OPALCO currently buys about 9% of our electricity from nuclear power plants. I spoke with Suzanne Olson, Communication Specialist at OPALCO a few weeks ago.

I asked if there was a way that I could avoid purchasing nuclear based energy because I believe its impossible to make 100 percent safe, and I don’t want to contribute to the nuclear waste production.

The ongoing crisis in Japan at the Fukushima nuclear plant has brought the usually silent poison home to Washington and even San Juan Island. No amount is an advantage, and even detections of levels said to be harmless can harm the largest industry – tourism.

Radioactive fallout has been found in Washington, and exposure is cumulative. I’m a member / owner of our OPALCO Cooperative and I feel it is time to give the Board of Directors the tools it needs to change OPALCO’s energy buying policy, and perhaps its Bylaws and Articles of Incorporation if need be to match reality today.

I’ve created a petition here for those who would like OPALCO to stop buying nuclear-produced electricity.

While this may not change the world, it is consistent with my view that I do not want to contribute to the production of extreme nuclear pollutants such as radioactive cesium, iodine, strontium and plutonium, among others.

Alex Huppenthal

Orcas Island