PROTESTING NUCLEAR REACTOR PROPOSAL—Members of the Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition hold a protest on Valentine’s Day in front of the Constellation Energy building, in downtown Baltimore.
In February, activists from the Maryland PIRG and the Chesapeake Safe Energy Coalition held a Valentine’s Day-themed rally in front of Constellation Energy’s downtown headquarters to protest the company’s proposal to build a new nuclear reactor in Maryland.
The new reactor would be the largest nuclear reactor in the country and be located on the shores of the Chesapeake Bay. Highly toxic radioactive waste would be stored on site indefinitely.
Constellation Energy has filed for a Certificate of Public Convenience and Necessity from the Maryland Public Service Commission. Maryland PIRG has intervened in the proceeding to make the case that Maryland’s energy needs can be met without turning to dangerous and expensive sources of energy like nuclear power.
Click the play button below to listen to a recent WYPR interview where Maryland PIRG State Director Johanna Neumann Debated the Maryland Energy Administration on Nuclear Power.
Healthy Communities
Smoke-Free Law Goes Into Effect In Maryland
On Feb. 1, 2008, Maryland’s Clean Indoor Air Act went into effect. Prior to the enactment of this law, 1,000 Marylanders died from exposure to secondhand smoke each year and the state spent more than $600 million in related health care costs annually.
Maryland PIRG worked with members of the Smoke-Free Maryland coalition to organize news conferences to educate the public and decision-makers about the dangers of smoky workplaces.
By passing this law, Maryland was the 18th state to go smoke-free.
Money In Politics
PIRG-Backed Panel To End Era Of Self-Policing
On March 11, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to set up an independent office to police Congressional ethics scandals. The independent office was recommended by a special task force and endorsed by U.S. PIRG, our national federation of state PIRGs. We applaud Reps. Ruppersberger, Sarbanes, Hoyer, Cummings and Van Hollen for fulfilling a promise to clean up Congress.
In January 2007, the House approved strong Maryland PIRG-backed rules designed to curb the influence of lobbyists over members of Congress. The rules banned lobbyist-paid gifts and travel and required lobbyists to disclose fundraising for candidates. The House set up a task force to examine the options. U.S. PIRG’s Gary Kalman urged Rep. Michael Capuano (Mass.), the head of the task force, to recommend a truly independent office, one that would end the current practice of “self-policing” that let lobbyist Jack Abramoff and others shower members of Congress with favors for years before the Justice Department brought him down. U.S. PIRG’s report on independent ethics office commissions was cited in congressional testimony.
Protecting Consumers
Retailers Send Mixed Signals About DTV
On Feb. 17, 2009, TV stations will begin broadcasting exclusively in digital signals. Consumers with an older analog TV who receive over-the-air television will need to retrofit their TV with a digital converter box or their TV will go dark.
Maryland PIRG and allied groups conducted “secret shopper” surveys at 132 electronics stores in 10 states, including Baltimore, Md., to determine how well retailers are preparing their customers for the transition to DTV.
We found that retail sales clerks are providing inaccurate or misleading information about the upcoming digital transition. We released those findings in February in the report “Mixed Signals: How Retailers Mislead Consumers on the Digital Television (DTV) Transition.”
The report garnered broad media attention and national retailers like Best Buy and Radio Shack are now promising to do a better job educating consumers about the transition to DTV. To make sure you are prepared for the transition, visit our Web site.
