Energy Expert Says Cancel Coal, Nuclear Power Plants In NC
RALEIGH, N.C. — Rather than risk $40 billion public dollars and fueling climate change by building new coal-fired and nuclear power plants, North Carolina can protect power bills, boost its economy and dramatically cut greenhouse emissions by joining the emerging transition to clean, efficient energy. That’s the hopeful message national energy expert Arjun Makhijani will deliver in Raleigh on Wednesday at an event hosted by NC WARN.
“[Arjun's] Roadmap could liberate us from an energy policy that is trashing our climate and our mountaintops,” said David Freeman, former head of power company TVA, who wrote the forward to Dr. Makhijani’s recent book, Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Road Map for US Energy Policy. This groundbreaking analysis shows how the U.S. economy could feasibly and cost-effectively shift to renewable energy sources without use of fossil fuels or nuclear power.
The press conference will take place at 2:45 p.m. and a discussion/debate will take place at 8 p.m. Both events are at the Community United Church of Christ, Raleigh, at the corner of Dixie Trail & Wade Avenue.
“A technological revolution has been brewing in the last few years, so it won’t cost an arm and a leg to eliminate both CO2 emissions and nuclear power. We can solve the problems of oil imports, nuclear proliferation as it is linked to nuclear power, and carbon dioxide emissions simultaneously if we are bold enough,” states Dr. Makhijani, who has been a guest on all major broadcast networks over the years.
Progress Energy CEO Bill Johnson and Duke CEO Jim Rogers were both invited to debate Dr. Makhijani or to have company officials make presentations. Both declined. Rogers is under increasing statewide pressure to cancel construction of the Cliffside coal-fired plant. Between them, the two power companies are considering construction of six nuclear plants, including two by Progress at its Harris plant near Raleigh.
Regional elected officials have been invited to attend and consider the rebuttal of the one-sided message promoting coal and nuclear sown by Progress Energy and Duke Energy since 2005. NC WARN and others say new nukes could cause power bills to double or triple, and they have used utility data to argue that – for a variety of reasons – new plants are clearly not needed.
Arjun Makhijani, a scientist for over three decades, has released research finding that a zero-carbon economy can be achieved in the next 30 to 50 years without the use of nuclear power.
“The necessity for drastic action to reduce CO2 emissions is now widely recognized … Complete elimination of CO2 and of nuclear power could occur as early as 2040.”
The public is welcome to attend the evening event and there is no admission charge.
Supporting sponsors for this event include: Clean Water for NC, Southern Energy Network – NC, NC Fair Share, North Carolina Conservation Network, Eartheal, Triangle Green Party, Greenpeace NC, Grassroots Energy Alliance, Environment NC.
About Arjun Makhijani
Arjun Makhijani, President of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research (IEER), is the author of numerous reports and books on energy and environment related issues. He was the principal author of the first study of the energy efficiency potential of the US economy published in 1971. He holds a Ph.D. in engineering (specialization: nuclear fusion) from the University of California at Berkeley.
Winner of numerous awards, Dr. Makhijani has appeared widely as a resource on energy policy over the past 37 years, testifying before Congress, and appearing on ABC World News Tonight, the CBS Evening News, CBS 60 Minutes, NPR, CNN and the BBC. He has served as a consultant on energy issues to utilities, including the Tennessee Valley Authority.
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