Progressive Politics for a New Century

February 4, 2005

NEWS RELEASE

GREEN PARTY OF MISSISSIPPI CALLS FOR

A NEW STATE ENERGY POLICY

The Green Party of Mississippi calls for a phase-out of existing nuclear power plants, no new site permits for construction or expansion, and an intensive, focused program to bring Mississippi forward from dependence on foreign oil to reliance on renewable energy.

It is important that these measures be taken.  Radioactive waste contains substances that are among the most toxic and long-lasting of poisons.  We have no way to safely store these extremely dangerous waste products.  Fifty years of nuclear energy have given us Three Mile Island and the Chernobyl catastrophe, as well as many near-misses.  Furthermore, reliance on nuclear power is disastrous for taxpayers.  For example, Entergy has applied for millions of dollars in taxpayer subsidies to support planning for a second nuclear reactor at Grand Gulf near Port Gibson in Claiborne County.

Nuclear energy, when all costs are considered, is unaffordable.

We call on the state to take immediate steps to reduce Mississippi's dependence on oil through conservation and renewable energy.  A comprehensive program of positive incentives for energy conservation including low-embodied-energy construction methods makes economic sense for Mississippi homeowners and the homebuilding industry.  Our state lags behind states like New Mexico that have cutting-edge building codes that permit new construction technologies like straw-bale, rammed-earth, and light clay.  We call on the state to shift subsidies from nuclear energy to cleaner, renewable energy: small-scale hydropower, solar energy, and wind power generation.  These measures will help put Mississippi's economy on a sound footing regardless of action or inaction by the federal government in Washington.

Contacts:

Gwen Wages                                                        Janet Rafferty                                                      Sherman Lee Dillon

State Chair, Tupelo                                             State Executive Committee                                State Co-Chair, Jackson

662-840-3706                                     Starkville                                              601-371-3861

gwenwages@earthlink.net                     662-324-6407                                    dillon_sl@bellsouth.net

                                                                                JRafferty12@hotmail.com