah’s West Desert under millions of tons of nuclear garbage because, hey, it’s not really that bad, and besides, nuclear is the only solution there is.  Hope you enjoyed your box lunch.

 

(OK so I’m paraphrasing.)

 

But we have a much better and bolder message, and it’s one that I want you to help us share in a big way: We don’t need to accept the risks and liabilities of a nuclear waste future, because there’s a better, cleaner way to make energy--and together, we can make a renewable and reliable electric grid a reality.

 

HEAL Utah is a people-powered organization.  And the only thing that has ever kept EnergySolutions in check all these years is thousands of people speaking up to say “We deserve better” -- We don’t want lethal Class B and C waste coming to our state.  We won’t let EnergySolution bury another square mile of the West Desert under nuclear garbage.  We don’t want to become the world’s nuclear waste dump.

 

While the battles continue--depleted uranium and waste blending being just the most recent examples--the fact is that only through raising our voices together have we been able to turn back EnergySolutions’ repeated attempts to bring hotter, more dangerous, longer-lasting, and ever increasing amounts of nuclear waste to Utah. 

 

So over the month of July, we’re launching the “Dose of Truth” campaign--a brand new way for us to raise our voices, using the power of social media to bring our message--and the truth about nuclear waste--to thousands more Utahns.

 

We’ll be sharing the tough truths about nuclear waste, nuclear power, and EnergySolutions that you’ll never hear on their “dog and pony show” tour.

 

If you join us on our "Dose of Truth" social media campaign, you'll see our hard-hitting Facebook and twitter posts about EnergySolutions.  When one of these doses of truth inspires you to fight, or reminds you why a future free from nuclear waste is important to you--share it with your friends and colleagues.  Let them know what inspires you and fires you up, and invite them to join in the effort to transition toward a cleaner energy future.

 

But remember, you can’t spread the word unless you’re part of the discussion--so please become a fan of HEAL Utah on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (instructions below).

 

In the end, no one is going to make this happen but us.  Obama won’t do it, Congress won’t do it, the state legislature won’t do it.  They’re either too intimidated by or too invested in the status quo to imagine a world free from coal, oil, and yes, nuclear power. 

 

But we can imagine that future, and when we lead, I am convinced they will follow.  Please join us.

 

Sincerely,

 

Policy Director

 

 

  

 

To become a Fan of Heal Utah on Facebook, go to our fan page at www.facebook.com/healutah and then click the "Like" button, as illustrated below:

 

 

 

To follow HEAL Utah on Twitter, go to our page at www.twitter.com/healutah and click the "Follow" button, as illustrated below: