“Don’t Overturn the Will of the People!” MA Clams Help Form Statewide Coalition to Protect 1982 Nuclear Referendum Law Under Attack by Governor Healey

Sixty-seven percent of Massachusetts voted in a public referendum in 1982 to require several common-sense safety protections such as having safe disposal of radioactive waste, an evacuation plan, and a decommissioning plan—as well as citizen approval of any new nuclear power plant built in the Commonwealth.

Now, Section 45 of H.4144—Governor Healey’s energy bill, “An Act relative to energy affordability, independence and innovation”—proposes to repeal that landmark and landslide vote in order to fast-track new nuclear in Massachusetts. But safe energy activists from (in alphabetical order), Cape Downwinders, Citizens Awareness Network, Clamshell Alliance, Greenfield Solar, and Warheads to Windmills have formed the Commonwealth Coalition for Democracy and Safe Energy to urge their State Senators and Representatives to remove that provision. Several Clamshell people are actively involved.

The group is reminding legislators and the public about: 

• The 100+ potentially serious nuclear accidents that have already happened
• The lack of a safe waste disposal technology or location
• The difficulties of evacuating a densely populated state already known for massive traffic jams
• The threat to democracy in asking the legislature, not the citizens, to overturn a landslide 2/3 vote to require these safeguards

“We will mobilize opposition to this backhanded attempt to subvert democracy and remove safeguards protecting against a dangerous, expensive, and unnecessary failed technology,” said Shel Horowitz of the Clamshell Alliance.

“This action is a serious threat to the democratic process at this disturbing national time. That the governor plans to repeal a people’s mandate citing the referendum as a ‘major barrier’ rather than a thoughtful public law which requires voter approval for new nuclear in the state is unacceptable,” said Diane Turco of Cape Downwinders. “Is this yet another challenge to our fragile democracy? Our legislators must say no.”

“It is absurd to consider abrogating the People’s referendum and building SMRs [small modular reactors] in Massachusetts at huge cost to ratepayers,” said Claire Chang of Greenfield Solar. “That money is better spent on energy efficiency, decarbonization, renewable energy and storage,” she continued.

If you live in Massachusetts, please contact your State Senator and State Representative and ask them to vote to strip Section 45 from the bill. If you have friends in Massachusetts, please tell them about this attack on our safety and our democracy and urge them to contact their legislators. And please be sure to let everyone know about our petition to Keep Democracy Alive and Remove Section 45.