by Dave Taylor
OSWEGO - Local anti-nuclear activists will attempt to hit power producers where it hurts - the pocketbook - to protest President Bush's recently announced energy policy.
According to Tim Judson, director of the central New York chapter of the Citizens Awareness Network, the group is encouraging local activists to participate in an international "rolling blackout" from 7-10 p.m. tonight.
In central New York and throughout the world, people will be unplugging appliances and turning off their lights to take a stand against what some critics call an environmentally unfriendly policy laid out by Bush. Parts of the president's plan include "more nuclear power, mining and burning more coal, and drilling (for oil) in the Arctic," reads an e-mail sent by the Citizens Awareness Network seeking support for the blackout. Judson said the local initiative is also a protest of plans that could include the construction of new nuclear faclities in the town of Scriba, already home to the Nine Mile Point Units 1 and 2 and James A. FitzPatrick nuclear power plants. While Constellation Nuclear, the Baltimore outfit which is trying to purchase the plants from Niagara Mohawk Power Corp., has said it has no plans to build any new plants locally, Entergy Nuclear is keeping its options open. Entergy closed a deal on the FitzPatrick plant late last year. Entergy spokesperson Carl Crawford said last month that the New Orleans-based company will perform preliminary site reviews at several of its existing locations in case regulatory approval is given for new faclities. He said the Scriba plant and its surrounding land may be among those locations selected. Judson said the proposed blackout today - the first day of summer - began as a "grassroots effort." It's origins are in Los Angeles, according to a Web site, rollyourownblackout.com, dedicated to the effort. "Everybody is enthusiastic about it," Judson said. "Everybody is upset about having to pay NiMo for all the dirty energy they produce. This gives people a chance to express their opposition and reduce their NiMo bills for a month."
NiMo spokesperson Alberto Bianchetti said the utility has no plans to change its estimated demand for electricity tonight. "We were made aware of it," he said, "but we don't have any specific take on it. We just wanted to be aware of it from an operational standpoint."
Judson said the blackout will help counter recent claims by the nuclear industry that public polls show growing support for nuclear energy. "This will be a very good indicator of what the public sentiment really is," Judson said. He added that he plans to have a picnic with friends and neighbors during the blackout, or hold a candlelight dinner if the weather doesn't cooperate.
According to the e-mail sent by the local CAN chapter, "The message will be be loud and clear - we don't want nukes, we won't take "em, we won't pay for "em. We need a safe environment for our communities and our children. Safe, environmentally friendly alternatives would produce more jobs than nuclear, and promote the long-term health and well-being of our communities."
Source: The Oswego Palladium-Times
