Asian Pacific Environmental Network (APEN) is a far-left nonprofit organization that advocates for eliminating the concentration of wealth and transitioning from funding the oil industry and military to form a “regenerative economy.” 1
Opposition to Nuclear Energy
In December 2021, APEN was one of more than 100 groups co-signed an open letter opposing the nuclear power production tax credits offered in HR 5376, the House of Representatives draft of the Build Back Better Act. The groups identified nuclear power as a one of several “unproven and unnecessary technologies” and “harmful energy sources” that “would extend demand for fossil fuels.” 2
Nuclear power plants produce no carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gas emissions, and as of 2021 accounted for 20 percent of American electricity production—the largest source of zero carbon electricity in the United States. 3 An October 2018 proposal from The Nature Conservancy noted that zero-carbon nuclear plants produced 7.8 percent of total world energy output and recommended reducing carbon emissions by increasing nuclear capacity to 33 percent of total world energy output. 4
References
- “Our Work.” Accessed September 18, 2020. https://apen4ej.org/our-work/.
- Asian Pacific Environmental Network, et al . . . Letter to U.S. Senate Agriculture Committee for December 14, 2021. “Dear Senate Majority Leader Schumer, Senate Finance Committee Chair Wyden, Senate Agriculture Committee Chair Debbie Stabenow, and Committee Members . . .” Accessed June 25, 2024. https://unitedfrontlinetable.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/No-False-Solutions-in-BBBA-Letter-to-Senate-20211214-FINAL.pdf
- “Nuclear explained.” U.S. Energy Information Administration. Accessed August 16, 2021. https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/nuclear/us-nuclear-industry.php
- “The Science of Sustainability.” The Nature Conservancy. October 13, 2018. Accessed August 16, 2021. https://www.nature.org/en-us/what-we-do/our-insights/perspectives/the-science-of-sustainability