Dear Members and Friends,

First, thank you so much for your support of the Snake River Alliance. We couldn’t do this important work without you, our members. Together we can create an energy future that is safe and sustainable. Cheers to a happy holiday season and a nuclear-free 2012!

I hope you will take the time at the end of 2011 to invest in Idaho’s energy future with a gift to the Snake River Alliance. The Alki Fund has offered us a wonderful challenge grant. Any new gift to the Alliance is matched in full and for any increased amount from a previous gift since 2008, the difference will be matched. Now is an excellent time to support the Alliance, since your money will go even further to support our vital efforts. Remember, your donation is tax-deductible. You can make a donation to renew your membership, join for the first time, give a membership to friends and family, or donate a little extra to support our work. Please donate here.

2011 brought challenges and opportunities to the Alliance:

• In March, a devastating nuclear crisis in Japan underscored, once again, the unacceptable economic and public health risks of nuclear power.
• Our new education and outreach presentation on clean-up at the INL reached a broad range of people and was well received and effective.
• We launched our Coal vs. Efficiency campaign with a bike rally and the first of two reports on coal use in Idaho.
• We released our Idaho’s Clean Energy Future guide and held a three-part workshop for interested members.
• We successfully pushed back on efforts to bring more nuclear waste into Idaho, and just last week we finished the year with the good news that the Areva uranium enrichment factory was suspended and will not be constructed in 2012 (Read our press release on the Areva suspension).

This coming year we need the support of our community more than ever. With your continued commitment to the Alliance, we can expand our programming and deepen our involvement in nuclear and clean energy decision making.

On January 20-22, 2012 we are bringing the renowned scholar and activist Joanna Macy to Boise to conduct a workshop on nuclear guardianship called “In League with the Future: Containing the Poison Fire.” Joanna is designing this workshop to inspire resistance to the proposed Areva uranium enrichment plant and other nuclear waste concerns.

Early-bird registration for this event ends on December 23. You can register on-line or by calling 208.344.9161. Please consider attending this workshop or giving it as a gift to someone you care about this holiday season.

This event will begin a year of membership activities meant to keep you informed, engaged and active in our work together. Idaho, like the rest of the nation and the world, is poised to make a series of definitive choices about our energy future. At the Alliance, we work to make that future sustainable, affordable, and safe.

Thank you for being a part of our work and our community. I will look forward to seeing you soon in the New Year.

Sincerely,

Liz Woodruff, Alliance Executive Director