Russian population nixes Nuke Plant

["Sandy Perle" <sandyfl@ix.netcom.com>]

Seems Greepeace is alive and well and doing all they can to eliminate 
the nuclear power option, worldwide. Below is an article regarding a 
recent vote in Russia. It is very interesting to see Greepeace maike 
the statement that the vote would maintain the ecology. That is 
amazing when nuclear is the most ecologically favorable form of 
energy that the Russian people currently have. Hopefully this 
article will be informative to the forum.

--------------------------
MOSCOW  - People in central Russia's Kostroma  
region, dotted with crystal-clear lakes, have rejected a plan to build
a nuclear power plant in the country's first such referendum,
officials said Monday. 
  ``We are very pleased,'' said Karen Richardson, an  
anti-nuclear campaigner from the Greenpeace environmental 
organization. ``People were given the choice for the first time 
and they showed they do not want to spoil their region's 
ecology.'' 
  Many Russians, including Muscovites, have holiday homes in  
Kostroma -- about 125 miles northeast of the capital and 
renowned for pure air and the clean water in its rivers and 
lakes. 
  Preliminary results showed 87 percent of those voting were  
against the plant and only 10 percent in favor. Turnout was 59 
percent. 
  In Soviet days the Kremlin took the decisions on where to  
build nuclear power plants, chemical factories or waste dumps, 
issuing orders to local administrations to comply. 
  Most new nuclear projects in Russia have been delayed since  
the April 1986 Chernobyl disaster, the world's worst nuclear 
accident, when a reactor at the Ukrainian power plant exploded 
and sent clouds of radiation across Europe. 
  Campaigners for the Kostroma plant tried to tempt voters by  
saying the nuclear station would create jobs and improve the 
region's economy, Richardson said. 
  ``But people are bearing in mind what may happen if  
something goes wrong. They remember that it is the 10th 
anniversary of the Chernobyl disaster,'' she added. 
  Nuclear power already accounts for 12 percent of the  
electricity generated in Russia, and safety issues are acute for many
people living across the 150-million state. 

Sandy Perle
Director, Technical Operations
ICN Dosimetry Division
Office: (800) 548-5100 Ext. 2306 
Fax: (714) 668-3149

E-Mail: sandyfl@ix.netcom.com    

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