On October 15, 1976, we affirmed our support for the following minute, approved by New England Yearly Meeting in August 1976.

NUCLEAR POWER

The use of nuclear fission as a source of energy is a matter of deep concern for many Friends. It is not merely a technical question, but one that raises important ethical and moral issues. Questions concerning reactor safety, long term waste disposal, health and genetic risk, danger of nuclear theft and terrorism, threats to civil liberties resulting from measures to counter the terrorist danger, and other questions are still not satisfactorily answered.

Friends are also concerned because of the close relationship between the by-products of nuclear energy production and the making of nuclear weapons. Friends' ancient testimonies on simplicity dispose us to look more to energy conservation and wise use of resources, rather than to further exploitation of the earth, for the answers to our energy needs.

In light of these facts, New England Yearly Meeting of Friends calls for a halt in the building of any more nuclear power stations and a delay in the making of decisions that would commit our society to a nuclear future until these issues have been far more widely studied and discussed by all segments of our society and a workable consensus has been reached.

In the meantime, we urge that both governmental bodies and private companies and individuals greatly increase research and development efforts toward renewable energy sources (such as solar, wind, etc.); and we urge that stringent controls be enforced to protect the health and safety of workers in the coal and oil industries, and to minimize environmental damage from use of fossil fuels. Lastly, we insist that the right to appeal ‘government standards’ be and remain with the people.