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Wednesday, April 27, 7pm, this on-line event requires advance registration
This bill has passed the House and is already before the Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee now. They could hear it at any time. We need to act now! Join us for a discussion on what the bill will do, why the secrecy, and how it can affect every Ohioan.
H.B. 434 states that its proposed activities are an essential governmental function and that it addresses matters of public necessity. It repeals the Ohio Department of Health’s authorization to regulate and oversee entities dealing with radioactivity.
Eight of the bill’s 14 pages are taken up creating a convoluted process for getting board members onto the Nuclear Development Authority.
As if this were not enough to ensure that the public will be shut out of involvement and oversight of activities, today’s amendment would move the Authority under the auspices of the Ohio Department of Development.
While the Development Department signs contracts, the rest of the activities of the new Nuclear Development Authority would be within JobsOhio, where the public will have no access to its activities, and the Authority will be shielded from those annoying Ohio Open Records laws.
Attorney Terry Lodge points out that JobsOhio’s conflict of interest policy makes it legal for entities to have a nonpublic meeting of their board about conflicts of interest, where they are required to keep minutes. But those minutes may be declared by the Board to not be public records.
The nuclear industry is far more secretive than any other energy industry. It’s association with nuclear weapons makes its technology a national security secret, and its products must be guarded by threat of force. These radioactive products, both intentional and unintentional, have a second and very different security threat — the threat to the health and DNA of the American public and the natural world.
This is a very serious undercutting of the democratic process. A handful of people are set to gain money and profits at the expense of Ohio taxpayers. They don’t have to risk their own money — the public will take the risk. And who will take the profits? It won’t be the public.
Opposition testimony may be viewed |here.
RSVP for this event by using this link.
Hosted by Our Revolution Ohio.
