OBAMA/NUCLEAR LOAN GUARANTEES - A BEAUTY CONTEST WITH NO "BEAUTIES"?

... February 3, 2010 News Advisory ...


EXPERTS TO OUTLINE GLARING PROBLEMS WITH
ALL FOUR LEADING CANDIDATES FOR TAXPAYER-BACKED BAILOUTS

Even As White House Budget Proposes Tripling of Nuclear Loan Guarantees,
DOE is Struggling to Find Even One Good Deal to OK Under Existing Guarantee Authority;
From Massive Billion Dollar Cost Overruns in Texas to Flawed Reactor Design in Georgia.

WASHINGTON, D.C.//NEWS ADVISORY//With the new White House budget out today calling for a tripling of taxpayer-backed loan guarantee bailouts for new nuclear reactors, four grassroots experts from around the U.S. will caution that none of the four "leading" reactor projects in the running are attractive candidates.

In addition to providing an insight into the problems with the President's budget proposal, the four experts holding the live, phone-based news conference with full Q&A at 1:30 p.m. EST Wednesday (February 3, 2010) will provide an important perspective that will not be heard when the U.S. Senate Energy Committee meets on the DOE's Loan Guarantee Program next week.

News event speakers and the loan guarantee candidate about which they will speak are:

• Tom "Smitty" Smith, director, Public Citizen's Texas office, addressing the embattled NRG reactor project in San Antonio;

• Sara Barczak, director, High Risk Program, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, addressing the proposed Vogtle reactors in Georgia;

• Tom Clements, Friends of the Earth, addressing the proposed VC Summer reactors in South Carolina; and

• Michael Mariotte, executive director, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, addressing the proposed Calvert Cliffs reactor in Maryland.

For background on the huge risks facing U.S. taxpayers from increased loan-guarantee bailouts for the nuclear power industry, see http://216.250.243.12/020110%20PSR%20LG%20preempter%20update%20FINAL3.ht... and http://www.cleanenergy.org/index.php?/Press-Update.html?form_id=8&item_i....

TO PARTICIPATE: You can join this live, phone-based news conference (with full, two-way Q&A) at 1:30 p.m. EST on February 3, 2010 by dialing 1 (800) 860-2442. Ask for the "ugly nuclear loan guarantees" news event.

CAN'T PARTICIPATE?: A streaming audio recording of the news event will be available on the Web as of 5 p.m. EST on February 3, 2010 at http://www.nuclearbailout.org.

CONTACT: Leslie Anderson, (703) 276-3256 or [email protected].