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Clean Wisconsin Opposes Point Beach Sale

December 20, 2006

For More Information Contact:
Katie Nekola, Clean Wisconsin, Ofc: (608) 251-7020, ext. 14

Clean Wisconsin opposes WE Energies’ plan, announced today, to sell Point Beach Nuclear Power Plant to an out-of-state merchant company. Transfer of ownership of the 1,033 megawatt facility would eliminate the state’s role in overseeing the operation and maintenance of the plant, as well as how it disposes of radioactive waste.

“Point Beach is the largest producer of high-level radioactive waste in the state, and stores it on the shore of Lake Michigan,” said Katie Nekola, attorney for Clean Wisconsin. “It also has the worst safety record of any nuclear plant in the country. As long as the plant is owned by a Wisconsin utility, the Public Service Commission and the people of Wisconsin have the opportunity to know, and have a voice in deciding, how the plant and that waste will be managed. We need to maintain state authority over this facility.”

The proposed sale of Point Beach to a subsidiary of Florida Power and Light follows last year’s sale of the Kewaunee Nuclear Power Plant to Virginia-based Dominion Resources. Wisconsin’s only other nuclear power plant, located near LaCrosse, is not operating and is currently being dismantled. The nuclear waste stored at that plant, however, will remain on site at a cost of $6 million per year to Dairyland Power’s customers. The federal Department of Energy had promised to move radioactive waste from temporary storage at or near power plants to a permanent storage facility in 1998, but reneged on that promise and now estimates that no permanent storage will be available until at least 2017, if then.

“The fact is, high-level radioactive waste will be sitting on the edge of the Great Lakes for many years to come, and Wisconsin must retain the authority to oversee it,” said Nekola. “We can’t trust the federal government to take care of Wisconsin’s natural resources; it’s our job and our right.”

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Clean Wisconsin, an environmental advocacy organization, protects Wisconsin’s clean water and air and advocates for clean energy by being an effective voice in the state legislature and by holding elected officials and corporations accountable. Founded in 1970 as Wisconsin’s Environmental Decade, Clean Wisconsin exposes corporate polluters, makes sure existing environmental laws are enforced, and educates citizens and businesses. Phone: 608-251-7020, Fax: 608-251-1655, Email: info@cleanwisconsin.org, Website: www.cleanwisconsin.org.