In response to Steve Kirsch’s open letter recently posted here, BNC reader Gary Kahanak initiated the creation of an online petition to the White House calling for restarting the IFR program. He collaborated with Steve Kirsch, Tom Blees, Suzanne Hobbs and Tom Wigley to do this. The petition is now live.

This is in response to a brand new feature of the Obama Administration’s WhiteHouse.gov, called “We the People.” It’s an online petition forum in which any petition that garners 5000 signatures within 30 days will be considered and get an official response. Non-binding, but it’s a way to educate and be heard. The system encourages use of social media to gauge public support.

If you are a U.S. citizen (and I know more than 600 of BNC subscribers are), please show your support.

(I’d also encourage the LFTR molten-salt reactor advocates to initiate something similar — after all, why not get both technologies on the President’s desk?).

Also, please use your networks! Below are three possible sample emails that we are sending out to friends — choose the one that most suits your style, or put one together yourself.

Version 1:

Please sign the petition at http://wh.gov/47I to support a technology that will get rid of all our nuclear waste.

If this petition gets 5,000 signatures by October 29, 2011, the White House will review it and respond.

Version 2:

Friends,

If you are concerned as I am about climate change and the world’s dependence on fossil fuels, then you need to know about a technology that can go a long way toward solving those problems. The Integral Fast Reactor (IFR) is an innovative nuclear power design that can be a real game changer. The IFR is ready to build now, but it has been stuck on the bottom shelf since 1994. That’s why I need your help.

A recent open letter to the White House by Steve Kirsch inspired a petition in support of R & D and commercialization of the Integral Fast Reactor. I hope you will consider signing it and pass it along.

Petition to the Obama Administration:

Restart the Integral Fast Reactor nuclear power technology program. Without delay, the U.S. should build a commercial-scale demonstration reactor and adjacent recycling center. General Electric’s PRISM reactor, developed by a consortium of major American companies in partnership with the Argonne National Laboratory, is ready to build now. It is designed to consume existing nuclear waste as fuel, be passively safe and proliferation-resistant. It can provide clean, emissions-free power to counter climate change, and will create jobs as we manufacture and export a superior technology. Abundant homegrown nuclear power will also enhance our nation’s energy security. Our country dedicated some of its finest scientific and engineering talent to this program, with spectacular success. Let’s finish the job we started. It will benefit our nation, and the world.

This petition was created on We the People, a new feature on WhiteHouse.gov. Will you add your name to mine? If this petition gets 5,000 signatures by October 29, 2011, the White House will review it and issue an official response!

You can view and sign the petition here: http://wh.gov/47I

Here are a few tips to help you tell your friends about this petition:

1. Email: Forward this email to your friends, family and others who care about this issue.

2. Facebook: Post the petition to your Facebook wall to let folks know about it. Here’s a sample message you can cut and paste into your Facebook status:

I just started a petition on the White House petitions site, We the People. Will you sign it? http://wh.gov/47I

3. Twitter: Tweet about the petition. Here’s a sample tweet you can use:

I just started a petition on the White House Petitions site, We the People. Will you sign it? http://wh.gov/47I

Version 3:

Dear Friend,

I wanted to let you know about a new petition on We the People, a new feature on WhiteHouse.gov, and ask for your support. Will you add your name to mine? If this petition gets 5,000 signatures by October 29, 2011, the White House will review it and respond.

We the People allows anyone to create and sign petitions asking the Obama Administration to take action on a range of issues. If a petition gets enough support, the Obama Administration will issue an official response.

You can view and sign the petition here: http://wh.gov/47I

(That’s not the number 471, it’s a 47 with a capital I [aye, eye] after it. If you put a lower-case i after the 47 it leads you to a different petition.)

Here’s the text of the petition:

We petition the Obama administration to restart the Integral Fast Reactor nuclear power technology program. Without delay, the U.S. should build a commercial-scale demonstration reactor and adjacent recycling center. General Electric’s PRISM reactor, developed by a consortium of major American companies in partnership with the Argonne National Laboratory, is ready to build now. It is designed to consume existing nuclear waste as fuel, be passively safe and proliferation-resistant. It can provide clean, emissions-free power to counter climate change, and will create jobs as we manufacture and export a superior technology. Abundant homegrown nuclear power will also enhance our nation’s energy security. Our country dedicated some of its finest scientific and engineering talent to this program, with spectacular success. Let’s finish the job we started. It will benefit our nation, and the world.

Alas, there’s a very slight hitch: Once you access the page above, you’ll have to create an account at WhiteHouse.gov in order to sign the petition. It takes just a moment, however, and entails only providing your name, zip code and email. Then a few moments later you’ll get an email with a link at the address you entered. Click the link and it’ll take you back to the petition site where you can then just click to sign the petition.

Sure, it’s a little hassle but if it can help us get the IFR built it is surely worth it. Demonstrating the IFR at a commercial scale would pave the way for providing abundant clean energy for the entire planet. Please forward this to a wide circle of your friends, relatives and acquaintances, because we need 5000 signatures in 30 days. Thank you for joining us in this worthwhile effort.