Review and Update Existing Nuclear Power Plants and Forgo the Construction of New Nuclear Power Plants

WHEREAS, the League of United Latin American Citizens is this nation’s oldest and largest Latino organization, founded in Corpus Christi, Texas on February 17, 1929; and

WHEREAS, LULAC throughout its history has committed itself to the principles that Latinos have equal access to opportunities in employment, education, housing and healthcare; and

WHEREAS, the devastating earthquake and Tsunami in Japan has spawned a subsequent and ongoing tragedy at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station exposing the dangers of nuclear power; and

WHEREAS, this ongoing nuclear meltdown has now surpassed the tragedy at Three Mile Island in 1979 and threatens to come close to the tragedy at Chernobyl; and

WHEREAS, the accident at this power plant, involving the loss of control of six nuclear reactors highlights the lack of adequate rapid response measures to address the threat posed by these; and

WHEREAS, reactors in the US face similar threats due to their location in seismically vulnerable locations; and

WHEREAS, there are clean energy alternatives that do not pose these risks; and

WHEREAS, nuclear energy requires subsidies better used to grow our clean energy economy; and

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, we the members of the 2011 LULAC State Convention in Phoenix, Arizona on June 11, 2011 RESOLVE TO OPPOSE the construction of new nuclear power plants; and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, to call on the US government to immediately conduct comprehensive review of nuclear reactor safety in the United States; and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, to call for an independent review of key safety issues at all existing plants not on known earthquake faults; and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, to call for an immediate reform of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make it independent of the Nuclear Industry; and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, to call for closing existing nuclear power plants on earthquake faults; and

FURTHER BE IT RESOLVED, call for immediate corrective measures to reduce the chance of a nuclear accident occurring in the United States including stringent emergency preparedness requirements for all existing and planned nuclear power reactors in the United States and ask for continued support for clean energy as we transition away from potentially dangerous nuclear power.

Approved this 1st day of July 2011.

Margaret Moran
LULAC National President