The Green Party of Colorado urges all Colorado residents to publicly and vigorously oppose plans for nuclear power generation in Pueblo County. In recent weeks, the Pueblo County Planning Commission approved the development of a nuclear power plant, which will now be considered by the County Commissioners.

Please contact the Pueblo County Commissioners before their scheduled meeting on April 25 to express opposition to the development of unsafe, uncontrollably expensive, and environmentally destructive nuclear power, which will negatively affect everyone in the state. With the nuclear crisis still unfolding in Japan, and radiation from the ruined Japanese nuclear power plants already showing up in Colorado milk, water and air, the Pueblo County Commissioners have clear reason not to place our health and environment at risk when safer, cleaner, and less expensive energy options exist.

The Green Party of Colorado has opposed nuclear power from our beginnings in the early 1990s. At the 2010 annual state meeting, state Green Party representatives unanimously approved a set of resolutions including:

10. Calls for Senator Udall to withdraw his legislation and support for mini-nuclear power plants, as unsafe, terrorist-prone, and inherently dangerous with regard to loss of control of nuclear materials and risk of nuclear weapon proliferation.

11. Opposes nuclear power proposed as a partial solution to energy security and climate change because of its dangerous unintended consequences, and is not cost effective compared with other forms of sustainable energy production such as wind, geothermal and solar power.

The state and national parties hold Ecological Sustainability as one of our 10 Key Values that guide our development of political policy. Under the national platform, “The Green Party advocates a rapid reduction in energy consumption through energy efficiency and a decisive transition away from fossil and nuclear power toward cleaner, renewable, local energy sources.”

The platform’s third section C. Nuclear Issues, outlines the reasoning for our opposition, while other sections explain our positions on nuclear energy such as A. Climate Change 2. Economic Policy For A Safer Climate and 5. Clean, Green Energy And Jobs, and B. Energy 3. End the Use of Dirty and Dangerous Energy Sources.

Please call or send your message opposing nuclear power plans in Pueblo County by mail or e-mail to:

Pueblo County Courthouse, 215 W. 10th Street, Pueblo, CO 81003

Phone: (719) 583-6000; Fax: (719) 583-6549

John B. Cordova Sr., Chair, Pueblo County Commissioner, District 2, cordova@co.pueblo.co.us

Anthony Nuñez, Commissioner, Chair Pro Tem, District 1, nunez@co.pueblo.co.us

Jeff Chostner, Commissioner, District 3, chostner@co.pueblo.co.us

You can also sign a petition expressing your opposition at the No Nuclear Power in Pueblo, Colorado site, sponsored by the Sierra Club, Rocky Mountain Chapter

You can also read about Nevada and Ohio Green Parties’ plans to hold anti-nuclear energy rallies on Earth Day this year.

Photo Credit: Green Peace