Beyond Nuclear at NPRI

6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 400, Takoma Park, MD 20912

Tel: 301.270.2209 Fax: 301.270.4000

Email: info@beyondnuclear.org Web: www.beyondnuclear.org

July 31, 2007

Dear Friend of Beyond Nuclear:

Last month we proudly announced that the legendary and award-winning physician and activist, Dr. Helen Caldicott, had chosen Beyond Nuclear to continue the work she initiated at her Nuclear Policy Research Institute. We all agreed it was the perfect transition since both organizations make the case that nuclear power and nuclear weapons are inextricably linked.

The mission of Beyond Nuclear is to educate and activate the public about the connections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons and the need to abandon both to safeguard our future. Beyond Nuclear advocates for an energy future that is sustainable, benign and democratic.

The Beyond Nuclear team works with diverse partners and allies to provide the public, government officials, and the media with the critical information necessary to move humanity toward a world beyond nuclear.

We have already been busy. The recent news about the earthquake-triggered nuclear accident in Japan resulted in immediate calls to our staff from radio, newspaper and magazine reporters. Opportunities like these serve to highlight just how much at risk we are at any time from catastrophes at nuclear plants.

Just today the press reported on the first application for a new reactor – right in our back yard – with Constellation Energy exploring expansion of the existing two-reactor site at Calvert Cliffs in Maryland, situated on the precious and already polluted Chesapeake Bay.

We continue to work on an important campaign in Illinois where two reactor communities are suffering unexplained outbreaks of cancer and other illnesses. Already, 20 children have been diagnosed with rare brain tumors. The mother of one child is leading the effort there to ask questions of the nuclear utility, Exelon, after the reactors leaked tritium into the groundwater and well water. Exelon had kept these leaks a secret. We are campaigning for absolute openness so that no one – especially children – will continue to suffer involuntary exposure to radiation from leaking reactors.

That is why spreading the word as widely as possible is at the core of our mission at Beyond Nuclear. And that is why I am writing today to ask for a donation to help us re-launch Beyond Nuclear at NPRI and to start taking on these new challenges without delay. We hope you will give as generously as you can at this important moment.

Already we have had requests for speakers and materials from:

• The people of Port Gibson, Mississippi, threatened by a second reactor and where Beyond Nuclear is already working to assist the community defeat it;
• Parents and activists in Alberta, Canada, where a new reactor is threatened, and who want to bring their community together to hear the truth – not the industry propaganda whitewash orchestrated by Canadian nuclear apologist, Patrick Moore; and
• A longtime activist in Roswell, New Mexico, who feels sure other residents will join her in opposing a proposed new reprocessing plant – given the right information and some help from Beyond Nuclear spokespeople.

In our first three weeks of operation, our staff has fanned out to community meetings in Michigan, New Jersey and New Hampshire, where the expert help provided by our Beyond Nuclear team is indispensable.

And of course we remain dedicated to our many partners and allies wherever new reactors and waste dumps are threatened or existing reactors continue to jeopardize health and safety.

We could not be more proud of the team we have assembled at Beyond Nuclear.

Paul Gunter probably has more experience and history with the fight to stop nuclear power than anyone in the country after co-founding the anti-nuclear Clamshell Alliance in 1977. Kevin Kamps is an expert on every aspect of the radioactive waste challenge, from proposed dumps, to transportation, decommissioning and reprocessing. Cindy Folkers is a knowledgeable resource on radiation and health. I continue to work on the media and development needs of Beyond Nuclear.

Won’t you please help our Beyond Nuclear team bring urgent and much-needed information and inspiration to as many people as possible around the country?

If you can manage $1,000 or more we can immediately fulfill the many requests for help that we have already received.

The simplest way to give is on our Web site. Just go to www.beyondnuclear.org and click on the Donate button, then follow the easy directions.

If you prefer, you can send a check by mail made out to NPRI and addressed to: Beyond Nuclear at NPRI, 6930 Carroll Avenue, Suite 400, Takoma Park, MD 20912.

Please give as generously as you can. NPRI is a tax-exempt and tax-deductible organization. We will send each of you an acknowledgement letter and, for those sending gifts of $250 or more, we will also provide the necessary NPRI tax information.

We thank you so much.

Best wishes,

Linda Gunter

Linda Gunter and the Beyond Nuclear team

www.beyondnuclear.org