WNCPSR Minutes, April 15, 2011, NIRS Office, 45 Riverview, Asheville, NC
Present: Steve Gilman, Lew Patrie, Don Richardson, Sasha Hussey, Stan Dienst, Brita and Terry Clark, Bob Howarth, John Joyner
Chairman Terry Clark opened the meeting at 12:30 PM
Minutes of the March meeting were approved as written.
Treasurer’s Report: John Joyner reported 11 returns from our fundraising letter for $825. bringing total balance to $1175.50.
News Items:
Lew Patrie wrote a guest editorial in the Asheville Citizen-Times titled “Secrecy With Nuclear Issues.”
Blue Ribbon Commission letters/emails are still needed. Greg Olson and Ned Doyle have been sending as many as 10 each. Sample letters are on our website. URGENT to send comments to BRC@nuclear.energy.gov NOW!
Stan read his “Fukushima” letter, a good model for a BRC email.
OREPA’s non-violent action for peace, “A Safer World Is Our Right,” is tomorrow, and Brita will be there to distribute flyers. The van will leave from Westgate, with 16 seats available, at 9:30 AM. Call Judith Hallock 254-6795
Eleanor Holmes Norton has introduced HR 1334, the Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act of 2011, on April 1. Brita will write a letter for review at our May meeting, for transmission to Heath Shuler.
Nuclear Abolition Day is June 5, 2011. We will consider an event at the May meeting. Brita suggested a vigil at Pack Square. (Check with Parks and Recreation re need for permit.) This is a worldwide event occurring one week after the NPT review conference. Terry will contact other groups re participation.
Lew, Phil, Bob and Don met with John Mitchell at Senator Burr’s Asheville office on April 5. The meeting lasted 90 minutes and we dumped the entire nuclear load on John, who was very receptive. Burr may be another story.
The SRS Nuclear Dump Hearing is on 4/19/11 in Augusta, GA. FYI. No action.
Bob reported on the Grey Eagle event, Wed the 13th, with Greg Olson, which cleared $325. Ned Doyle gave a rousing talk encouraging BRC letters. Bob will speak at the Earth Day event, along with Paul Gallimore, at Pack Square, 6-6:30 PM, and will distribute flyers re nuclear transport through WNC.
Totsie Marine had a preliminary website management meeting with Lew, Don, Stan, Steve, Terry and Bob on April 8. We decided on shared responsibilities for editing as follows:
Events: Bob Howarth
News: Stan Dienst
Posting Minutes: Don Richardson
Home Page: Steve Gilman and Terry Clark
Each of the above “editors” will arrange to meet individually with Totsie for tutorial.
Don reported on the talk in Brevard by Lena Hansen of RMI, a co-author with Amory Lovins of the upcoming book “Reinventing Fire.” The Rocky Mountain Institute is a leading energy consulting group, with all the answers if congress would listen. Note that Amory is on our website re Fukushima. Please look!
It was decided to have an item on every agenda soliciting news for the website.
Stan presented the new WNCPSR wallet card, which was approved. He’ll add contact info for Hagan, Burr and Shuler on the website.
Steve requested that we brainstorm re priorities for the near-term, such as energy policy, especially alternate energy economics, and the budget battle.
Lew suggested we double up on our meetings with legislators, visiting all three in late May instead of one every month, with emphasis on the budget crisis. Don will try to arrange. Bob will do a renewable energy draft and Don will work on the obscene and sacrosanct (why?) military budget. Lew will do a paper on global warming’s threat to all life on our little bitty planet. Stan appealed to us to make these presentations positive (a hard task!) Terry will present nuclear talking points.
The meeting was mercifully adjourned at 2 PM.
Next meeting is May 20, 2011, at NIRS.
Don Richardson, meltdown Secretary with Geiger Counter in hand
