Please sign our letter to Nobel Peace Prize winner, President Obama!

Dear President. Obama:

We thank you for all you have already done to educate the American public about the importance of climate change through your support of renewable energy, energy efficiency and green jobs programs. We are especially pleased that, in a speech immediately after your election, you recognized that, when it comes to climate change, "Delay is no longer an option. Denial is no longer an acceptable response. The stakes are too high, the consequences too serious."

We applaud the commitment both you and the First Lady have shown to green living – including advocating for clean air and for safe drinking water. We feel sure that you, as a father of two young daughters, share our belief in a sustainable, healthy environment for all children. But their future depends on the choices we make today.

That is why we hope that, as you continue to speak out in favor of renewable energy, you will also consider addressing the many reasons why nuclear power must not be expanded in the name of climate change.

Nuclear power plants are neither “safe” nor “clean.” They are extremely expensive to build, are vulnerable to accident and attack – with potentially catastrophic consequences – and routinely release dangerous radioactivity into the air we breathe and the water we drink. In addition, the global spread of nuclear materials destabilizes world peace and increases the risk of atomic weapons proliferation. These are risks to both health and security that no one should be asked to take.

We understand Congress is expecting to deliver a climate bill to your desk for your signature. We cannot let this bill fall prey to the nuclear lobby which wants essential funding for renewable energy diverted to subsidize new nuclear energy projects.

This bill could establish a Clean Energy Development Administration (CEDA) tasked to hand out federal loan guarantees for so-called “clean energy technologies.” We urge you not to allow this new agency to become yet another new – and potentially unlimited – source of funding for the nuclear power corporations.

In these already difficult times, American taxpayers do not need this kind of financial burden. Nor, as we confront the challenge of health care reform, do we need to subject our population to the increased risks of radiation exposure from more nuclear power plants.

We urge you not to waiver in your commitment to truly green energy sources and to speak out about the dangers of nuclear power and the many reasons we should abandon it.

Sincerely,