Over the coming months, Good Energy Collective is hoping to learn from and engage with environmental justice advocates about their experiences, concerns, and expectations relating to nuclear energy and about what the development and deployment of these technologies would need to look like in order for nuclear energy to contribute viably to a safe, healthy, and positive vision for communities’ energy systems.
We know we still have a lot to learn. We are guided, however, by three core goals:
- Centering the voices and needs of communities historically on the frontlines of mining projects, energy development, and military weapons testing in the conversation over advanced nuclear deployment;
- Identifying best practices in sustainable and ethical mining that supports biodiversity, cultural awareness, and remediation of past harms; and
- Creating policy recommendations across restorative, procedural, and distributive justice for nuclear energy.
With these goals in mind, we are looking for diverse voices to connect with and trade ideas, ultimately to inform a roadmap for environmental justice in nuclear energy. We intend for this roadmap to serve as a guide for policymakers as they work on related legislation; as a point of engagement with the nuclear and uranium industries as they work to develop and site new technologies; and as a supportive document for future dialogue between civil society groups and environmental justice advocates.
How have you or your community experienced nuclear energy, whether along the nuclear fuel cycle or through power generation? What concerns and questions do you have regarding advanced nuclear energy, and how could these concerns be meaningfully addressed? And what do you want to see happen with regard to nuclear energy, mining, and action on climate change?
If you or your organization would like to talk with us, please reach out to our Environmental Justice Policy Counsel, Ariel Gould (ariel@goodenergycollective.org) at your earliest convenience.