The House Commerce Committee has scheduled a markup session on Thursday morning (Oct. 4) to consider reauthorization of the Price-Anderson limited liability nuclear insurance act. Phone calls are needed NOW to members of the Commerce Committee (list below, all Congressmembers can be reached at 202-224-3121). Members should be told that this is the WRONG time to be considering Price-Anderson reauthorization:
*Given new, legitimate concern over reactors being potential terrorist targets—full assessment must be made of security vulnerabilities, improvements must be implemented, potential damages reviewed BEFORE Price-Anderson is considered. How can Members of Congress determine whether Price-Anderson offers sufficient protection to the public if they do not know what the current risk is from reactors? Note: The same committee is holding a mark-up session tomorrow (Wednesday) on nuclear security legislation (no bill number yet). However, even if perfect, which it won't be, this legislation obviously will not have been enacted and implemented by Thursday....
*Similarly, meaningful security assessments and improvements have not been done for Department of Energy facilities subject to Price-Anderson, nor to the transport of radioactive waste.
*There is no rush on Price-Anderson. It does not expire for another 10 months. Lawmakers should have better things to do right now than consider legislation offering special benefits to the nuclear power industry.
*You may, of course, wish to express your opposition to the Price-Anderson scheme entirely, as an unwarranted, unnecessary subsidy to the nuclear industry.
PLEASE CALL TODAY!
On another matter, the Senate today voted 100-0(!!!) to stop Sen. James Inhofe (R-Okla) from attaching the House energy bill to the Senate’s defense authorization bill. Apparently the Republican leadership finally realized how bad Sens. Inhofe, Murkowski and Craig were making them look by pushing this partisan legislation at this time in this manner. Thanks to everyone who called!
House Commerce Committee
Republicans
W.J. “Billy” Tauzin, Louisiana, Chairman
Michael Bilirakis, Florida
Joe Barton, Texas
Fred Upton, Michigan
Cliff Stearns, Florida
Paul E. Gillmor, Ohio
James C. Greenwood, Pennsylvania
Christopher Cox, California
Nathan Deal, Georgia
Steve Largent, Oklahoma
Richard Burr, North Carolina, Vice Chairman
Ed Whitfield, Kentucky
Greg Ganske, Iowa
Charlie Norwood, Georgia
Barbara Cubin, Wyoming
John Shimkus, Illinois
Heather Wilson, New Mexico
John B. Shadegg, Arizona
Charles “Chip” Pickering, Mississippi
Vito Fossella, New York
Roy Blunt, Missouri
Thomas Davis, Virginia
Ed Bryant, Tennessee
Robert Ehrlich, Maryland
Steve Buyer, Indiana
George Radanovich, California
Charles F. Bass, New Hampshire
Joseph Pitts, Pennsylvania
Mary Bono, California
Greg Walden, Oregon
Lee Terry, Nebraska
Democrats
John D. Dingell, Michigan, Ranking Member
Henry A. Waxman, California
Edward J. Markey, Mass.
Ralph M. Hall, Texas
Rick Boucher, Virginia
Edolphus Towns, New York
Frank Pallone Jr., New Jersey
Sherrod Brown, Ohio
Bart Gordon, Tennessee
Peter Deutsch, Florida
Bobby L. Rush, Illinois
Anna G. Eshoo, California
Bart Stupak, Michigan
Eliot L. Engel, New York
Tom Sawyer, Ohio
Albert R. Wynn, Maryland
Gene Green, Texas
Karen McCarthy, Missouri
Ted Strickland, Ohio
Diana DeGette, Colorado
Tom Barrett, Wisconsin
Bill Luther, Minnesota
Lois Capps, California
Mike Doyle, Pennsylvania
Chris John, Louisiana
Jane Harman, California
Thank you
Michael Mariotte
Nuclear Information and Resource Service