The two Daves in the “Dave and Dave Show” are David Freeman and David Lochbaum. Both experts are concerned about nuclear power and safety. They will present their views on the use of nuclear energy, its impacts on citizens, safety issues, and solutions to their concerns the evening of June 28 at UTC. The remarks will be followed by interchange between the two men. They will also field questions from the audience.
"TVA is building yesterday's technology tomorrow," Mr. Freeman said. He has asked TVA “to just stop” its nuclear building program because it is too costly.
Mr. Lochbaum said, “Safety IOU’s protect no one.”
During his presentation, he will cover some examples like Fukushima lessons learned (none of which are implemented) and the fire protection regulations adopted by the NRC in 1980 following the 1975 fire at Browns Ferry (which the three reactors at Browns Ferry along with 44 other reactors still do not meet).
The Dave & Dave Show kicks off the Know Nukes Y’All Summit June 28-30 on the UTC campus. The gathering is drawing participants from across the South to participate in a number of educational workshops (www.matrr.org).
“This is a timely meeting because the South is being targeted for new nuclear reactors and we will be left holding the bag,” said Stewart Horn, president of Bellefonte Efficiency & Sustainability Team. “There are Fukushima meltdowns, red flag accidents at Browns Ferry, continued delays and record falsification at Watts Bar 2, taxpayer loans and financing of flawed reactor designs, and still no solutions for radioactive waste,” he said. “Citizens need to be informed and engaged to assure safety for us and our children.”
Mr. Freeman, an engineer by training and a Chattanooga native, is the past director of Tennessee Valley Authority appointed in 1977 by President Carter. He has also headed up other major energy organizations including Sacramento Municipal Utility District, New York Power Authority and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power. Mr. Freeman is an energy advisor to US Presidents and the author of Winning Our Energy Independence: An Insider Shows How.
Mr. Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer, is Nuclear Project Safety Director for Union of Concerned Scientists and past reactor technology instructor trainer for Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He has written numerous reports, including The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: A Report on Safety in America's Nuclear Power Industry, Three Mile Island's Puzzling Legacy, and the book Nuclear Waste Disposal Crisis. He is widely quoted in the media and a frequent guest on network news programs.
Organizers note that numerous grassroots organizations have stepped forward to sponsor the Summit indicating growing citizen concern about nuclear plants in local communities: Bellefonte Efficiency & Sustainability Team, Mothers Against Tennessee River Radiation, Citizens to ENDIT, SAFE Carolinas, Tennessee Sierra Club, South Carolina Sierra Club, Nashville Peace and Justice Center, and Collective Progression.
Regional, state and national organizations are also sponsoring: Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, Nuclear Watch South, Southern Alliance for Clean Energy, Georgia WAND, New South Network, Tennessee Environmental Council, Tennessee Interfaith Power & Light, ECO-Action, Mountain Justice, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, Southern Energy Network, Sierra Club Nuclear Free Campaign, Nukewatch, Green Interfaith Network, Inc., Beyond Nuclear, We the People, Inc., and World Constitution and Parliament Association.