Charlotte, NC: Democratic National Convention, and nuclear power center
Charlotte, NC will be in the national spotlight this week, as it hosts the Democratic Party's National Convention. But Charlotte is also a hub for the nuclear power industry. As highlighted by Charlotte's Chamber of Commerce, the city hosts many a big name nuclear corporation, including: nuclear utility Duke Energy, with a dozen atomic reactors in its fleet nationwide; The Shaw Group; AREVA NP; Toshiba; Westinghouse; URS; and Fluor.
Duke's McGuire Units 1 and 2 are just 17 miles north of Charlotte, and its Catawba Units 1 and 2 are just 18 miles south of Charlotte. All four units are ice condensor designs, a pressure-suppression containment, similar in that regard to the Fukushima Daiichi GE Mark I boiling waters.
CREDO Action has published an alert calling for action to pressure Duke Energy to stop funding the right-wing American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and its voter suppression and anti-environment efforts.
Charlotte-based Duke's other atomic reactors are: Brunswick 1 & 2 (GE Mark Is), NC; Crystal River, FL; Harris, NC; Oconee 1, 2, and 3, SC; Robinson, SC.
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As reported by The National Journal, two anti-nuclear protestors -- Pete Tridish and Paul Davis from Take the Money Out -- were arrested for disrupting a Democratic National Convention event, sponsored by National Journal and The Atlantic, and "underwritten" by Southern Nuclear. Their banner read "CORPORATE CASH NUKES THIS ELECTION."
In Feb. 2010, President Obama personally announced the award, by his Energy Secretary Steven Chu, to Southern Nuclear of a conditional $8.3 billion federal loan guarantee for the construction of two proposed new atomic reactors -- Toshiba-Westinghouse AP1000s -- at Vogtle, Georgia. Toshiba and Westinghouse are both listed as having corporate headquarters in Charlotte (see above).
Take the Money Out tweeted "It’s time we replaced corporate-funded elections with people-led elections. It’s time we return to a government of the people."
Ironically, the U.S. Department of Transportation's Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) was called in to make sure that the "radioactive waste" the protestors also deployed (made from baking soda, vinegar, and food coloring) was not hazardous. PHMSA is the federal agency Beyond Nuclear and allies have been pressuring, so far successfully, for two and a half years, to block permitting a radioactive waste shipment on the Great Lakes, after PHMSA had previously, secretively, rubberstamped numerous radioactive waste boat shipments on our nation's Great Lakes, rivers, and sea coasts.
National Journal also reported that 1,000 marched through Charlotte, including against dirty energy. 2 marchers were also arrested.