Still, president of something called the Wisconsin Technology Council, thinks it's a crying shame that Wisconsin has a moratorium law on the books that won't allow the state to even consider nuclear power as an option.

It will come as a surprise to many -- but not, I suspect, to Tom Still -- to learn that there is no nuclear "moratorium" in effect that bans more nuclear power plants in the state.

What is on the books is a perfectly reasonable law that says if you want to build a new reactor here, there are two requirements that must be met first:

(1) There must be a federal site to dispose of the dangerous, high level radioactive waste the reactors produce, and

(2) The Public Service Commission must find that nuclear power makes economic sense.

That's no ban or moratorium. It merely sets some reasonable requirements. But since the law was passed in 1984 the nuclear industry has not been able to meet those tests. So now it wants to relax the law.

It has been more than 50 years since the US began generating nuclear power -- and nuclear waste. Fifty years and still no way to dispose of the deadly end products, which the Environmental Protection Agency says must be kept away from humans for up to a million years.

If, as the industry would have us believe, a solution is just around the corner, what's wrong with waiting until we turn that corner?

Says Still:

Lifting the moratorium doesn’t mean Wisconsin will be build a new plant tomorrow. But it does mean the state can be ready for the inevitable day that science produces a cleaner, safer and more efficient reactor.

In the meantime, just last week a new study found that it would cost taxpayers and ratepayers about $2- to $4-trillion more over the life of 100 new nuclear reactors than it would to generate the same electricity from a combination of more energy efficiency and renewables.

Available renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies are faster, cheaper, safer and cleaner strategies for reducing greenhouse emissions than nuclear power.

If you agree, please sign our online petition here to keep Wisconsin's sensible laws on the books.

When I asked last week whether AirTran would get naming rights for the Scott Walker for Governor Harley ride, in return for its corporate sponsorship, I thought I was being facetious.

Sometimes a person's imagination doesn't stretch far enough. The Journal Sentinel reports:

For this year's trip, AirTran will pick up the estimated $2,800 gas, hotel and meal tab. In exchange, the AirTran logo will be prominent on flags that can be mounted on participants' motorcycles, signs on support vehicles and on the headscarves some cyclists wear.

And you know what? The odds are overwhelming that the Milwaukee County Ethics Board, which has always rubber-stamped whatever Walker did, will say that's just fine.

This is my favorite part of the story, though:

He'll strictly avoid any talk about the governor's race or politics during the dozens of news interviews his staff has arranged for him on the trip, Walker said.

If there is one story that does not mention he's running for governor, I'll be anxious to see it.

What a load of crappity crap, crap, as that old poophead Charlie Sykes would say.

It is Iraq Moratorium weekend again, Friday-Sunday, with lots of Wisconsin events to call for an end to the wars and occupations of Iraq and Afghanistan.   I'll be at the Midwest Renewable Energy Fair in Custer Friday morning for Pancakes for Peace, sponsored by the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice (WNPJ), of which I am co-chair.  Join us if you can.  Info at www.wnpj.org 

If you can't eat pancakes for peace, there are plenty of other activities in Wisconsin this weekend.  Here's a list.  http://iraqmoratoriumwis.blogspot.com

To the list of safety, environmental, and economic concerns about nuclear power, add another: Utilities do not have enough money set aside to decommission existing nuclear reactors when they are shut down, the Associated Press reports.

The nuclear reactors themselves become huge mountains of radioactive waste when they are shut down, and need to be disposed of.  But no storage site exists to accept the waste, so the reactor on the Mississippi at Genoa, WI, which stopped operating in 1987, is still there, awaiting decommissioning.

 Point Beach has only about half of the estimated $684-million it will need for decommissioning, and the Kewaunee reactor is somewhat close to having enough money set aside if estimates of $359-million are correct, the Wisconsin State Journal reports.

Help stop a current effort to open the door to more nuclear reactors in Wisconsin. Learn more and sign an online petition here.

Gov wannabe Scott Walker thinks big and small at the same time, it appears.

He  is taking major policy positions on Twitter, which limits users to 140 characters per message.

So far, he's proposed eliminating taxes on retirement income and requiring voters to approve all tax increases.  That's pretty much those two proposals in their entirety, Harris Kane notes.

Any chance some enterprising reporter will ask him what he's talking about, how much it would cost, and how he psoposes to pay for it?

When pigs fly.

The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Monday that Wisconsin Justices Annette Ziegler and Michael Gableman must disqualify themselves from hearing any cases involving Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

That is an oversimplification, but not by much. Here is how the NY Times summarized the decision in a front page story today:

Elected judges must disqualify themselves from cases involving people who spent exceptionally large sums to put them on the bench, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday in a 5-to-4 decision.

 

 The decision, the first to say the Constitution’s due process clause has a role to play in policing the role of money in judicial elections, ordered the chief justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court to recuse himself from a $50 million case against a coal company whose chief executive had spent $3 million to elect him.

Ziegler, who had a track record of ignoring conflicts of interest as a circuit judge, ignored calls to recuse herself from a case which WMC called a top priority, involving the Menasha Corp. and the question of whether corporations must pay sales tax on customized software.

Ziegler not only participated and cast the deciding vote in the 4-3 decision, but wrote the opinion -- worth an estimated $350-million to WMC, which filed an amicus brief in the case, and its members. Not a bad return on a $2-million investment.

As an aside, the lawyer who could have asked Ziegler to recuse herself from the case was Atty. Gen.J. B. Van Hollen. But WMC spent $2.5-million to get Van Hollen elected, so he didn't make a peep.

There's another case, Virnich and Moores, in which a decision is expected soon, described as "a case that could rewrite corporate law in Wisconsin."

At issue is whether business owners can enrich themselves at the expense of others, including workers and creditors, who have a stake in the business. In plain language, it's whether they can pocket all the money personally, see the business fail, and screw everyone else out of what is due them.

WMC filed a brief favoring the business owners at the appeals court stage, but has been quiet at the Supreme Court level so as not to remind people of the huge conflict Ziegler and Gableman ignored when they participated in hearing oral arguments in January, despite an effort to get them to recuse themselves.

Despite its obvious application to Wisconsin, the U.S. Supreme Court decision got scant notice in the state's press. The Journal Sentinel offered a story that mentioned Ziegler and the Menasha case, and said the state court is considering some new rules, but not much more, and nothing on the pending Virnich and Moores case.

Meanwhile, WisPolitics includes this:

Attorney Mike Wittenwyler, who closely follows election and campaign laws, said the federal ruling will give new ammunition to parties before the state Supreme Court seeking to force a justice off a case. But the difficulty could be finding an example as extreme as the West Virginia case in which one person spent $3 million on a campaign.

 

Wittenwyler also noted Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the minority in the 5-4 decision, listed 40 questions he would raise in developing a standard for recusal, all factors that the state justices will have to consider as they ponder developing regulations for state courts.

To say that Wittenwyler "follows election and campaign laws" is like saying that Rahm Emmanuel follows politics. Wittenwyler is a specialist in campaign finance law who represents a broad spectrum of clients -- including WMC, whom he should have billed for that quote.

Hard to find an example as extreme as the West Virginia case where someone spent $3-million to elect a supreme court justice? Anyone who closely follows elections and campaign laws should be able to cite a couple of examples in Wisconsin. Wittenwyler must be laughing all the way to the bank.

As to the 40 questions Justice Roberts posed, the key word is "minority." His questions, which got a mention in the 24th paragraph of the NY Times story, are hardly the issue.

You don't need to be a lawyer or a judge to understand that WMC may have wasted more than $4-million to elect two justices who won't be able to repay the favor by ruling on their cases. Of course, there's already that $350-million from the Menasha case, so maybe the investment has already paid for itself.

If this decision doesn't produce some tough, clear rules about when Wisconsin judges must disqualify themselves, there can be no acceptable excuse.

An online petition campaign to preserve the state's existing law regulating licensing of new nuclear power reactors has been launched by the Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice (WNPJ) in cooperation with One Wisconsin Now (OWN).  The message:

Dear Friend,

We urgently need your help to maintain reasonable restrictions on nuclear power in Wisconsin.

Learn more and sign our petition here, or read on.

Wisconsin has wisely had a state law in place since 1983 that prohibits the construction of new nuclear reactors unless two conditions are met:

1. There is a federally-licensed facility to dispose of high-level radioactive waste from the reactors, and

2. The Public Service Commission makes a finding that nuclear power makes economic sense. 

The nuclear industry, using concerns over global climate change, is trying to resurrect itself as a viable option, calling nuclear energy a “clean” solution. 

The Governor’s Task Force on Global Warming, as part of a long list of recommendations, has proposed relaxing the law on nuclear reactors and eliminating the requirement that the waste disposal problem be solved.

To license more reactors to produce more deadly radioactive waste without any way to dispose of it is not only irresponsible.  It is unconscionable.

Sign HERE to stop that from happening.

The waste generated by the reactors is so deadly that the Environmental Protection Agency has issued rules requiring that it be kept out of the environment and away from humans for up to a million years!  To put that into perspective, 15,000 years ago Wisconsin was covered by glaciers.

Opening Wisconsin to more nuclear plants could have another dangerous side effect – increasing federal pressure to select our state as the repository for the nation’s radioactive waste, in the granite formations in central and northern Wisconsin.

Nuclear power has never made economic sense, despite rosy predictions.  No new nuclear plants are being built because the economic risks are too high. That's why the nuclear industry keeps looking for billions of dollars in taxpayer subsidy. 

Act now!  Sign this petition! Tell the governor and legislators there are far better ways to fight global warming than risking the safety and economic well-being of Wisconsinites by opening the door to more nuclear reactors.

Thank you,

Chamomile Nusz and Bill Christofferson, co-chairs,

Wisconsin Network for Peace and Justice.

You wouldn't know it from the news media -- they can only cover one story at a time, and there's a state budget crisis -- but there is a growing, resurgent movement in Wisconsin determined to solve the energy and climate crises without resorting to nuclear energy.

It's not the old "No Nukes"movement, although there are elements of it, and the same reasons for opposing nuclear power in the past -- safety, waste, and cost -- and all still relevant reasons to oppose building more nuclear reactors.

But it's a broader, more thoughtful and sophisticated conversation taking place, that includes a commitment to finding efficient, renewable energy sources, reducing carbon emissions, and using conservation as part of the package.

With the state considering solutions to reduce our global warming pollution, a new WISPIRG report finds that renewable energy sources can produce far more electricity than nuclear plants for less money.

Unfortunately, the nuclear industry has proposed thirty new reactors across the country at an estimated cost of $300 billion.

"Taxpayers should not be subsidizing nuclear power when there are faster, cleaner, cheaper alternatives to meet our energy needs," said WISPIRG Advocate Kara Rumsey.

Here in Wisconsin the nuclear industry is pushing to overturn a long-standing law that prevents new nuclear plants from being built unless the proposed plant is economically advantageous to ratepayers and there is safe and adequate disposal for radioactive waste.

Nuclear power is among the most costly approaches to solving America's energy problems.

"Per dollar of investment, clean energy solutions - such as energy efficiency and renewable resources - deliver far more energy than nuclear power," Rumsey stated.

*** Announcing first on Twitter and Charlie Sykes's show was a stroke of genius -- if you think the hard core lunatic fringe and Walker fanatics are going to be enough to win the election. But creative use of the Sykes show is the reason David Clarke is now the mayor of Milwaukee, isn't it?

***How long will the Journal Sentinel let Steve Schultze cover their fair-haired boy if he keeps checking facts, like he did today:

Walker also says Doyle's action - and inaction - harms Wisconsin businesses. The governor's push to enact combined reporting for income taxes on businesses played into Harley-Davidson's latest layoff decision, Walker said...

Harley spokesman Bob Klein said the state's new combined reporting law cost the firm $22.5 million in the first quarter this year, but said that "had nothing to do with our work-force reductions."

*** Walker wishes he were running against Tony Earl:

Jim Doyle "is turning back the clock to the same kind of hopelessness Wisconsin had in the early '80s under (then Gov.) Tony Earl."

Running against a Democrat who's been out of office for 22 years doesn't sound like a great theme to me. No voter under 40 has the foggiest idea who Tony Earl is. But he must have been bad to lose to someone like Tommy Thompson, who they kind of remember as being governor once.

*** Walker, who asked the state to take over the county's public assistance programs because the state was about to do it anyway, based on Walker's incomptence and neglect, now wants the state to pay the bill, too, and is threatening to sue. Good luck with that. Hope we have a lot of court hearings during the campaign to get more of the mess in the record.

*** Walker's soon off on another taxpayer-paid Harley tour to all of the television markets which reach Wisconsin voters, under the guise of promoting Milwaukee tourism:

"We've done it before under similar circumstances. We just make it very clear that we're only going to talk about official business," Walker said. "We're really only going to talk about the purpose of the ride, which is to promote tourism here in southeastern Wisconsin."

"I try to keep a fairly good firewall," Walker said at the House of Harley-Davidson in Greenfield.

*** Ed Garvey, who's always poking Doyle for not being liberal enough, can't believe Walker's attacking the gov for being a lefty:

He says Doyle is a lefty who has sold out to liberal special interests. Yah, sure, Scott. If you keep this up Doyle might be invited to Fighting Bob Fest!

Garvey does have Walker's message down pat:

Scott Walker for governor. "He will fill your prisons, raise tuition, stop stem cell research, make abortion a crime, and auction off our parks. Scott Walker. One of us. A return to an earlier time. Scott Walker."

He predicted the GOP would help re-elect Van Hollen, take back the guv's office and win majorities in both houses of the Legislature next year.

"I do believe this is going to be a fantastic year for the Republican Party, and I expect us to be able to celebrate in 2010," Priebus said.

*** Bruce Murphy at Milwaukee Magazine says Neumann may run an anti-Milwaukee campaign against Walker:

Neumann could run ads portraying Milwaukee as a hellhole that Walker is responsible for, with high government benefits and taxes, declining parks, a dirty, poorly maintained courthouse, an out-of-control House of Correction and a County Board and executive who are constantly squabbling.

Milwaukee voters, of course, would know this portrayal is a tad unfair.

***The GOP state convention's this weekend, and right wing radio talker Jason Lewis of Minneapolis, a sometime fill-in for Rush Windbag, is the banquet speaker. Mark Belling must have been too expensive.

Cory Liebmann asks whether Neumann will beat Walker in the weekend straw poll. The real question is whether it matters. Ask Tom Barrett, who won the straw poll for governor at the Dem convention in 2005 and 2006, ,but not the primary. Never think that the folks in their funny hats even represent hard core primary voters.

That's all, folks!

Just a couple of regular guys, fed-up taxpayers taking part in a mainstream, grassroots revolt: 

Ever wonder where Randy Koschnick's campaign gets the funny numbers it uses in its bogus claims about Shirley Abrahamson's record?

Now it can be told, thanks to the latest campaign finance report Koschnick filed with the Government Accountability Board.

Koshnick has gone to Ms. New Math herself -- Jessica McBride Bucher.

She can be relied upon to cook the books according to any recipe you'd like, as she demonstrated by her endless number crunching to try to show that Justice Louis Butler never met a criminal or a defense motion he didn't like.

Koschnick's been trying to make the same case against Abrahamson. No wonder Koschnick's claims about Abrahamson are so far off base.

Ms. Bucher -- that's how she's listed in the reports -- used to do bad math as a hobby, burning the midnight oil and typing furiously on her blog, since closed to visitors. Now she's found someone to pay her -- $1,250 paid so far and another $1,000 still owed her -- for her work.

Wonder if she has malpractice insurance.