Statement to the Seattle City Council
By Mary Hanson, May 31, 2016

Seattle City Council Members:

On behalf of Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation's over four hundred Seattle Chapter members, I urge you to support Resolution 31667, for a nuclear-free and carbon-free Seattle City Light.

When the Fukushima meltdown began five years ago, I learned that a similar-designed nuclear power plant, the Columbia Generating Station at Hanford, supplies about 4% of Seattle's electric energy. I learned that CGS poses a significant danger to our region: if it were to be built today, it would need to withstand two and a half times the seismic pressure standard to which it was built in the '70's. Because its high-level nuclear waste must cool in water four stories above the reactor, in the event of an earthquake loss of coolant water could cause a hydrogen explosion like Fukushima. Related earthquake damage to infrastructure and roads could compromise delivery of emergency equipment and operator access to the plant. This scenario can and must be avoided. CGS has other flaws and problems: age, cost of operations, etc. 

Because the 4% of electricity CGS generates can be replaced with less costly conservation, wind, solar and other carbon-free sources, replacing all fossil-fuel and nuclear-generated electricity with energy efficiency and clean, renewable energy is happily feasible. In the five years since Fukushima, these sources of clean energy have grown faster than we ever could have expected.

Thank you for taking seriously your responsibility for providing clean and safe electricity to our city and region.

Sincerely,

Mary Hanson
Chair, Western Washington Fellowship of Reconciliation, Seattle Chapter