Nuke Industry Bullies Students, Demands Lunch Money
For Immediate Release
Contact:
Ben Schreiber, [email protected], 202-222-0752
Scott Baumgartner, [email protected], 202-222-0751
Nuke Industry Bullies Students, Demands Lunch Money
House Democrats choose preemptive bailout for nuclear industry over preventing teacher layoffs
WASHINGTON, D.C.— This week, the House of Representatives is expected to vote on supplemental appropriations for the war in Afghanistan and several domestic programs. The domestic program funding preserves $9 billion in loan guarantees for nuclear reactors, while cutting $13 billion in funds to prevent teacher layoffs.
Friends of the Earth’s climate and energy tax analyst, Ben Schreiber, had the following response:
“This week Congress will vote on whether to take teachers away from students so that they can give nuclear reactors a $9 billion preemptive bailout. We continue to be shocked that Congress brazenly puts the interests of corporations above the needs of regular Americans, including teachers and children. This is further proof our political system has been corrupted by corporate influence and special interests.
“President Obama shoulders the blame for this latest push for a government bailout of the nuclear industry. Despite the recent tragedies we’ve suffered involving two of the three dangerous pillars of the energy plan that the President touted in his State of the Union address (oil and coal), he is still supporting efforts to hand billions of taxpayer dollars to the third pillar, nuclear reactors. Though we are fortunate to not have experienced a significant nuclear disaster in this country in decades, we continue down a path that tries our luck and puts the public at risk.
“New reactors cannot be built without massive preemptive government bailouts. It is telling that the handouts are destined to go to reactors in Majority Leader Steny Hoyer’s and Democratic Whip James Clyburn’s districts as well as to a reactor in South Texas. These are government handouts for the well-connected that come at the expense of regular Americans and their children.”
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