Founded 1979 Area served Idaho | Location Boise, Idaho Website snakeriveralliance.org | |
Type 501(c)(3) charitable organization | ||
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The Snake River Alliance (SRA) is a non-profit organization which focuses on nuclear and clean energy issues in Idaho. They are a watchdog group who “raise community awareness about the dangers of nuclear waste, weapons and power while working to identify and promote sustainable alternatives.” The SRA does this through a number of different methods, including advocacy and education.
Contents
History
The Snake River Alliance was formed in 1979 shortly after the Three Mile Incident and the discovery that the Idaho National Laboratory (INL) was dumping hazardous waste into the Snake River Aquifer on a routine basis. The SRA worked to get this practice stopped, and was successful in 1987. Since then, the alliance has continued to work to protect Idaho from nuclear waste, and in 2004 began advocating for clean energy in Idaho.”
Nuclear Waste
One of the Snake River Alliance’s main goals has been to protect Idaho and stop more nuclear waste from coming into the state. The SRA does not want to see Idaho become a dumping ground for nuclear waste, and believe that the risks of nuclear waste to humans and the environment outweigh the benefits. They have done this by monitoring the recent Leadership in Nuclear Energy (LINE) Commission [1] that Governor Clement Leroy “Butch” Otter appointed to look into the possible roles nuclear waste could play in Idaho’s future. The SRA also continuously works to ensure that the Snake Rive Aquifer is not polluted further by watching INL to make sure the waste that is already there continues to be cleaned up.
The SRA has also worked to stop nuclear power plants from coming to Idaho. The Snake River Alliance is currently working on stopping the French company Areva from building a nuclear plant in Eastern Idaho. Areva currently has license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) but as of February 2013, nothing further has occurred because of economic turmoil within the company. In recent years, the SRA pointed out that the Alternate Energy Holdings Inc (AEHI) Nuclear Power plant proposal seemed to be a scam. In December 2010, once the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) sued AEHI for fraud, the SRA turned its attention towards other threats.
The SRA is currently an active member of the Alliance for Nuclear Accountability (ANA).
Clean Energy
The SRA added Clean Energy into their mission in 2004, and work with electric utilities, the Public Utilities Commission, and city and state governments to achieve their mission. One of the main things they advocate for is having power companies reduce and stop using coal because of the negative environmental impact and price of coal [2][3]. In 2005, the Alliance helped stop a coal plant that was proposed for Jerome, Idaho.
The SRA also advocated for clean energy policies, and helped with a draft of the Idaho Energy Plan on 2007 and helped to create the Idaho Energy Collaborative [4] in 2008.