Former NRC commissioner to speak in Madison on true cost of more nuclear reactors in Wisconsin

MADISON, WI.///NEWS ADVISORY///What are the hidden and little-understood costs that Wisconsin residents would pay directly or indirectly if there are new nuclear reactors in the state? That is the question that will be addressed on November 6, 2009 when former Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Commissioner Peter Bradford speaks in Madison.

The event is open to members of the news media. To make arrangements to attend or to set up a separate interview, contact Leslie Anderson, (703) 276-3256 or landerson@hastingsgroup.com.

Bradford is on a three-city tour to discuss the true cost of nuclear energy for Wisconsin. Bradford will discuss the financial risks that will be placed on Wisconsin taxpayers and electric customers in order to build nuclear reactors as well as explaining how improvements in energy efficiency can decrease the demand for new power plants while providing savings to Wisconsin residents. New nuclear reactors are a uniquely problematic energy source. Their exorbitant costs, long lead times, connection to the spread of nuclear weapons, and endless quest to shift economic risks to customers and taxpayers makes them a poor choice in response to the challenge of climate change, according to Bradford.

Bradford will be speaking in La Crosse, Milwaukee, and Madison. In Madison, Bradford will appear at:

* State Capitol Building, Senate Parlor, Friday, November 6, 2009 11 a.m., 2 E. Main Street, Madison, WI.

 CONTACT:  Leslie Anderson, (703) 276-3256 or landerson@hastingsgroup.com.

BACKGROUND:

Peter Bradford advises and teaches on utility regulation, nuclear power and energy policy in the U.S. and abroad. He has been a visiting lecturer in energy policy and environmental protection at Yale University and has taught a course on Nuclear Power and Public Policy at Vermont Law School. He recently served on a National Academy of Sciences panel evaluating the alternatives to continued operation of the Indian Point Nuclear Power Plants in New York. He is vice-chair of the Board of the Union of Concerned Scientists.

Bradford served on the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission from 1977 until 1982. During his term, the NRC undertook major upgradings of its regulatory and enforcement processes in the wake of the Three Mile Island accident. Prior to becoming a member of the NRC, he had served on the Maine Public Utilities Commission (1971-1977) and was Chairman in 1974-1975.He chaired the New York State Public Service Commission from 1987 until 1995. He was Maine’s Public Advocate in 1982 and was President of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners during 1987.

He has advised on utility restructuring issues in many states and has testified on aspects of electricity and telecommunications restructuring in California, Connecticut, Florida, Massachusetts, Maryland, New Hampshire, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Louisiana, Michigan, and Vermont.