FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
February 10, 2004

MIDWEST NUCLEAR REALITY CONFERENCE
hosted by Illinois State University SEAC

The numerous safety and environmental concerns surrounding nuclear power reactors will be discussed at a major regional conference hosted by the Illinois State University Student Environmental Action Coalition (SEAC). The Nuclear Reality Conference will be held at Illinois State’s Stevenson Hall February 20-22 and will feature nationally known experts on nuclear power issues.

Conference topics will include information on the basics of nuclear power, biological impacts of radiation exposure from power plants, nuclear waste transportation and storage, and information on alternative energy. Additionally, there will be a focus on the proposed second nuclear reactor at Clinton, Illinois. Speakers will include Dave Kraft from the Nuclear Energy Information Service (NEIS) and Kevin Kamps and Paul Gunter from the Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS).

The conference is timely because Exelon Corporation has applied for an Early Site Permit (ESP) for a proposed second nuclear reactor at Clinton, Illinois, 25 miles south of Bloomington-Normal and upwind from Champaign-Urbana and Charleston. The ESP is the first step in securing federal approval to construct a new reactor. The proposed second Clinton reactor and proposed new reactors in Virginia and Mississippi, represent the first actions to build new reactors in the United States in over 20 years. No new reactor has been ordered in the U.S. since 1973; the last reactor constructed cost over $8 billion.

Once promoted as an energy source "too cheap to meter," nuclear power has proven to be the most expensive source of electricity. It is also one of the most complicated and dangerous methods of electrical generation. Spent fuel rods will remain dangerous for millions of years. No government anywhere has a better plan for nuclear waste disposal than burying it underground, risking groundwater contamination and other impacts.

Conference Organizers:
Geoff Ower, geoff@nukereality.org, (309)454-1836
Dan Moriarity, dan@nukereality.org, (309)451-1789

Organizations Represented:
Nuclear Energy Information Service (NEIS): http://www.neis.org
Nuclear Information and Resource Service (NIRS): http://www.nirs.org
SEAC National Youth Power Shift Campaign: http://www.seac.org/energy

Registration information and full conference schedule:
http://www.nukereality.org