500 signatures reached
To: Gov. Tim Walz, Atty. Gen. Keith Ellison, Minneapolis and St. Paul City Council, and MN DOC
Petition for a Nuclear-Free Mississippi River
Demand for 2030 Monticello Nuclear Reactor Closure:
- We demand the Public Utilities Commission modify Xcel Energy's 2024-2040 Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) to keep the 2030 closure date for the Monticello Nuclear Generating Plant.
- Recent leaks at the reactor pose serious threats to public health, the Mississippi River, and drinking water for millions. Xcel's IRP shows renewable energy is a more affordable and safer alternative.
- In this climate crisis, it is the responsibility of the State of Minnesota and Xcel Energy to invest ratepayer funds in new and long-lasting renewable energy rather than in dangerous and outdated infrastructure that leaks toxic radioactivity to the environment and is prone to further age-related problems.
- We further demand that the Governor's office intervene and take responsibility and accountability for these issues which the offices below him have continuously failed to address and have ghosted the community.
- We urge the Attorney General, Minneapolis, and St. Paul City Councils to demand the PUC maintain the 2030 closure schedule for Monticello.
- The Department of Commerce and Attorney General must intervene in Xcel's IRP to ensure Monticello's closure and replacement with renewables.
The undersigned shows support for the above petition and demands
Why is this important?
Reject Xcel Energy's 20-year extension request for the Monticello nuclear power plant.
- The plant is 53 years old, making it one of the three oldest in the US.
- The 2022 leak of 829,000 gallons of radioactive tritium and other carcinogens poses a threat to:
- The Mississippi River, a drinking water source for 20 million people.
- The environment and wildlife.
- The food chain through irrigation of crops.
- Tritium exposure, especially during pregnancy, is linked to:
- Cancers in newborns.
- Pregnancy loss.
- Birth abnormalities.
We say NO!
NO to the deadly radioactivity harming our children, environment, drinking water, and food!
NO to the extension request!
We demand the safe shutdown of the Monticello plant!
How it will be delivered
This petition will be circulated by Coalition for a Nuclear-Free Mississippi River through a powerful collaboration with environmental, water safety, and civil rights NGOs, empowering individuals to add their voices through handwritten signatures and a user-friendly digital platform on MoveOn.org.
Our collective goal: to exceed 1 million signatures!