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PUBLIC CITIZEN IDENTIFIES WORST NUCLEAR REACTORS IN THE U.S.:

EMBARGOED UNTIL: Thursday, July 8, 1993

CONTACT: James Riccio 202-546-4996 9:30 a.m. EDT

Andrew Carroll 202-833-3000

PUBLIC CITIZEN IDENTIFIES WORST NUCLEAR REACTORS IN THE U.S.:

GE REACTORS DOMINATE LIST OF NUCLEAR LEMONS

Washington, D.C. — A new report by Public Citizen concludes that those reactors designed by General Electric (GE) dominate the rankings of the worst nuclear reactors in the nation. “GE only designed one third of the nuclear reactors in the U.S.”, said Jim Riccio, Energy Campaigner for Public Citizen’s Critical Mass Energy Project, “but we were surprised to discover that GE reactors account for seventy percent of our twenty worst Nuclear Lemons.”

“Just as a car that’s a lemon is taken off the road”, said Joan Claybrook, President of Public Citizen, “these Nuclear Lemons should be shutdown before they meltdown.”

Nuclear Lemons identifies the worst nuclear reactors in the United States based upon eleven safety, performance and economic criteria. The study, which is being co-released with citizen groups across the country, is based solely on government and industry documents.

“The NRC identifies its ‘problem plants'”, said Matt Freedman, the report’s co-author, “but the Commission has no standards by which to judge when a reactor should be closed.”

“Given the predominance of GE reactors on Public Citizen’s list of nuclear lemons”, said Bill Magavern, Director of Public Citizen’s Critical Mass Energy Project, “we call on Congress to investigate the safety of these reactors.”

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Copies of Nuclear Lemons are available from Public Citizen at a cost of $40. Discounts are available to citizen organizations and schools. Members of the press may receive the study free of charge on request.

Public Citizen is a non-profit research and advocacy organization founded in 1971 by Ralph Nader. Public Citizen has over 150,000 members nationwide. The Critical Mass Energy Project is its energy- policy arm.