Maine Question 1, Yankee Nuclear Power Plant Waste Measure (1987)
| Maine Question 1 | |
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| Election date |
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| Topic Energy and Environment |
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| Status |
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| Type Indirect initiated state statute |
Origin |
Maine Question 1 was on the ballot as an indirect initiated state statute in Maine on November 3, 1987. It was approved.
A "yes" vote supported continued generation of electricity by nuclear fission and for the Maine Yankee power plant to remain in operation with high-level nuclear waste as a waste product of that process. |
A "no" vote opposed continued generation of electricity by nuclear fission and for the Maine Yankee power plant to remain in operation with high-level nuclear waste as a waste product of that process. |
Election results
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Maine Question 1 |
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| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
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235,069 | 59.07% | ||
| No | 162,902 | 40.93% | ||
Aftermath
In 1989, voters approved an agreement with the Rocky Mountain Low-Level Radioactive Waste Board to dispose of low-level radioactive waste at an existing facility in Beatty, Nevada.[1] That agreement ended on December 31, 1992.[2] A new agreement was made in 1993 after voters voted in favor of a legislatively referred state statute, which approved an interstate compact with Texas and Vermont for the disposal of the state's low-level radioactive waste at a proposed facility in Texas.
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title for Question 1 was as follows:
| “ | Do you want to let any power plant like Maine Yankee operate after July 4, 1988 if it makes high-level nuclear waste? | ” |
Background
In 1980, an indirect initiated state statute was defeated which would have prohibited the generation of electrical power by means of nuclear fission. In 1982, a second attempt was made to end the use of nuclear fission for electricity production in Maine, but that measure was also defeated.[3] In 1985, an indirect initiated state statute was approved which required voter approval for any plan for the storage or disposal of low-level radioactive waste.[3][4][5]
About the Maine Yankee
The Maine Yankee Nuclear Power Plant was a nuclear power plant built on Bailey Peninsula of Wiscasset, Maine, United States. It ran from 1972 until 1996, when it was shut for economic reasons. The Maine Yankee Atomic Power Company formed in 1966, when plans for a pressurized water reactor in Wiscasset, Maine were made. The four-year $231 million construction of the plant began in 1968 and ended in 1972 when commercial operation of the plant began. Originally, Maine Yankee Power Co. had a 40-year license to run the plant. Over its 25 years as Maine's sole operating nuclear power plant, the power station produced much of Maine's power. Maine Yankee's most productive year came in 1989 when it produced reached 6,900 gigawatt-hours of electricity. From 1972 through 1996 the 900 megawatt reactor produced about 119,000 gigawatt-hours of electricity.[6][7][8]
Initial opposition to constructing the plant was led by Citizens for Safe Power, from 1967 through 1972; the group failed to stop construction but succeeded in persuading the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to impose stricter environmental standards and monitoring. During the 1980s, when nuclear opposition was provoked by the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island, leading to unsuccessful ballot initiatives in 1980 and 1982, and the 1987 measure as well.[6][7][8]
Path to the ballot
An indirect initiated state statute is a citizen-initiated ballot measure that amends state statute. There are nine (9) states that allow citizens to initiate indirect state statutes.
While a direct initiative is placed on the ballot once supporters file the required number of valid signatures, an indirect initiative is first presented to the state legislature. Legislators have a certain number of days, depending on the state, to adopt the initiative into law. Should legislators take no action or reject the initiative, the initiative is put on the ballot for voters to decide.
In Maine, the number of signatures required for an indirect initiated state statute is equal to 10% of the total votes cast for governor in the last gubernatorial election prior to the filing of such petition. As an indirect process, the Legislature has until the end of the legislative session to approve the initiative after signatures are certified. If the legislature approves the initiative and the governor approves it, the measure becomes law. If the legislature does not approve the initiative, or if the governor vetoes the measure, it goes to voters for approval. A simple majority vote is required for voter approval.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Maine State Law and Legislative Reference Library, "Referenda Votes on Acts of the Maine Legislature 1910-," accessed April 28, 2014
- ↑ Agreement to Accept Rocky Mountain Waste, "Recitals," September 30, 1992
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedIDSS - ↑ Bangor Daily News, "State of Maine Special Election November 5, 1985: Important Notice to All Voters of the State of Maine," October 29, 1985
- ↑ Laws of the State of Maine as Passed by the One Hundred and Twelfth Legislature, "Initiated Bills, Chapter 1," accessed April 24, 2014
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 IAEA: Power Reactor Information System, "MAINE YANKEE," accessed April 25, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Maine Yankee, "Public Information," accessed April 25, 2014
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 Maine History Online, "Nuclear Energy for Maine?" accessed April 25, 2014
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