For those of you who were wondering what’s happening with that whole nuclear expansion thing in MD, never fear! We’re still fighting the new reactor at Calvert Cliffs, and we need your help to launch a new phase of the campaign.

First, a quick reminder about why CCAN, a climate group, cares about nuclear power. Isn’t it carbon neutral? Well, it may produce less CO2 than dirty coal-fired power plants, but that doesn’t make it any less dangerous. And the most nefarious costs are the ones that are hidden: particularly the fact that investment in nuclear pushes out renewable energy. Dr. Peter Bradford, a former commissioner of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and utility expert, said it best:

The “all of the above” approach to our national energy portfolio does not necessarily play out well at the local level. Sometimes solutions [to energy demand] drive out other solutions. If a region commits to a 1,600 Mw reactor, than there is little motivation to do efficiency or renewables.

There’s the reason. If we get new nukes, then we won’t get more wind. On the local level, here in MD, it’s an either/or decision. I’d rather have wind, thanks. (see? wind turbines are so cute!)

So what can you do? Sign this petition, asking the Public Service Commission to continue to stay engaged in the regulatory process, so that citizens have the opportunity to share their concerns.

**Bonus News!** This just in: in yet another example of how ridiculous this whole process is, bullets from a nearby firing range hit buildings at the Calvert Cliffs plant.