WPSR Statement in Opposition to SB 5244
Prepared by WPSR’s Climate Crisis Task Force
Washington Physicians for Social Responsibility (WPSR) is a 40-year-old, physician-led organization concerned with the social determinants of health representing approximately 1000 health professionals across the state of Washington. We are opposed to SB 5244 (a bill to encourage the production of advanced nuclear reactors, small modular reactors, and components).
The climate crisis gives us little time to act to reduce emissions by shifting our economy off of fossil fuels. We at WPSR are highly concerned about the health impacts of climate change and air pollution and therefore applaud our legislators for the efforts to promote means of electricity generation that lower emissions and consequently reduce health risks. This bill, unfortunately, fails on three counts: 1) It would worsen economic inequity 2) It is not a cost-effective means of reducing emissions. 3) It would harm indigenous communities who already suffer disproportionately from our current nuclear programs.
Our state has an extremely regressive tax system and currently faces a revenue shortfall. Cutting taxes for big businesses in a pandemic-induced recession, thereby increasing economic inequality, further exacerbates this problem. Since economic inequity is a driving cause of health disparities we oppose any further shifts of our tax burden away from the wealthy and on to low-income workers and consumers.
Solar and wind-generated electricity is now cheaper than coal and cost-competitive with gas generation even prior to consideration of the social costs of carbon and other pollutants. At this point, the solutions to the climate crisis are more dependent on regulating and/or pricing carbon, promoting public transportation and fuel efficiency standards, and improving transmission than on subsidizing low-carbon generation. Additionally, there are simply not enough potential jobs to warrant subsidizing the construction of machinery that might never even be used. We favor taking a more cost-effective and rapidly applicable approach to emissions reduction. Several bills under consideration — including the clean fuels standard, the building electrification bill, and the update to the growth management act — would be more rapidly effective at lower costs than this proposal.
Nuclear energy requires the mining of uranium and the storage of radioactive waste both of which cause disproportionate harm to indigenous communities. This bill contains no regulations of the waste, no provisions to protect vulnerable communities. As such it is completely unacceptable to us.
This proposal is a special interest giveaway that would do little to improve the lives of Washingtonians while posing grave risks to some and would be woefully inadequate as a means of reducing emissions. We will gladly support serious proposals that reduce greenhouse gasses while improving health and well being. This bill fails on all counts and we ask that you oppose it.