To the editor:

How can the United States responsibly talk of continuing nuclear power in America? According to a newspaper report, due to the continued leaking radiation in Japan, “The crisis is emerging as the world’s most expensive natural disaster on record, likely to cost $309 billion dollars.”

A nuclear disaster in America would destroy our already weakened economy. We remain billions of dollars away from rebuilding the effects of Hurricane Katrina. We still have the BP oil spill to clean up. It will take years if ever for the environment to heal itself. A year after the spill we are no closer to figuring out what caused the accident. No matter how accident-free something appears on paper, in actuality, accidents happen.

It’s time to stand up and tell Congress “no more nukes.” Construction and insurance costs of nuclear plants are guaranteed by taxpayers, because they are considered too risky an investment for anyone else.

Safe, sustainable energy alternatives are ready for expansion. These contribute no poisonous waste, attract no terrorist threats, will create no grand scale catastrophe in case of human error, but they will create a mountain of much-needed jobs.

Isn’t it better to create jobs by improving our lives instead of creating jobs by cleaning up after the destruction of our lives?

Tell Congress it’s time to be responsible and it’s time to phase out nuclear power. It’s time to stop covering the backs and pocketbooks of their corporate friends, and work for a safer world.