National Bailout Action Alert

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President and Vice President

Subject: Don’t Sacrifice the Economy and Environment to a Corporate Nuclear Bailout Scandal!

Message:

The Build Back Better agenda is supposed to be a game-changer to transition the country to renewable energy and off of fossil fuels by 2035. As a July 2021 report (https://bit.ly/3iQUs9G) shows, the best investments to reduce emissions are the same in the short-term, medium-term, and long-term: solar, wind, efficiency, and storage. They are affordable, rapidly deployed, and job-intensive. Yet the Build Back Better Act includes $30 billion of infrastructure spending on subsidies for aging, uneconomical nuclear power plants. This would be a costly, counterproductive, job-killing mistake, and I urge you to oppose all such measures in the Build Back Better Act, as well as in the bipartisan infrastructure bill proposed to be included in the American Jobs and Families Plan. As Congressional leaders debate and negotiate the Build Back Better Act, attempts may be made to reduce the costs of both packages from the current $3.5 and $1.5 billion price tags. Preserving the bailout for nuclear reactors would sacrifice the opportunity to create the social and infrastructure programs the nation needs. Sacrificing family-sustaining jobs and investments in racial justice to bail out corrupt corporations would be a tragic waste of resources and political will. Don't let our chance for jobs, climate, and justice drown in the swamp of cynical Washington politics. There are 33 reactors at 19 nuclear power plants, located in eight states, which would qualify for the proposed bailouts. Those power plants are owned and operated by only eight large power companies (along with four smaller companies that are minority co-owners of three of the plants). The top corporate beneficiaries would be Exelon and Energy Harbor. They are estimated to receive $11.3 billion and $2.5 billion, respectively - nearly 50% of the total. Both Exelon and Energy Harbor are the subjects of federal corruption cases over billion-dollar nuclear bailouts for which they bribed state legislators in Illinois and Ohio, respectively. In both cases, prosecutors have indicted former company lobbyists and staff to the Speakers of the House of Representatives in each state. Also in both cases, Exelon and FirstEnergy have signed deferred prosecution agreements with federal prosecutors to pay fines and restitution, and to cooperate with the prosecutions. With $30 billion of a federal nuclear subsidy accruing to two companies that are the subject of federal corruption cases over state-level nuclear subsidy laws, this could become an even larger scandal. The infrastructure bills will do more for climate, jobs, and justice without a nuclear bailout, and by simply investing in the transition to 100% renewable energy. Please ensure that infrastructure and energy legislation include no subsidies for nuclear power, and focus all energy investments in renewable energy, energy efficiency, and the transition to a 100% renewable, carbon-free, nuclear-free energy system.

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US House of Reps

Subject: Don’t Sacrifice the Economy and Environment to a Corporate Nuclear Bailout Scandal!

Message:

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US Senate

Subject: Don’t Sacrifice the Economy and Environment to a Corporate Nuclear Bailout Scandal!

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