QUEZON CITY, Philippines (10 May 2023) — Reacting to the House Committee on Appropriations’ approval of the House bill that seeks to establish a nuclear regulatory framework, Greenpeace campaigner Khevin Yu said:
“It is extremely alarming how a bill with such dangerous provisions was approved by the House Committee on Appropriations. It is bad enough that this bill promotes an energy source that will harm Filipino communities, but doing so knowing that the economic ramifications of this move is gargantuan, at a time when the country is struggling with record high debt, is just reckless and irresponsible.
“Rep. Cojuangco’s monstrous bill will drain the country’s financial resources. This is not just the establishment of a regulatory body. The bill proposes separate funds for radioactive waste management and storage, decommissioning, and a national emergency plan for nuclear disasters. PhilATOM alone will need billions of pesos to operate. And the country will need trillions-worth of funds needed to prepare for nuclear disasters—as seen in Chernobyl and Fukushima—as well as for waste storage and decommissioning. Energy consumers will pay for these costs in their bills, but experience has shown that this amount is never enough, and experience has shown that the government—via taxpayers—shoulders the burden imposed by nuclear facilities. Where will the government, already neck deep in debt, get the money?
“The toll on local governments hosting these plants and radioactive storage facilities will be the highest. While Philippine laws put liability solely and exclusively on the plant operator, the government’s track record on making companies pay for environmental damages is dismal, as shown by the Marcopper disaster and MT Princess Empress oil spill.
“If this bill becomes law, it will only serve the interests of private nuclear companies and investors waiting to suck us dry financially and use our country as a testing ground for their untested and dangerous technologies. This is why we demand that our legislators drop this bill and shift their priorities away from the nuclear agenda.They should focus their attention on renewable energy (RE), a much, much cleaner, cheaper, and most importantly, safer energy source that will meet the needs of our country in a time of crisis.”
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For more information, check out our briefer on the House nuclear bill.
Media Contact:
Maverick Flores, Communications Campaigner
Greenpeace Philippines | [email protected] | +639176211552