CAN began as a group of concerned citizens organizing to protect their community from a nuclear meltdown. When lightning struck the Yankee Rowe reactor in Western MA in 1992, alarmed citizens began to meet. We were afraid of a meltdown, for the safety of our families and our way of life. We learned that the NRC was allowing the reactor to run with a one in ten thousand (10,000) chance of an accident rather than the required one in a million (1,000,000)!
We began a county-wide program to educate people about our local nuke. We educated people about the fact that the reactor released radioactive waste routinely and regularly into the river that flowed through our community. The river, which is surrounded by farmland, schools and houses, is used extensively for recreation and irrigation. Kids swam, people fished and life centered around a river in which nuclear waste was dumped regularly. Through health studies, we found that people in the surrounding communities had high rates of disease and illness, and that rate continues to grow to this day. No one realized just how the reactor impacted their everyday lives, however, the more people learned about how nuclear power affected them, the more they realized that closure of this reactor was necessary for a safer, cleaner life.
Even though people were angered about the effect the reactor had on their lives and started to push for closure, the corporation bought many people's silence with their "generosity". They gave money to the fire department, bought computers for the schools and gave support to local charities. Concerned citizens were afraid to question or raise concerns. People feared that the local economy would collapse or feared retaliation for taking a stand against the nuke. However, since the reactor closed, the local economy has improved and property values have risen. New local businesses have sprung up that cater to locals as well as to tourists who come to boat on the river that was once a dump for radioactive waste. There were also concerns that workers would lose their jobs, but half of the workforce was employed in decommissioning and many moved on to other reactors. Immediate job loss was minimal.
After the community shut Yankee Rowe, we all wanted to return to our ordinary lives, plant our gardens and visit our neighbors. But Yankee Atomic began a rapid clean up, shipping it's waste that had hurt our community to Barnwell, South Carolina. We felt it was unethical to ship the same toxic waste that hurt us to another community to hurt them. It became clear to us that all communities impacted by the nuclear fuel chain share the same fate, we are all sacrifice communities.
At this point, CAN began the transformation from a small local group into a regional group with multiple chapters. The problem was no longer local; it was a regional, national and global issue that we all had to work together to solve. Producing power with nuclear waste raises serious moral issues, issues that can not be ignored or derided. It is immoral for communities to have to choose between long term health and short term economic gain. It is immoral to produce a toxic waste for which there is no scientifically sound or environmentally just solution and to practice environmental racism by targeting low income, minority and Native American communities for nuclear contamination. It must be made clear that those who work at reactors are not immoral nor are they the problem; they are doing their jobs, jobs that protect their communities from accidents and catastrophes. Many are intimidated from raising concerns as the people in our community were.
What we have now is a great opportunity to choose a clean future for our communities. Now that we know the hidden costs of nuclear power on our health, our safety and our environment, we can choose better, cleaner and safer ways to generate energy for our homes and our communities. CAN envisions a future of safety, prosperity, and health for all in which people generate their own electricity in their homes and communities. Where local energy production has created local jobs and renewable energy is integrated into all of our buildings: our homes, businesses, schools and public buildings. A future where it is easy for everyone to access sustainable and affordable energy sources and the use of clean efficient energy is standard practice. Where family farms and locally-owned businesses are the backbone of our communities, and we have what we need to provide for our future.
CAN now has 7 chapters in 5 states. Join us in creating a clean energy future for everyone.
