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The Congressional Switchboard is 202-225-3121. Toll-free: 866-220-0044 or 800-833-6354

The postal address for any member of Congress:

Representative (Name)
U.S. House of Representatives, Washington DC 20515
or
Senator (Name)
U.S. Senate, Washington DC 20510

IMPORTANT CURRENT AND PAST LEGISLATION

* Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act by DC's Congresswoman, Eleanor Homes Norton

This is the ONLY bill in the House or Senate that calls for global abolition of nuclear weapons. It has been assigned each session to the following House Committees:

House Armed Services Committee
2120 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515
Phone: (202) 225-4151
Fax: (202) 225-9077

House Foreign Affairs Committee
2170 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, DC 20515 USA
(202) 225-5021 | HIRC@mail.house.gov

Contacting Congress by Zip Code

Here's a way kids can contact Congress

SAMPLE LETTER TO REPRESENTATIVES
(Letter to Senators)

(Add your own first and last paragraphs, please!)

The Hon. __________________________
U.S. House of Representatives
Washington DC 20515

Dear Representative _________________

I ask you please to actively co-sponsor Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton's "Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act", which she has introduced every session 1994.

This legislation is a timely vehicle by which Congress can signal its intent to abide by Article 6 of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. With international revelations by retired generals and admirals that nuclear weapons are unsafe, unnecessary, and insane -- with the July 8, 1996 World Court decision that nuclear weapons could and should be illegal -- with the development, use, and growing rejection of deadly depleted uranium weapons -- with development of weapons in space -- with the growing global pressure for abolition of nuclear weapons -- with constituents everywhere still looking for the "Peace Dividend" -- this bill's time has come.

Since it goes into effect when ALL countries possessing nuclear weapons join the U.S. in nuclear disarmament and conversion of their war machines, it offers very little security risk and a great deal of good public relations. Domestically, it marks those funds formerly needed to produce and deploy nuclear weapons for conversion and cleanup .

How this might work.

How this might work.

In June 1998, the Brookings Institute published a book, "Atomic Audit," also known as the "Nuclear Weapons Cost Project" (http://www.brookings.org/FP/PROJECTS/NUCWCOST/WEAPONS.HTM). According to the Washington Post, this book proves that the U.S. government spent over 5.8 trillion dollars on nuclear weapons up to that time. It would be interesting to know how much has been spent on maintenance of existing nuclear weapons, and research and development of new nuclear weapons, since 1998.

Why not spend the money instead on the future: the first few years to be spent paying workers to retrain while arms manufacturers (of all varieties) retool their factories to MASS-PRODUCE clean energy systems such as solar, wind, geothermal, hydrogen, hydro, and other quite marvelous systems which have already been built and PROVEN?

The advantages to this are clear:

a. Nuclear power plants which can produce nuclear weapons grade materials for warheads, and DO produce hideously dangerous waste which lasts for thousands of years, and which scientists still don't know what to do about, can instead stop producing any more waste and contain the existing waste WHERE IT IS for the moment.

b. Fossil Fuels are not the answer; some scientists predict that the world will run out of fossil fuels by the year 2050. Also, fossil-fuel energy systems are said to be causing the greenhouse effect, the hole in the ozone layer, global climate change.

c. Whoever gets into the clean / renewable / non-nuclear, non-fossil-fuel energy businesses will make LOTS of money, just as the automobile, aviation, computer, and weapons industries did. Government subsidies may be necessary for startup, but taxpayers won't have to subsidize these new energy industries for long. If Lockheed and GE, etc., were to convert from making missiles to hi-tech clean-energy non-nuclear systems, the problem would be nearly solved. Indeed, a number of major arms and energy providers are doing basic research in renewable energy. What's needed, though, is national legislation to lure those giants into mass-producing windmills, geothermal and solar systems, rather than missiles and drones and guns, not just in the U.S. but across the world. Given the reluctance of U.S. politicians to do the intelligent thing, it may take the pressure of worldwide prosperity, based on similar concepts, to convince the U.S. government that this idea makes absolute sense.

Please advise me that you have added your name to the list of active co-sponsors of Delegate Norton's "Nuclear Weapons Abolition and Economic and Energy Conversion Act." This bill can launch a peace dividend that will be emulated around the world.

Sincerely,

Name:
Address:
email / website:
fax / phone:

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