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From: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com (abolition-usa-digest)
To: abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com
Subject: abolition-usa-digest V1 #2
Reply-To: abolition-usa-digest
Sender: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com
Errors-To: owner-abolition-usa-digest@lists.xmission.com
Precedence: bulk
abolition-usa-digest Monday, July 20 1998 Volume 01 : Number 002
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 17:14:58 -0400
From: Ish <ishgooda@tdi.net>
Subject: (abolition-usa) WARD VALLEY PART 2
JUDGE HEARS ARGUMENTS IN WARD VALLEY CASE - see pg. 3.
NUCLEAR UTILITIES FIND WARD VALLEY TOO EXPENSIVE - According to recent
testimony before the Public Utilities Commission (PUC), even Pacific Gas and
Electric (PG&E)--which owns the closed Humboldt nuclear power plant and the
currently operating Diablo Canyon facility--would like to decommission their
reactors before Ward Valley would open. Federal laws governing California's
waste disposal would force them to send their wastes to Ward Valley (if it
were to open) and disposal at existing dumps in South Carolina and Utah
would be as much as ten times cheaper. Southern California Edison is rushing
to decommission one of its San Onofre reactors before Ward Valley opens so
that it can save money at existing, cheaper waste facilities. Slowly but
surely, the prospects for a cheap grave for nuclear power waste in the
California desert is beginning to unravel under the simple pressure of
economics.
DUMP WOULD RAISE CONSUMER'S ELECTRIC BILLS - PG&E has also submitted a $1
billion rate increase request to the PUC to cover the cost of
decommissioning its three nuclear reactors. The increased cost of using the
Ward Valley site is part of PG&E's justification for the increase. Since
PG&E is not the only utility company in California, $1 billion is only the
tip of the iceberg for higher electricity costs. California has ten nuclear
reactors that must eventually be decommissioned including out-of-state
reactors that are partially owned by California utility companies.
JESSE JACKSON CALLS FOR END TO DUMP - see pg. 7
TIME FOR DECISION - The Department of the Interior has enough scientific
evidence to stop the project now. The proposed dump is clearly in violation
of environmental justice mandates and would not be financially viable. But
Interior has refused to return Gov. Wilson's application for the land. It
is time for Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt and the Clinton
Administration to show leadership on Ward Valley. The final drive to
resolve the issue must come from an informed and activated public willing to
vote their conscience, speak their hearts and minds and defend the land if
necessary.
************************************************
WARD VALLEY LEGAL UPDATE
by Ward Young--BAN Waste Coalition
On June 17th, in U.S. District Court in Washington D.C., Judge Emmet
Sullivan presided over three hours of oral arguments in a lawsuit brought by
the California Department of Health Services (DHS) and US Ecology against
the Department of Interior to obtain federal land in Ward Valley for the
proposed radioactive waste dump. DHS and US Ecology allege that by signing
a record of decision to transfer federal land to the state of California in
1993, former Interior Secretary Manuel Lujan had committed Interior to the
transfer.
In response to Lujan's action, the BAN Waste Coalition and the Fort Mojave,
Chemehuevi and Colorado River Indian Tribes sued Lujan to stop the land
transfer, using the protections of the Endangered Species Act. This led to
the designation of 6.4 million acres of critical habitat for the threatened
desert tortoise, including Ward Valley. Judge Marilyn Hall Patel of the
U.S. District Court for Northern California halted the land transfer and
ruled that Lujan's actions were illegal. Subsequently, incoming Interior
Secretary Babbitt rescinded Lujan's actions and began a new review of the
proposed dump.
Now Babbitt's decision five years ago to reverse Lujan and conduct his own
review is under attack by DHS and US Ecology in Sullivan's court. At the
same time, the dump proponents are suing the federal government in a related
case in U.S. Court of Claims in Washington, D.C. In this case, DHS and US
Ecology are arguing that Interior is liable for $85 million in project costs
plus damages. Both sides presented their arguments at a hearing before
Judge Hodges in January, but the judge has not yet ruled in that case.
On June 17th, Judge Sullivan at first suggested that he could stay the
entire proceedings and simply await a ruling and precedent from the federal
Claims Court, since the arguments made in both cases are similar. However,
both sides urged the judge to move forward, and he agreed.
Sullivan aggressively questioned the central arguments made by DHS and US
Ecology, which suggests he may rule in Interior's favor. Next, the judge
asked Interior if it had made a final decision on Ward Valley. On May 29th,
Interior had made a significant move to indefinitely suspend all further
review of the dump. Attorneys for Interior responded to Judge Sullivan that
the agency was hoping he would make a definitive ruling regarding DHS'
questionable authority under California law to purchase the Ward Valley land.
Interior based its decision to suspend the dump review (including the
Supplemental Environmental Impact Statement (SEIS) and tritium testing) on a
legal analysis initiated by top Democratic leaders in the California
Legislature. Assembly Speaker Antonio Villaraigosa, Senate President Pro
Tem John Burton, and Speaker Pro Tem Sheila Kuehl concluded that DHS has no
authority to enter into contract to purchase land and would have to undergo
further legislative and administrative approval to legally acquire the 1,000
acre site for the dump.
Even though Judge Sullivan had received legal briefs from both sides on the
matter, he appeared reluctant to take a position on the subject.
Interior claimed that it could complete the environmental review, if
necessary, in one year from starting tritium tests at the site. In
February, Interior was prevented from initiating tritium testing by the five
lower Colorado River Indian Tribes and environmental activists who conducted
a four-month long occupation of the dumpsite on land considered sacred
ancestral territory of the tribes.
Eric Glitzenstein, attorney for intervenors the BAN Waste Coalition and
Committee to Bridge the Gap, argued forcefully that Interior has already
made a final decision on Ward Valley because the agency has concluded that
the state's application for the land is illegal. Judge Sullivan promised to
make a ruling promptly, and attorneys expect him to do so within two or
three months.
The cities of Los Angeles and San Francisco filed amicus briefs (friends of
the court) in Sullivan's court in favor of dismissing DHS and US Ecology's
suit.
Although these developments seem promising, the Ward Valley issue is far
from resolved. Interior is reluctant to make a final decision on Ward
Valley and may be waiting for the Judge to provide a resolution. It is
important at this time that we urge the administration to stop the project
once and for all.
*************************************
Tsonkwadiyonrat (We are ONE Spirit)
Unenh onhwa' Awayaton
http://www.tdi.net/ishgooda/ __
(\ .-. .-. /_")
\\_//^\\_//^\\_//
`"` `"` `"`
- -
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------------------------------
Date: Sat, 18 Jul 1998 05:28:26 +0200
From: "Ross Wilcock" <rwilcock@execulink.com>
Subject: (abolition-usa) RE: Abolition 2000 Communications
( was abolition-usa ) It seems that I should comment here.
Yes, I am still looking after the abolition-caucus list on behalf of IPPNW
who pays for it. Any concerns can be addressed to myself and/or
ippnwbos@igc.org
Sue wrote to me some months ago about setting up a US abolition list.
I did express a concern at the time about splitting communications - based
on Canadian experience - where we have a Canadian Network for the Abolition
of Nuclear Weapons List which is in effect the Canadian abolition list.
Some of the content is copied from abolition-caucus, but there was a heavy
discussion - about the Energy Route to Nuclear Proliferation and Canada's
role in nuclear proliferation by providing uranium, reactor sales and
know-how. This is still a very contentious problem. Some of the transaction
was very technical and argumentative.
So I have a problem with providing Canadian content to the already heavily
used international list - and vice versa to some extent.
This problem will come up with any national list. The US peace movement is
very important and influential. We all need to keep in touch but components
in Europe are no less important as are Australia, New Zealand; India;
Pakistan; Israel - and we need more interaction with Russian & Chinese
friends - to name a few!
All this produces a network traffic problem - some call overload. Perhaps we
need to think about better ways to handle this.
One way is to use APC Networks as an alternative to the List -
The email list requires that all messages reach all list members.
The policy set up by IPPNW was that the abolition-caucus list is also
readable on APC networks - so APC networks subscribers can read the
abolition-caucus conference selectively - and in fact anyone can. So the
whole thing is readable, and is archived by APC networks. Some may prefer
using the APC Networks conference approach (selectable) instead of the
Listserver approach ( obligatory downloads).
This policy should apply to all components of APC Networks worldwide but I
have had no confirmation that this is so.
Other ways and possibilities for keeping a database or mail archive exist.
I see that there are still concerns about usage of the abolition-caucus
list.
I have tried to take selected highlights and key documents, or sometimes
relevant documents too large for the listserver (BOUNCE messages rejected
too big) and put them in the Abolition 2000 section of the website
http://www.pgs.ca/ - this used to be the Physicians for Global Survival
Canada site - but some members wanted it to be administered by a committee -
so I found it necessary - to protect the growing international component by
renaming it "Peace & Goodwill Site"
I greatly appreciate the efforts of everyone world wide struggling with
these huge problems. Of course this includes individuals and NGOs - but it
doesn't exclude people in government who have to make decisions.
I have faith based in collective experience of what can be accomplished by
people of goodwill and open communications certainly help.
We are all trying to be constructive with enthusiasm - so don't complain too
much about overload when this is a sign of vitality. But of course
suggestions are welcome as to troublesome problems and how to solve them.
There are some constraints that can affect some people more than others.
Many people in the world are still limited to using terminal programs - they
can read email lists and APC Networks conferences.
Some people can read WWW - needing better computers and more complex
software - ??? local resources.
Some people can access Microsoft Exchange - but this requires an Exchange
Client and password access.
Using LSoft's Listserv software instead of majordomo an email list can be
automatically archived and made publicly readable using WWW. See for
instance http://www.pgs.ca/archives/WOC-L.html or
http://www.pgs.ca/archives/chechnya.html
APC conferences are readable for APC subscribers using their Internet
Newsreader eg WWW browser.
So there are many ways to consider if change is really necessary. IRChat and
NetMeeting functions have long been available on the PGS server for those
wishing to use these modalities.
I will appreciate help to confirm if abolition-caucus is currently readable
as a conference for APC users on igc, gn, peg, glasnet, etc....
Please keep up the good work!
Ross Wilcock
rwilcock@web.net
http://www.pgs.ca/
- -----Original Message-----
From: owner-abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com
[mailto:owner-abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com] On Behalf Of Richard
Salvador
Sent: Saturday, July 18, 1998 7:06 AM
To: abolition-usa@lists.xmission.com
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Abolition 2000 Communications
Dear Susan, David and Jackie and Friends,
So should I understand that there are two Lists, one, the global abolition
caucus, and two, the abolition-usa? And that the usa-list will only be used
to inform of specifically US news and actions? Do subscribers to the usa
list continue to be subscribed to the global abolition caucus list; does
Ross Wilcock continue to manage that latter list? I share Jackie's concern
about the potential implications of the split between the USA and the global
List. While I do understand that the split emerges out of the concerns
expressed during the recent annual meeting's desire to have the split among
the USA activists and the non-USA activists, I, too, am concerned about the
unintended consequences of a very obvious programmatic split. But perhaps I
am overreacting. If I am, then please ignore me.
Thank you for this initiative. On the other hand, I see the positive impact
of responding to the European activists' complaints about the apparent
domineering of Ab2000 by the American activists, whether or not it is
actually true (an issue which I must admit I do not an an opinion on).
Thanks.
Richard
On Fri, 17 Jul 1998, Jackie Cabasso wrote:
> Dear Sue, I'm sorry I didn't get to talk with you today. Did you get the
> message from David that I had called? Anyway, the spent fuel situation
> continues to dominate my time. The first shipment is now expected to come
> through on Tuesday, so I realistically won't be able to do much else until
> the damn thing is gone! However, I will try, over the weekend, to work on
> the cover/fundraising letter we discussed. Let's try to speak, at least
> briefly, on Monday. There is a small clarification regarding the message
> below, but I think it's important in order to avoid misunderstandings. I
am
> the ONLY member of the INTERIM (not international) Coordinating COMMITTEE
> (not group) who took part in the Santa Barbara meeting. David, Alice,
> Pamela and I were all members of the Transition Team, which ended its term
> and dissolved itself at the April NPT meeting in Geneva. Some confusion
is
> understandable because there is unresolved financial business within the
old
> Transition Team, and because all of its members are very active and very
> vocal in Abolition 2000. However, it is my understanding from our
meeting,
> that you "work for" the new Interim Coordinating Committee. Also, I'm a
> little bit concerned about how the US and international items will be
split.
> Who will make the decision, and what criteria will be used? Sometimes
these
> things can be quite subjective. I urge you (or whomever) to err on the
side
> of deciding that an item is of international interest, rather than limited
> to the US, if there's any doubt. Let's discuss this when we talk. Thanks
> for your patience. Talk to you at length-soon! Best, Jackie
To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com"
with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message. For
information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send "help" to
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- -
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with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
"help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 13:05:54 -0700 (PDT)
From: Pamela Meidell <pmeidell@igc.apc.org>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) RE: Abolition 2000 Communications
Dear Friends,
In response to Ross Wilcock's question about whether abolition-caucus is
readable to people on the igc network in the US, the answer is yes. I
routinely read all the abolition-caucus postings there, rather than receive
it as email on the listserve. Then I can easily forward to myself anything
that I need to work on or respond to.
Thanks for your thoughtful reply, Ross.
In peace,
Pamela
******
Pamela S. Meidell, Director
The Atomic Mirror/Earth Ways Foundation
P.O.B. 220, Port Hueneme, California, USA 93044
tel: +1 805/985 5073, fax: +1 805/985 7563
email: pmeidell@igc.apc.org
The Atomic Mirror is a founding member of Abolition 2000:
A Global Network to Eliminate Nuclear Weapons
- -
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with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
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"help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message.
------------------------------
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 20:40:17 -0500 (CDT)
From: smirnowb@ix.netcom.com (Robert Smirnow)
Subject: (abolition-usa) TLC Nuke Weapons Program RIGHT NOW, 9-11PM EST
Friends,
Hope this isn't too late. TLC [The Learing Channel] has
on right now, Sunday night from 9-11PM Eastern Standard Time a 2 hour
program on the history of nuclear weapons, "Trinity."
NUCLEAR POWER POWERS NUCLEAR WEAPONS,
Bill Smirnow
- -
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with "unsubscribe abolition-usa" in the body of the message.
For information on digests or retrieving files and old messages send
"help" to the same address. Do not use quotes in your message.
------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1998 10:01:37 -0400
From: peace through reason <prop1@prop1.org>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Key US Government Websites: Nuclear | Radiation
Key Nuclear Sites -- U.S. Government -- EPA and Presidential Documents
http://www.epa.gov/oar/
<paraindent><param>left</param>EPA's Office of Air and Radiation (OAR)
deals with issues that affect the quality of our air. OAR develops
national programs, technical policies, and regulations for air pollution
control. Areas of concern to OAR include: indoor and outdoor air quality,
stationary and mobile sources of air pollution, radon, acid rain,
stratospheric ozone depletion, and pollution prevention.
</paraindent>
http://www.epa.gov/oar/oarfacts.html
<paraindent><param>left</param>EPA's Office of Air and Radiation is
involved with a wide variety of issues that affect the quality of our
air. Our office is concerned with the outdoor air that we all breathe and
which can cause health and other environmental concerns. We have
informational material on indoor air pollution problems, including radon.
We have programs that are primarily concerned with motor vehicles and
others that focus on stationary sources such as factories and power
plants. We have programs related to topics that you may have read about
in your local newspapers such as acid rain, global warming (pollution
prevention), and the hole in the ozone layer.
For an exhaustive listing of resources and contacts see the
OAR Information Resources document (PDF). Our Publications page includes
links to many informative online resources: to read about trends in the
ambient levels of air pollutants during the past ten years and assess the
current status of our nation's air quality, see the Air Quality Trends
Report; to gain a basic understanding of the Clean Air Act, take a look
at the Plain English Guide to the Clean Air Act; read our Choosing Where
You Live document for a list of publicly available information sources
and guidelines to use when evaluating different geographic areas; check
out our Clean Air Common Sense Primer for answers to frequently asked
questions concerning its updated public health air quality standards; you
may even view an online video about ozone at our Ozone: Double Trouble
site.
This wide range of activities can appear overwhelming at first but we
hope that these pages will help you find the information you need. If
not, please let us know how we could make it easier for you in the
future.
</paraindent>
http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/nara003.html
<paraindent><param>left</param>The Weekly Compilation of Presidential
Documents is published every Monday by the Office of the Federal
Register, National Archives and Records Administration and contains
statements, messages, and other Presidential materials released by the
White House during the preceding week.
The online edition of the Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents is
currently under development as a pilot project jointly authorized by the
publisher, the National Archives and Records Administration's Office of
the Federal Register (OFR) and the Government Printing Office (GPO). Its
purpose is to provide the public with enhanced access to Presidential
documents. We invite your suggestions for improvements to the
search/navigation capabilities and the visual presentations.
</paraindent> To search the entire contents of this database, enter
search terms....
- ------------------------------------------------
Search Results, Database:
Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents (1998)
For: "NUCLEAR" Total Hits: 121; 50 listed below
[1] pd02fe98 Message to the Congress Transmitting the Switzerland-United
States
[2] pd13jy98 Joint Statement on South Asia
[3] pd11my98 Message to the Congress Transmitting the Ukraine-United
States Agreement
[4] pd02fe98 Message to the Congress Transmitting the Kazakhstan- United
States
[5] pd25my98 The President's Radio Address
[6] pd19ja98 Letter to Congressional Leaders on the China-United States
Nuclear
[7] pd09fe98 Remarks at Los Alamos National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New
Mexico
[8] pd08jn98 Remarks on Action Against Nuclear Proliferation in South
Asia and Most-
[9] pd18my98 Remarks Following Discussions With Chancellor Helmut Kohl of
Germany and
[10] pd25my98 The President's News Conference With European Union Leaders
in London,
[11] pd18my98 Remarks Prior to Discussions With Prime Minister Ryutaro
Hashimoto of
[12] pd18my98 Memorandum on Sanctions Against India for Detonation of a
Nuclear Device
[13] pd08jn98 Memorandum on Sanctions Against Pakistan for Detonation of
a Nuclear
[14] pd15jn98 Remarks at the National Geographic Society
[15] pd13ap98 Statement on British and French Ratification of the
Comprehensive
[16] pd16fe98 Letter to Congressional Leaders Transmitting the Annual
Certification of
[17] pd15jn98 The President's News Conference With President Kim of South
Korea
[18] pd18my98 Message to the Congress Reporting the Detonation of a
Nuclear Device by
[19] pd06jy98 The President's News Conference With President Jiang in
Beijing
[20] pd08jn98 Statement on Further Nuclear Testing by Pakistan
[21] pd08jn98 Letter to Congressional Leaders Reporting the Detonation of
a Nuclear
[22] pd29jn98 Interview With the Los Angeles Times, Bloomberg Business
News, and
[23]
pd19ja98 Memorandum on the China- United States Nuclear Cooperation
[24] pd25my98 Birmingham Group of Eight Summit Statement
[25] pd25my98 Interview With Prime Minister Blair by John King of the
Cable News
[26] pd06jy98 Interview With Central China Television in Shanghai
[27] pd25my98 Remarks and an Exchange With Reporters in Birmingham,
United Kingdom
[28] pd04my98 Memorandum on Ukraine-United States Cooperation on Peaceful
Uses of
[29] pd19ja98 Letter to Congressional Leaders on the China-United States
Nuclear
[30] pd29jn98 Remarks to the Community at Elmendorf Air Force Base in
Anchorage,
[31] pd20ap98 Letter to Congressional Leaders Transmitting a Report on
Prevention of
[32] pd29jn98 Letter to Congressional Leaders Reporting on Iraq's
Compliance With
[33] pd08jn98 Contents
[34] pd25my98 Interview With Prime Minister Tony Blair of the United
Kingdom by David
[35] pd25my98 Commencement Address at the United States Naval Academy in
Annapolis,
[36] pd29jn98 Interview With Chinese Journalists
[37] pd01jn98 Executive Order 13085--Establishment of the Enrichment
Oversight
[38] pd09fe98 Letter to Congressional Leaders Reporting on Iraq
[39] pd29jn98 Interview With Radio Free Asia
[40] pd23fe98 Remarks at a Reception for Representative James P. Moran
[41] pd13ap98 Letter to Congressional Leaders Reporting on Iraq
[42] pd18my98 Exchange With Reporters Prior to Discussions With President
Jacques
[43] pd25my98 Group of Eight Birmingham Summit Communique
[44] pd02fe98 Remarks at the National Defense University
[45] pd13jy98 Remarks to the Business Community in Hong Kong Special
Administrative
[46] pd18my98 Remarks on the International Crime Control Strategy
[47] pd01jn98 Digest of Other White House Announcements
[48] pd02mr98 Remarks on United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's
Mission to Iraq
[49] pd25my98 United States/European Union Declaration on Common
Orientation of Non-
[50] pd23fe98 Remarks at the Pentagon in Arlington, Virginia
...etc.
<center>______________________________________________________________________
* Peace Through Reason - http://prop1.org - Convert the War Machines! *
_______________________________________________________________________
- -
To unsubscribe to abolition-usa, send an email to "majordomo@xmission.com"
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1998 20:52:05 -0400
From: peace through reason <prop1@prop1.org>
Subject: (abolition-usa) Re: Inquiry re Conversion
>From: Pelofson@aol.com
Date: Sun, 19 Jul 1998 11:10:27 EDT
To: prop1@prop1.org
Subject: Re: Inquiry re Conversion
Ellen,
That is an excellent idea. I have mentioned this more than once, that if we
had been able to get the infrastructure placed in the early 70's during the
boom in photovoltaics research, we would be in a good position to wean our
civilization off of dependency on fossil fuels and nuclear madness. However,
the automotive, petroleum and nuclear industries are HUGE megamonsters that
will not give up their deathgrip on our throats. They are the energy mafia
that are addicted to those profits. They cannot harness solar power to reap
them the incredible profits they already enjoy. Once we figure out how to
defeat THAT evil empire, we're home free. Go figure. Either way, you are
talking a basic societal revolution to overthrow the polluters. I'm not=
saying
it can't be done, just that it is a huge task that needs an incredible level
of strategy and support. Just like the commercial nuclear industry feeding=
the
military industrial complex and vice versa.
Regards,
Paula Elofson-Gardine
Executive Director
Environmental Information Network
- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------=
- ---
July 20, 1998 from prop1@prop1.org:
Paula,
I couldn't agree more. One thing that might be a ray of hope for those=
trying to get through to the megamonsters is this 1997 article from Nature=
Magazine I recently downloaded:
Energy: World oil will dry up in mid-century
by Ehsan Masood=20
The world's oil reserves are expected to run out by the
middle of the next century unless oil consumption is
reduced, according to a leading petroleum geologist
from the United States.=20
Dr Craig Bond Hatfield, who is at the University of
Toledo, Ohio, says the 1,000 billion barrels of known
global oil reserves are expected to run out by 2036
unless the current 69- million-barrels-per-day
consumption of oil is brought down.=20
Reserves may last for an extra 21 years if estimates of an
additional 550 billion barrels of oil yet to be discovered
are taken into account. But "a permanent decline in
global oil production is virtually certain to begin within
20 years", Hatfield believes. "Serious planning is
needed to deal with the economic consequences."=20
Hatfield's comments, which appear in an article in the 8
May issue of the weekly science journal Nature, are
likely to provoke controversy. The oil industry, while
acknowledging that oil reserves are finite, says
Hatfield's comments are too alarmist.=20
Mr Julian Chisholm, a spokesman for the World Energy
Council in London, a consortium of the world's leading
energy suppliers, says the oil industry is bullish. "The
general view of the industry and of energy experts is that
there is plenty of oil, and no real concern about the level
of reserves, at least until 2050 if not beyond."=20
Chisholm says that predictions on the state of world oil
supplies have been made thoughout the industry's
140-year history. "But every time they have been
wrong." The reasons for this, he believes, are that
assessments of oil reserves are constantly being updated
as new oilfields are found and technologies improve to
allow oil to be extracted from known, but previously
unreachable sites.=20
Chisholm also points out that supply and demand for oil
is regulated by the market. "If oil became scarce, the
price would rise, and demand would fall. That's the way
the market works."=20
But Hatfield believes that such a state of affairs has to be
avoided at all costs as it would lead to high inflation,
and could trigger worldwide economic instability. In the
1970s, the oil price increased four-fold following a
decision by states belonging to the Organization for
Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to stop exporting
oil to the West. "A temporary economic catastrophe
followed with double-digit inflation," says Hatfield.=20
Oil reserves have increased by about 300 billion barrels
over the past decade, but this is mostly accounted for by
a 'revision' of OPEC oil stock estimates. Hatfield says in
his Nature article that no new significant oilfield has
been found since 1988.=20
At the same time the continual increase in global
standards of living has promoted demand for oil to fuel
power stations and motorized transport. This demand
increased by 16 per cent between 1985 and 1995, and is
not expected to slow down.=20
The demand for energy in Asia, Latin America, and
Africa rose by 40 per cent during 1985 and 1995.
Hatfield believes that energy consumption in the
developing world could surpass that of the developed
world within two decades.=20
The dilemma for governments negotiating an
international treaty to reduce emissions of carbon
dioxide from cars and power stations - to try and slow
down global warming - is that most of the demand for oil
now comes from the industrializing, and newly affluent
countries in the non-Western world, such as India and
China. "You can't tell a person in India who has just
saved enough money to buy a car, to go back to riding a
bicycle," one oil industry executive says.=20
Chisholm says active research is taking place into oil
substitutes to fuel power and transport, such as shale
oils, tar-sands, natural gas, and liquified coal, as well as
solar power. But Hatfield says that these energy sources
have been "imminent for 70 years but nothing has
happened". None of these alternatives, Hatfield believes,
will survive the test of the market. "They are simply too
expensive to produce."=20
"The problem with many alternative or synthetic fuels is
that their manufacture depends on products that are made
by the oil industry. Thus, if the price of oil were to rise,
so would the price of these alternative fuels, and their
manufacture would become uneconomic."=20
Hatfield says the only real alternative left for
governments is to encourage citizens to use less energy,
and, despite the slow pace of developments, to continue
research into alternative fuels.=20
=A9Macmillan Magazines Ltd 1997 - NATURE NEWS SERVICE=20
Surely these guys can see that ultimately it will be much more profitable to=
be in the vanguard of alternative energy systems, particularly if the=
taxpayers are willing to shell out the same amount of dollars over the next=
58 years that have been squandered during the past 58 years by the U.S.=
government on nuclear weapons ($5.5 trillion, conservative estimate; see=
Washington Post article on our website, "nuclear" button).
What's needed is for us to come up with a plan of action to convince these=
people. Somebody has to go knock on those CEO's doors with a workable=
plan. The Model Nuclear Weapons Convention is a political plan. We need a=
practical plan for the industries, which we can sell to unions as well as=
manufacturers, to arms dealers as well as senators.
We're working on it, but of course we're considered the "fringe" because of=
our vigil outside the White House. So if you and any other "insiders"=
would like to work together on such a plan, I'd be very pleased to=
brainstorm with you and offer any assistance I can in educating the public.
Ellen Thomas
<center><paraindent><param>left</param>__________________________________
PROPOSITION ONE COMMITTEE
PO Box 27217, Washington DC 20038
202-462-0757 | fax 202-462-0757
prop1@prop1.org | http://prop1.org
</paraindent>
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------------------------------
Date: Mon, 20 Jul 1998 18:49:12 -0700 (PDT)
From: Tracy Moavero <paintl@igc.apc.org>
Subject: Re: (abolition-usa) Abolition 2000 Communications
Greetings,
At 09:08 AM 7/18/98 -0400, you wrote:
>ALL Abolition lists:
>
>All I can say on this split of Abolition lists is, please make sure I'm on
>ALL lists, US and otherwise. It's disappointing to think Europeans or
>Asians aren't interested in what's happening in the U.S., but I for sure
>don't want to be cut off from any information.
Please understand - it isn't that they aren't interested, it's that U.S.
activists have overloaded the international list with information which
isn't useful for them.
Imagine the Swiss putting up messages like "Watch TSR tonight! Important
program on nukes. Write Flavio Cotti and call your national counsellor about
meeting X in parliament. Come to our demo in Geneva this weekend - we'll
meet at the Gare de Cornavin." Our partners in other countries don't
(usually) put up those kinds of messages, but I've seen countless U.S.
messages on abolition-caucus about congressional sign-ons, congressional
call-in days, directions to U.S. demos, and other messages that are pretty
useless to someone outside the U.S. We shouldn't be surprised that people
have balked. I've heard comments made like, "The U.S. isn't the center of
the universe." Yes, this country is the source of much of the nuclear
weapons problem, and a disproportionate number of abolition-caucus
subscribers are working in the U.S., but that doesn't mean that everything
that happens here is useful for international activists to know about.
Here are a few tips I offer from three years of experience in Geneva, a city
where one gets a crash course in working across national boundaries:
1. When posting a message to an international listserver, ask yourself, "How
is this information useful to someone outside my country?" Many activists
want information about what is going on in other countries, but they often
don't want or need lots of detail. Example: That an important bill is facing
Congress is one thing, but details about which Senators sponsor it, which
committee is goes through, etc. aren't needed, and action alerts that say
"call your Senator!" can be pretty annoying to people who aren't U.S.
nationals.
2. Native English speakers have a big, often unrecognized advantage. Of the
many countries represented in our network, only a handful are English
speaking. Most U.S. activists work in their first language, while many in
our international network are doing it in their second or third languages.
Therefore, it's best to use simple English, avoiding unusual expressions,
slang or unexplained acronyms. The same is true for international meetings,
but there you must also speak s-l-o-w-l-y and clearly. Also, whenever
possible, keep it short. Sometimes a brief summary with information about
how/where to get the full text of a long article is best. Reading huge
amounts of information in your native language is hard enough. Doing it in
your second language is that much harder.
3. Explain the details. Don't assume that people in other countries know the
specifics about your government, geography, etc. Example: If you are
referring to a government agency or politician, quickly explain what/who it
is and why it is relevant (unless it is obvious by the name, like the
Department/Ministry of Defense). Also, identify yourself by country if your
location is pertinent to the message. Terms like "Midwest" and "New England"
mean little to many people outside the U.S., as do many other place names.
I think the best rule to follow is not to expect more from others than they
would expect from you. So many times I've watched well-meaning U.S.
activists fall into the Ugly American trap, inadvertently insulting the very
people they most want and need to work with. I offer the above comments in a
friendly spirit. I hope you find them helpful.
All the best,
Tracy Moavero
******************************************
Tracy Moavero
Peace Action International Office
866 UN Plaza, Room 4053
New York, NY 10017-1822
USA
Tel.: +1-212-750-5795
Fax: +1-212-750-5849
Email: paintl@igc.apc.org
Web: www.webcom.com/peaceact
Peace Action is a member of the International Peace Bureau & Abolition 2000:
A Global Network for the Elimination of Nuclear Weapons
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------------------------------
End of abolition-usa-digest V1 #2
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