Legislative Alert! Heads Up!

Here is some valuable information from our contacts at the state capitol. Please act on this info regarding the pro-nuclear bills - They offer no protection for the citizens of Oklahoma from either the very real and dangerous health risks, nor the terrible financial burden that would be placed on the people.

After a relatively successful legislative session, things have heated up over the past few weeks with reintroduction of nuclear legislation (SB 831 and SB 1668) and the Oklahoma New Development Impact Fee bill (SB 805). After many long hours of lobbying and numerous phone calls, emails, and personal visits to legislators offices from many of you, SB 831, which was
amended on the House floor, passed overwhelmingly on party lines and is now in conference committee. The amended version of SB 831 no longer contains cost recovery language allowing for CWIP, but does establish an application process for the Corporation Commission to determine the need and feasibility of a nuclear facility in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, SB 831 contains no provisions requiring the Corporation Commission to consider an environmental, public health, and economic impact due to radioactive waste storage and/or disposal. On the whole, SB 831 is a woefully inadequate regulatory scheme literally drafted by utility lobbyists over the course of an hour without any stakeholder input.

Contact the members of the Conference Committee and ask them to disapprove SB 831 as it will have drastic impacts on Oklahoma's public health, environment, and economy. Oklahoma should be moving towards a clean energy economy based upon wind, solar, geothermal, natural gas, and energy efficiency. The Conference Committee members are as follows:

Bingman, Brian (C)
Senate
District 12
Republican
Room 424
(405)521-5528

bingman@oksenate.gov

Crutchfield, Johnnie C.
Senate
District 14
Democrat
Room 533B
(405)521-5607

bigger@oksenate.gov

Gumm, Jay Paul
Senate
Dristrict 6
Democrat
Room 535A
(405)521-5586

gumm@oksenate.gov

Johnson, Mike
Senate
District 22
Republican
Room 519
(405)521-5592

johnsonm@oksenate.gov

Mazzei, Mike
Senate
District 25
Republican
Room 413
(405)521-5675

mazzei@oksenate.gov

Myers, David
Senate
District 20
Republican
Room 414
(405)521-5628

ingraham@oksenate.gov

Yesterday, SB 1668 by Sen. David Myers (R-Ponca City) and Rep. Rex Duncan (R-Sand Springs) passed through the Senate on a vote of 27-19. Sen. Cliff Branan (R-OKC) filed a Motion to Reconsider and will have the next 2 days to request a revote after adequate lobbying against SB 1668. The following Senators voted against SB 1668, which amends the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority Act to allow municipal power authorities to own interests in
nuclear facilities, including: Sens. Ballenger (D), Bass (D), Branan (R), Burrage (D), Corn (D), Crutchfield (D), Ellis (D), Gumm (D), Ivester (D), C. Johnson (D), Laster (D), Leftwich (D), Lerblance (D), Marlatt (R), Nichols (R), Paddack (D), Rice (D), Sparks (D), and Wilson (D). Please contact Senators and either thank them for voting against SB 1668 or ask those who
voted in favor to change their vote on reconsideration.

HB 3028 by Speaker Benge (R-Tulsa) and Sen. David Myers (R-Ponca city) establishes the Oklahoma Energy Security Act and includes the Renewable energy goal of 15% by 2015, as well as a natural gas goal for no coal development until at least 2020, with natural gas as the stated preferred fossil fuel for Oklahoma. HB 3028 is currently in conference committee and
should advance within the next week! Passage of an RPS in Oklahoma has been a Chapter priority for two years and we're almost there!

On a positive note, Governor Henry signed HB 3015 into law, marking a victory for the local foods movement in Oklahoma! HB 3015 established the Healthy Cornerstore Market program, authorizing up to $350,000 in low interest loans for markets selling up to 90% of their goods as healthy, local foods!

Additionally, Governor Henry signed HB 2973 into law, which allows for the creation of Regional Transportation Authorities! With the creation of a regional transportation authority, our communities will be one step closer to realizing genuine, effective public transportation.

Finally, regarding the tumultuous and cumbersome agency consolidation process, HB 3173 by Rep. Hickman (R-Dacoma) and Sen. Brian Bingman (R-Sapulpa) which originally proposed consolidating the Scenic Rivers Commission into Tourism & Recreation and the Conservation Commission, the Senate remarkably passed an amendment filed by Sen. Wilson (D-Tahlequah)
which proposed the creation of a massive Department of Natural Resources including over 30 agencies and commissions. Clearly, this bill was headed to conference committee! Word outside of the authors and leadership has been very quiet. I've conversed with the Speaker's office at length regarding this and they've said discussions are very tight on which agencies will
actually be consolidated or not. Department of Mines is still on the table, but it doesn't look good for OSRC.

For your full report and more detailed links, click the link below. Thank you for all your help this session..it's not over yet.

To view your forwarded copy of our Capitol report now, please go to the following URL: http://www.ecapitol.net/email/email_1Y2H_2XL14TNPG.htm

It will be available to you online for the next 10 days.

Participate in your Democracy! Join us!

Keep up the good work!!! Call and write your Senators please!! No Nukes in OK!

Passing this on from the Sierra Club as it was sent out for the State Capitol lobby day April 29 that the Carrie Dickerson Foundation and the Sierra Club organized, in conjunction with the Physicians for Social Responsibility:

Sierra Club Lobbyist Bud Scott has informed us that two bad nuclear bills – SB 831 and SB 1668 -- are scheduled to be heard on the Senate floor. Your calls, emails, visits and letters are working! But don’t stop now!

There was enough opposition from some legislators that the authors removed the cost recovery parts of the bills (for now) that required rate payers to finance new nuclear facilities through higher rates before the facilities were even built. But these bad bills still represent a nuclear foot in the door we can’t afford in Oklahoma.

I implore you to encourage your senators to oppose SB 1668 which allows municipal power authorities to purchase electricity generated from nuclear sources. In current law, municipal authorities can’t consider nuclear power as an energy source. SB 1668 by Sen. David Myers (R-Ponca City) and Rep. Rex Duncan (R-Sand Springs) amends the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority Act to allow municipal power authorities to (1) purchase electricity from nuclear facilities, and (2) to invest in a joint venture for a nuclear facility. As originally passed, the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority Act specifically excluded nuclear energy as an eligible resource or investment for municipal power authorities. The reasoning behind this has not changed: Oklahoma does not need the radioactive waste generated by these facilities threatening the public health and natural resources of our state. The provisions of SB 1668 were misrepresented in the House Energy and Utilities Committee to the effect that the bill referred ONLY to nuclear power plants outside Oklahoma. In other words, some legislators were told (and apparently believed) that the bill had nothing to do with investment in or buying electricity from a nuclear power plant within the state. The wording of the bill is clear - INSIDE AND OUTSIDE OKLAHOMA. Furthermore, nuclear energy is the most cost-prohibitive commercial power resource available...virtually all of that cost would be passed on to Oklahoma electric consumers! We cannot afford this in either monetary or health and wellness terms. SB 1668 has passed the House and been sent back to the Senate with the House amendments. The Senate can accept the amendments and send it to the Governor for signature, or a conference committee can be appointed to address the issue further. Generally, such amendments to legislation in the other Chamber will not be accepted unless the author of the legislation agrees. In this case, the author agreed, or it wouldn't have advanced from House committee. Thus, it is likely to move to the Governor, but there is still time to contact the Senate and oppose the legislation.

Please tell your senators to also reject SB 831, the Nuclear Energy Incentive Act. SB 831 was introduced during the 2009 session. Last Thursday, the amended floor version of SB 831 passed the House floor on a vote of 71-25, largely along party lines with no Republicans voting against the bill. The floor version of SB 831 struck all references to Construction Work in Progress (CWIP) cost recovery language, largely leaving the bill as an outline for the regulatory approval process for a nuclear plant at the Oklahoma Corporation Commission. SB 831 permits an electric utility to file an application with the OK Corporation Commission or other electric service to determine if they need to build a nuclear power plant. The bill establishes a process for the Corporation Commission to consider this application. The specific provisions basically require an applicant to show the need for any electricity generated by such nuclear facility with all references in the application considering economic expenses and need for additional load generation. Unfortunately, no requirements exist for identifying solutions to waste storage and disposal, nor potential economic/environmental impacts to the surrounding areas/demographics. This is an ill-advised bill, which does not address many of the most vital issues involved with nuclear power.

Oklahoma is well suited to benefit from truly clean wind energy which can be put into operation years sooner than nuclear power and at far greater savings in construction costs and operational costs. Wind and solar power are far safer for workers than nuclear (and coal) and will not put the community and country in danger. Oklahoma is also fortunate to have access to natural gas to help us reach a sustainable future. Construction and maintenance jobs for wind and solar are family friendly, good paying, green jobs in the fresh air. Wind turbines and solar panels won’t attract terrorists. They don’t require storage of radioactive material which could be easily used by terrorist to make dirty bombs. Additionally, since wind turbines and solar panels are spread out, flying a plane into a turbine or panel would not cause massive power outage or destruction, as a deliberate collision into a nuclear power station would undoubtedly do, as well as causing radioactive contamination to a large area and remain for thousands of years, destroying all life within the area.

We already know nuclear requires enormous amounts of fossil fuel: to build a plant, transport materials, truck away waste (for which there is NO safe disposal). The plants require enormous amounts of water for cooling and contaminate that water in the process; what if there is a drought? The plants leak radioactive gases and emissions ALL THE TIME, and are now being discovered to leak contaminated water into the ground around the plants as well. Populations around nuclear plants suffer elevated rates of leukemia and many other forms of cancer. The cost is astronomical compared to building wind farms and solar farms. The world's supply of uranium will run out in the next decade. The spent fuel is used to make nuclear weapons! This is not what we want for Oklahoma. Please stand with us to make our voices heard. Please ask your senators to represent the people they have been elected to represent. Please share this with all your friends and families whom you think would take action as well or who need to hear these truths about nuclear power generation. Thank you!

www.nirs.org

www.beyondnuclear.org

www.carriedickersonfoundation.com

http://apps.facebook.com/causes/posts/440802?m=90525af8&ref=mf

Please call state senators and ask five friends to call and email senators about voting no on these bills. Thank you.

You can find your senators contact info here:

http://www.oksenate.gov/Senators/directory.pdf

Thank you - Please Participate!!!

Some of this info was provided by Jody Harlan
Vice Chair, Sierra Club of Oklahoma

Marilyn McCulloch
Secretary, The Carrie Dickerson Foundation

Correction to Sierra Club Lobby Day Alert!!!

Please be aware that the Senate Bill number is NOT HB 1662 but SENATE BILL 1668! We had mistaken info on this earlier message. I apologize, please use SB 1668 in your communications. If, like me, you have already written the House Representatives, please send a correction message! Please forgive the confusion! Thanks for hanging in there and working to make your voices heard.

Alert! Opportunity for action! Sierra Club Lobby Day and Call In Day March 30

Hi all,
Read Bud's message below, please, and if you cannot make it to the Capitol tomorrow PLEASE call your representatives or email them and make your voice heard! We are especially opposed to House Bill 1662 which makes nuclear power easy to slip into the state without resistance. See below. All the mentioned legislation is important and we need to stay on top of these issues. Thank you everyone - spread the word!

The Carrie Dickerson Foundation Board of Directors

>>>Greetings Sierra Club members and friends!

Just a reminder that tomorrow is our scheduled Lobby Day at the State
Capitol at 2 PM on the 2nd floor rotunda. It is critical for conservation
issues to be taken seriously that you show up to make your voice heard!
I've requested that those planning on attending RSVP to either 405.445.9435
or bud.scott@sierraclub.org. Thus far, I have 3 RSVPs! We need your help in
expressing support on these critical issues!

The lobby day will be followed with Conservation & Cocktails at the 51st
Street Speakeasy (1114 NW 51st/west of Western on NW 51st) at 6 PM for a
handcrafted beer tasting and informal conversation with invited legislators
and other officials. Again, I need RSVPs to determine how much food to
purchase. Please RSVP and join for a relaxing evening with opportunities to
discuss your conservation initiative with elected officials and other
partners.

The lobby day will focus on four pieces of legislation as follows:

SUPPORT

HB 3015 by Rep. Seneca Scott (D-Tulsa) and Sen. Tom Ivester (D-Elk City)
provides financial incentives through the Agricultural Linked Deposit
Program in the form of low-interest loans to individuals/partnerships
investing in healthy corner stores (majority of food/product being local and
grown local, with less than 10% of sales from cigarettes and beer). HB 3015
falls under the Sierra Club priority of Food Localization. The funds for HB
3015 are already in place and will not have a fiscal impact upon the state.

HB 3015 is up for consideration tomorrow(!) in the Senate Finance Committee
at 10:30 AM. In my previous email I requested that you contact the Senate
Finance Committee members to encourage them to vote in favor of the
legislation.

HB 3028 by Speaker Chris Benge (R-Tulsa) and Sen. David Myers (R-Ponca City)
is the Oklahoma Energy Security Act, which sets forth a Renewable Energy
Goal for electric generating entities of 15% of their electric generating
portfolio by 2015. The bill also establishes a natural gas goal and CNG
fueling station goal. This legislation reflects a top priority for the
Oklahoma Chapter of the Sierra Club as it will encourage our electric
providers to move beyond dirty coal-fired power and enhance renewable energy
generation in Oklahoma. HB 3028 has passed the House, passed through the
Senate Energy and Environment Committee and is up for consideration by the
entire Senate for passage. Contact your Senator or Representative and
encourage them to vote for a smart energy policy, such as that reflected by
HB 3028.

OPPOSE

SB 1662 by Sen. David Myers (R-Ponca City) and Rep. Rex Duncan (R-Sand
Springs) amends the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority Act to allow
municipal power authorities to (1) purchase electricity from nuclear
facilities, and (2) to invest in a joint venture for a nuclear facility. As
originally passed, the Oklahoma Municipal Power Authority Act specifically
excluded nuclear energy as an eligible resource or investment for municipal
power authorities. The reasoning behind this has not changed: Oklahoma
does not need the radioactive waste generated by these facilities
threatening the public health and natural resources of our state.
Furthermore, nuclear energy is the most cost-prohibitive commercially
viable power resource available...most of that cost would be passed on to
Oklahoma electric consumers!

SB 1662 is up for consideration tomorrow, Tuesday at 1:30 PM before the
House Energy and Utilities Committee! Contact the members of the Energy
Committee and express your opposition to SB 1662 TODAY!

SB 1668 is sponsored by Sen. David Myers (r-Ponca City) and Rep. Rex Duncan (R-Sand Springs). PLEASE contact the committee members below and express your opposition to this legislation.

House Energy and Utility Regulatory Committee:

Benge, Chris 405.557.7340 chrisbenge@okhouse.gov

Blackwell, Gus 405.557.7384 gusblackwell@okhouse.gov

Brannon, Neil 405.557.7413 neilbrannon@okhouse.gov

Cooksey, Marian 405.557.7342 mariancooksey@okhouse.gov

Enns, John 405.557.7321 john.enns@okhouse.gov

Hilliard, Wes 405.557.7412 weshilliard@okhouse.gov

Jackson, Mike 405.557.7317 mikejackson@okhouse.gov

Jett, Shane 405.557.7349 shanejett@okhouse.gov

Johnson, Dennis 405.557.7327 dennis.johnson@okhouse.gov

Kirby, Dan 405.557.7356 dan.kirby@okhouse.gov

Kouplen, Steve 405.557.7306 steve.kouplen@Okhouse.gov

Lamons, Lucky 405.557.7390 luckylamons@Okhouse.gov

Martin, Steve 405.557.7402 stevemartin@okhouse.gov

McPeak, Jerry 405.557.7302 jerrymcpeak@okhouse.gov

Morgan, Danny 405.557.7368 dannymorgan@okhouse.gov

Peters, Ron 405.557.7359 ronpeters@okhouse.gov

Proctor, Eric 405.557.5410 eric.proctor@Okhouse.gov

Rousselot, Wade 405.557.7388 waderousselot@okhouse.gov

Sanders, Mike 405.557.7407 mike.sanders@okhouse.gov

Schwartz, Colby 405.557.7352 colby.schwartz@okhouse.gov

Sherrer, Ben 405.557.7364 bensherrer@okhouse.gov

Steele, Kris 405.557.7345 krissteele@okhouse.gov

Thompson, Mike (Chair) 405.557.7403 mikethompson@Okhouse.gov

Trebilcock, John 405.557.7362 johntrebilcock@Okhouse.gov

Walker, Purcy D. 405.557.7311 purcywalker@okhouse.gov

Watson, Weldon (Vice Chair) 405.557.7330 weldon.watson@Okhouse.gov

Wesselhoft, Paul 405.557.7343 paulwesselhoft@okhouse.gov

HB 3137 by Rep. Jeff Hickman (R-Dacoma) and Sen. Brian Bingman (R-Sapulpa)
proposes to consolidate the Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission within the
Oklahoma Conservation Commission and the Oklahoma Department of Tourism and
Recreation. The Oklahoma Scenic Rivers Commission is vital to the
preservation of water quality on the Illinois River and should be left in
place to maximize monitoring and policing of water quality on the Illinois
River and the five other designated Oklahoma Scenic Rivers.

HB 3137 is part of a larger omnibus effort to consolidate agencies and has
passed the House and Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Natural
Resources. Contact your Senator and express the need for the Scenic Rivers
Commission to be preserved. Oklahoma's rivers have too much to lose!

Please RSVP to both the Lobby Day and the Conservation & Cocktails event. If
you are unable to attend either event, PLEASE contact your legislators
regarding the listed legislation. WE NEED YOUR HELP!
--
Robert "Bud" Scott, Esq.
Chapter Director
Oklahoma Chapter of the Sierra Club
PO Box 60644
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73146
405.445.9435
bud.scott@sierraclub.org

>>>

Foundation Mission Statement

The Carrie Dickerson Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit educational foundation.
In honor of Carrie Dickerson's legacy, our mission is to promote and inform the public about safe, clean, sustainable, economically responsible, nuclear free alternative energy resources for Oklahoma, the nation and the planet.

Please join us on December 12, 2009 for the International Day of Action to tell the world's leaders "Don't Nuke the Climate!" Planned to coincide with the Copenhagen Climate Summit, this is a worldwide virtual demonstration including an online petition to sign and a gallery to display photos of people all over the world who are standing together to say NO NUKES.
http://www.dont-nuke-the-climate.org/index.php?lang=en

What a fabulous evening!

The Benefit Concert with Brian was such a wonderful event I can only tell you if you missed it, we are sorry you missed it! ;-) Brian was truly breathtaking and we were so privileged to have him performing on our behalf. The intimate level of the concert was very special and we were all completely enraptured with the music and his giving transporting inspiring spirit.

We had a fantastic crowd of individuals - some new friends, some old friends, and lots of hard workers dedicated to preserving the planet through information, innovation and belief in the best within us all!

The fund raising was successful, lovely items were won by lovely people, delicious wine was donated and enjoyed and we all had a splendid time! My sons, Matthew and Benjamin, and I (as Wheat Penny), were honored to have performed as a slight warm-up and cause awareness raising act before Brian proceeded to share his incredible gifts with us. Here is a taste of what we were treated to during the concert.

http://www.vimeo.com/6026892

The board and musicians took a moment to record our happy success for posterity.

Please keep your eye out for more events and information from us! We will be keeping the work alive and thinking positively!

Thanks again to all the lovely people who attended the concert, to all our friends and members who helped make it a success, and especially to Brian, and his manager Eric, for their supreme cooperation and selflessness in giving us such a generous evening of glorious music to benefit the Foundation. Carrie enjoyed every note, I am certain.

Time Flies - Work Continues - Music Lifts Us Up!

Don't miss this exciting concert! Brian Haas celebrates his solo album release "Petting Sounds" with The Carrie Dickerson Foundation in an intimate benefit concert on Saturday, August 8th. Get you tickets NOW at Starship, Dwelling Spaces or Under the Mooch, or online at http://tinyurl.com/l86kyy
$15 in advance (plus fees) or $20 at the door.



The doors open at 5:00 for a happy hour with wine and punch, a light supper buffet and a very cool silent auction including items from local artists and businesses. We have donations from artists Lisa Regan of Garden Deva, Gwen Ingram of Yoga Ideas and Cathy Coulson Keegan of Earth Steps (who is the artist who did the Red Fox shirts and prints for us back in the Black Fox days!). We also have personal care goodies, totes from Weather and Noise (and a pair of tickets to the Indie Emporium!!!) and many other cool donated goods and services for you to bid on. Come early so you'll have time to eat, drink and shop while enjoying mellow live music before the concert begins. We will start the program at 6:30 and Brian will play at 7:00. You will want to get your seat in plenty of time to watch Brian work his magic at the grand piano.

The Foundation is working toward publishing Carrie's book, "Harvesting The Wind - Fourteen Centuries of Wind Power" so that it can be donated to schools and libraries in the greater Tulsa area. It is a fascinating book for young and old alike. We are also involved with continuing to inform the public about the dangers of nuclear power plants and the facts that prove we can power Oklahoma and the nation without them. We have abundant alternative energy resources as well as ways to conserve and increase energy efficiency.

If you would like to be involved in helping us carry on Carrie's work and vision, please contact Marilyn at outpostomega@sbcglobal.net or send a note to:
The Carrie Dickerson Foundation
PO Box 52343
Tulsa, OK 74152-0343
We would love to have you join in our efforts to keep Oklahoma green and clean!