Letter to Premier Higgs: stop the small modular nuclear reactor projects

Dear Premier Blaine Higgs,

We applaud your government’s decision to cut all funding for the speculative Joi hydrogen fuel project.

However, we are concerned about the two small modular nuclear reactor projects which have set up offices in Saint John and have since received financial support from both the province of New Brunswick and NB Power.

We have to act now on future energy sources to combat climate change. We cannot wait ten to twenty or even thirty years for these reactors to be designed, built, tested, and proven viable.

We ask that all future funding for the speculative and potentially troublesome small reactor projects be terminated.

We can immediately begin to put low cost, proven, renewable energy sources in place. These renewables can begin fighting climate change while producing both energy and cash flow streams to New Brunswick in three to five years. These projects would be based on wind, solar, water, natural thermal, and energy efficiency.

Renewable energy has no fuel costs and therefore, no future risk of fuel cost inflation, unlike nonrenewable sources of energy.

We request that any future energy funding by the government or NB Power be restricted to renewable energy projects and energy conservation.

Sincerely,

David Thompson and Pamela Ross
Project Coordinators, Leap4wards Saint John

This letter was sent to Premier Blaine Higgs on January 2, 2020.