The Nuclear Energy Institute reports that Duke Power intends to apply for a license to build and operate a new nuclear power plant. As with most “good news” pronouncements from the NEI, there’s good news, bad news, and what will happen under different scenarios.
I have been waiting for a licensing for a long time. This isn’t one. This is the announcement that a license application is being prepared. The time that it will take the people on the technical end to prepare the application should give us some time to organize the outreach effort. To do that, we need to know what will happen.
The good news is that this is happening, and there is a chance that a new nuclear power plant might be built. The issue is being forced, and we have a chance to do the outreach correctly this time. Anti-nuclear groups are not as strong as they once were, they lack momentum, and hairline cracks have started to appear in the anti-nuclear environmentalist front.
The bad news: literally thousands of lawyers are lining up to sue whoever starts a new project. Unethical lawyers would be stupid not to sue, and the principled lawyers from the anti-nuclear movement will fight any project every step of the way. The only way to even dilute the effects of activist lawyers would be to apply for multiple–up to fifty–construction and operating licenses simultaneously and hope a few get through. We do not have the resources and utilities do not have the inclination to do that.
There is no way to defeat activist lawyers directly. However, an outreach program that makes the case clearly and explains the legal barrier to licensing would result in outrage about what they’re doing. That’s really all we can do.
We–the pro-nuclear community–must play a significant role for this to come close to working. Sitting back and waiting for the technical merits to make themselves clear does not work. That is established. How do we do that?
- Tell people that a license application is being prepared. Once you either identify people who care or get people to care, you can talk about the issue. Some of my strongest allies now are people who once were anti-nuclear. This first step–caring about the issue–is the crucial step.
- If you don’t have a website, get one. If you can’t handle the technical parts, or can’t spend the required time, email me and we’ll work something out. This is still relatively new to me, too; I’m still figuring out what is appropriate for certain situations. However, an internet presence is helpful for organizing and essential for getting the word out.
- By the way, if you can’t do something independently, we could use some help.
- We are no match for the Green Machine as-is. Fighting the establishment environmentalist organizations head-on will not work. We have to remember what they did: use good PR to create a groundswell of outrage. Everything follows from that. Other people will slightly disagree with you, or seek autonomy, and form their own groups, those people will trigger more activity, etc., and they eventually won’t be able to ignore us.
- What’s good PR? Make people care. The media doesn’t want to read “The Dynamics of Interbeing and Monological Imperatives in Dick and Jane: A Study in Psychic Transrelational Gender Modes” (thank you, Calvin & Hobbes). They understand things like “Study: Coal Burning Releases Nuclear Radiation” or “Study: Radiation Not as Harmful as Previously Thought.” You must be able to speak the language of the people you talk to and not come off as arrogant.
- Also, do not get up somewhere and make an impassioned speech along the lines of “You wouldn’t believe how perfectly fine everything is!” because, on top of being inaccurate, it doesn’t attract attention. There is always a problem, and it needs attention attracted to it. Since the basic problem in the field of nuclear energy is that it’s not being used widely enough, we must highlight the alternatives and dispel 50 years of myths as to how nuclear power plants work.
- Nuclear energy hasn’t been an issue since the early- to mid-80s. This means that there is a whole generation of people who have no connection to or memory of anything nuclear being debated. Since the Green Machine didn’t reach them due to lack of an issue, these people–today’s high school and college students (remember how effective they are at activism?)–are very reachable, second only to bitter engineers. If you are a high school or college student, try to find other pro-nuclear people and either start a student organization or hijack the environmental club. If you aren’t, talk to your children. Make it an issue in your community–your workplace, your neighborhood, organizations you’re in. Teachers, obviously, can influence opinion very directly, but accountants can too. Since these people are largely unfamiliar with anti-nuclear arguments, the issue can be brought straight to them and their reaction to the Green Machine will be “I’ve heard this before–that’s wrong and I know it. Plus, the pro-nuclear people I know don’t weigh 350 pounds, wear tuxedos, and have light bulbs for noses.”
- Try to avoid inadvertently constructing the straw-man pro-nuclear organization. For example, an independent people-powered grassroots organization is a lot less likely to be pilloried than an offshoot of the Bob Jones Young Republicans that takes money from the Nuclear Energy Institute to make flashy prime-time commercials. Reversing our reputation as industry flacks is absolutely essential.
- We’re new to this. We’re going to stumble. This licensing application may not go through. We may not have enough time to organize effectively. But we have to try. We have to do something. I cannot sit back and let adults act like children, hysterically running over the people trying to help them so that they can fall over a cliff. I will do my part, in my corner of the world, and I hope you do too.
Check back often for more news. I’ve started a thread in the discussion board for people to discuss the pro-nuclear effort.
Filed under Uncategorized
Posted on October 28, 2005 by Stewart Peterson | 2 Comments »
