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Take Action! Tell your Representatives to STOP HR 6544: The Atomic Energy Advancement Act of 2023

Take a stand against a new bill that keeps US taxpayers on the hook for the full costs of nuclear disasters and promotes nuclear energy worldwide. HR 6544, the Atomic Energy Advancement Act of 2023, is a comprehensive pro-nuclear bill that includes a host of provisions propping up the nuclear industry, including renewing the Price-Anderson Act. Even more concerning, H.R. 6544 aims to undermine the NRC's core nuclear safety mandate by revising its mission statement to emphasize the "public benefits" of nuclear energy. Congress created the NRC through the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974, breaking up the Atomic Energy Commission into the NRC and the Energy Research and Development Administration (now the Department of Energy). After years of oversight hearings, it was clear to members of the House and Senate that conflating the missions of promoting nuclear energy and protecting public health and safety created a dangerous conflict of interest. Congress must not repeat the mistake of the AEC by telling the NRC to promote the “benefits” of nuclear energy.

The most dangerous aspect of the bill is the renewal of the Price-Anderson Act, a 1957 law that caps the industry’s liability for nuclear disasters at only $13 billion. The Price-Anderson Act makes US taxpayers liable for the full costs of nuclear disasters – which could run into the hundreds of billions of dollars – and exempts the insurance industry from covering homeowners and businesses for damages from those disasters.

The nuclear industry claims that nuclear energy has an impeccable safety record and that the new “advanced” reactors under development are “inherently safe” and disaster-proof. If that’s true, they shouldn’t need taxpayers to continue being their insurance company.

The provisions included in HR 6544 would deepen the radioactive waste crisis and waste federal dollars on nuclear development, Let your Senators know that HR 6544 is bad news for US taxpayers and further entrenches the status quo of dirty, dangerous, and expensive nuclear power in the country and abroad.

Tell your U.S. Senators to Protect Taxpayers from the High Costs of Nuclear Power and STOP HR 6544

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House Members

Subject: Please oppose HR 6544, the Atomic Energy Advancement Act of 2023.

Message:

Please oppose HR 6544, the Atomic Energy Advancement Act of 2023. HR 6544 keeps US taxpayers on the hook for the full costs of nuclear disasters by renewing the Price-Anderson Act and provides for comprehensive support for the nuclear industry. It exempts nuclear contractors from liability. The most dangerous aspect of the bill is the renewal of the Price-Anderson Act, a 1957 law which caps the nuclear industry’s liability for nuclear disasters at only $13 billion. The Price-Anderson Act makes US taxpayers liable for the full costs of nuclear disasters – which could run into the hundreds of billions of dollars – and exempts the insurance industry from covering homeowners and businesses for damages from those disasters. The nuclear industry claims that nuclear energy has an impeccable safety record and that the new “advanced” reactors under development are “inherently safe” and disaster-proof. If that’s true, they shouldn’t need taxpayers to continue being their insurance company. HR 6544 is bad news for US taxpayers and further entrenches the status quo of dirty, dangerous, and expensive nuclear power in the country and abroad. Nuclear power makes climate worse—it is not a solution to the climate crisis. In fact, investments in nuclear power take away from desperately needed development of a clean, just, and affordable energy system. HR 6544 is a costly distraction from climate solutions and a just transition. Please oppose HR 6544 and stop the unwieldy, unsafe, expensive, and internationally unstable advancement of nuclear power. Above all, don’t perpetuate the insurance fraud of the Price-Anderson Act by renewing the law and burdening taxpayers with the full brunt of nuclear disaster costs. Thank you.

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Take Action! Tell your Representatives to STOP HR 6544: The Atomic Energy Advancement Act of 2023

Tell your U.S. Senators to Protect Taxpayers from the High Costs of Nuclear Power and STOP HR 6544

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