Photo by Judah Ari Gross. Michael Mariotte, executive director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, speaks at the Greenbelt Community Center Sunday on the potential dangers of building new nuclear reactors.

Published on: Tuesday, February 02, 2010

By Judah Ari Gross

The Prince George’s County Peace and Justice Coalition hosted a speaker on nuclear power Sunday at the Greenbelt Community Center.

The speaker, Michael Mariotte, the executive director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, discussed the downsides of nuclear power, both fiscally and environmentally, in his presentation, “Nuclear Power: No Solution to the Climate Crisis.”

The event was co-sponsored by the Greenbelt Climate Action Network.

Lucy Duff, a member of the Peace and Justice Coalition, began the meeting by assuring those attending that all opinions would be heard.

“Democracy needs a time of decorum for quietly, calmly sharing and considering one another’s ideas,” Duff said.

The room the event was held in was decorated with pictures drawn by children affected by the Chernobyl disaster, the nuclear reactor accident in 1986 that left an entire town radioactive.

“I was in Chernobyl at the 10th anniversary,” said Mariotte as he began his presentation.

Mariotte’s presentation focused on some of the myths surrounding nuclear power and the proposed new reactor for Calvert County, Calvert Cliffs-3.

“The choice is not nuclear power or fossil fuels,” he explained. “That is a false choice.”

And indeed Mariotte focused on alternatives to both. Solar, wind, microalgae, and many other forms of alternative energy were discussed.

Mariotte addressed the myth that nuclear power is more carbon efficient, explaining “nuclear power is about six times more carbon intensive than wind.”

Especially in this area, nuclear reactors can pose a threat to the nearby environment, Mariotte explained. The Chesapeake Bay, Mariotte said, currently has 11 power plants dumping into it.

He raised many contentions with the proposed Calvert Cliffs-3 reactor.

“It would be the largest single reactor in the United States,” he said. This reactor would put out almost the same electricity as the current two largest combined. Its size could lead to more stress on the surrounding ecology.

Besides the possible environmental concerns, Mariotte addressed the issue that a foreign body, in this case France, would own much of the reactor through the companies AREVA and Electricite de France.

Pat O’Leary, one of the members of Prince George’s County Peace and Justice Coalition, explained “we have had speakers on this topic before,” as nuclear power is one of the topics the group is focusing on this year.

The PGCPJC has events every month on a variety of issues relating to the environment and politics.