Skip to main content

Ralph Nader at NEI - the Wrapup

Ralph Nader and some Greenpeace activists showed up yesterday outside our offices to shout slogans and wave signs - well, not Nader himself, but his crew. As you may know, Washington is the go-to stop on Amtrak when you have a sign and a slogan, so the lunchtime crowd is very used to this happening pretty much every day. In our view, Nader and crew should have promoted his appearance a little better, perhaps on D.C.'s numerous college campuses. As is, the whole thing seemed a bit ad hoc.

But it would be churlish of us not to include some photos. These were taken by NEI's staff photog, Anna Gomez.

protest

This was directly in front of NEI's building - the front door faces a corner - and is what was going on before Mr. Nader arrived. This looks like a pretty thin crowd, but deceptively so - about 35 or so people aside from NEI employees turned out and some lunchtimers stopped for a moment or two to listen.

nader1

Here's Mr. Nader. The microphones poking at him are from various energy news outlets, like Platts. We didn't notice major press figures, though of course they might have been there. Note "Nukes" on the sign - a little whiff of eighties nostalgia. Happily, there were no headbands or day-glo pants on view.

Mr. Nader was a little taller than I expected, a bit slouchy and a bit hangdog. He has a strong, distinctive voice, but directed his comments mostly at those microphones rather than the gathered throng. He did deliver a bit of what seemed his stump speech on energy issues - you can get a sense of that at his web site - but was a fairly modest presence for a presidential candidate. I think we can assume he wants to promote issues that matter to him rather than have to pick an Agriculture Secretary, so the small audience and pack of interested newshounds seem about right.

Well, a little excitement on a Thursday - everyone was quite gracious, the tone remained friendly and inclusive rather than combative, and the Greenpeace folks looking to snare donations were as chirpy and animated as can be. It was a treat for many here to shake hands with Mr. Nader and express respect for what his life has been and continues to be: substantial, unique and very American.

The only outside link to this event I've found is to Crosswalk, a Christian outlet. If you find others, add them in the comments.

Comments

Anonymous said…
Seems like you all have a huge crush on Ralph. Frankly, I don't see it. Seeking publicity and mouthing off to the press is one thing, coming up with practical, workable solutions to the energy problem is another. I'll save my respect for those who go out everyday and do their work, in the field, in the power plants, in the laboratories, who are working on ways to generate the energy we need. Those who seek to tear down those efforts can take a hike.

Popular posts from this blog

An Ohio School Board Is Working to Save Nuclear Plants

Ohio faces a decision soon about its two nuclear reactors, Davis-Besse and Perry, and on Wednesday, neighbors of one of those plants issued a cry for help. The reactors’ problem is that the price of electricity they sell on the high-voltage grid is depressed, mostly because of a surplus of natural gas. And the reactors do not get any revenue for the other benefits they provide. Some of those benefits are regional – emissions-free electricity, reliability with months of fuel on-site, and diversity in case of problems or price spikes with gas or coal, state and federal payroll taxes, and national economic stimulus as the plants buy fuel, supplies and services. Some of the benefits are highly localized, including employment and property taxes. One locality is already feeling the pinch: Oak Harbor on Lake Erie, home to Davis-Besse. The town has a middle school in a building that is 106 years old, and an elementary school from the 1950s, and on May 2 was scheduled to have a referendu

Why Ex-Im Bank Board Nominations Will Turn the Page on a Dysfunctional Chapter in Washington

In our present era of political discord, could Washington agree to support an agency that creates thousands of American jobs by enabling U.S. companies of all sizes to compete in foreign markets? What if that agency generated nearly billions of dollars more in revenue than the cost of its operations and returned that money – $7 billion over the past two decades – to U.S. taxpayers? In fact, that agency, the Export-Import Bank of the United States (Ex-Im Bank), was reauthorized by a large majority of Congress in 2015. To be sure, the matter was not without controversy. A bipartisan House coalition resorted to a rarely-used parliamentary maneuver in order to force a vote. But when Congress voted, Ex-Im Bank won a supermajority in the House and a large majority in the Senate. For almost two years, however, Ex-Im Bank has been unable to function fully because a single Senate committee chairman prevented the confirmation of nominees to its Board of Directors. Without a quorum

NEI Praises Connecticut Action in Support of Nuclear Energy

Earlier this week, Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy signed SB-1501 into law, legislation that puts nuclear energy on an equal footing with other non-emitting sources of energy in the state’s electricity marketplace. “Gov. Malloy and the state legislature deserve praise for their decision to support Dominion’s Millstone Power Station and the 1,500 Connecticut residents who work there," said NEI President and CEO Maria Korsnick. "By opening the door to Millstone having equal access to auctions open to other non-emitting sources of electricity, the state will help preserve $1.5 billion in economic activity, grid resiliency and reliability, and clean air that all residents of the state can enjoy," Korsnick said. Millstone Power Station Korsnick continued, "Connecticut is the third state to re-balance its electricity marketplace, joining New York and Illinois, which took their own legislative paths to preserving nuclear power plants in 2016. Now attention should