Saudi Arabia recently decided to increase its oil production. Why? Could it be because the current U.S. administration has agreed to help the Saudis develop and construct expensive and dangerous nuclear reactors? And to help train nuclear engineers? The Saudis don’t need nuclear power; they have 25% of the world’s oil and huge natural gas deposits. They are the dominant member of OPEC (Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries). If you have enough oil to export it, you don’t need nuclear power!
Why didn’t the current administration offer solar or wind turbine technology to the Saudis? They have 300 plus sunny days a year and lots of windy areas. Once the Saudis get nuclear technology, they will no longer need the West as an ally to safeguard their oil and their regime. In the past, this safeguarding has been the biggest U.S. bargaining chip with the Saudis. However, once they get nuclear technology (which could develop into nuclear military capacity and potential misuse), you can bet oil prices will go sky high.
What about national security?! Do we really need one more nation with nuclear technology in an unstable region? How will Israel react to nuclear plants in Saudi Arabia, a country that doesn’t recognize them? How long before tensions turn into actions in this tinderbox? Is the current administration distributing favors to various American multinational corporations promoting the sale of nuclear technology? Far too many American men and women have died in far too many wars to see our national security sold to the highest bidder! It would be a national disgrace for them to have died in vain.
I applaud Representatives Edward J. Markey (D-MA) and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) for introducing H.R. 6298 to block President Bush from moving forward with any nuclear agreement with Saudi Arabia. The Saudis have a huge potential for renewable, clean electrical generation through solar and wind turbines. Sell them American-made solar!
Please call President Bush (202) 456-6213 and Representative Henry Waxman (323) 651-1040 or (202) 225-3976 to express yourself on this important issue. Trust me, it’s very hard to put the genie back into the bottle.
Cindy Emminger