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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2021-02-08 21-088 Resolve 02/22/2021 21-088 Amended 02/22/2021 21-088 Amended Legal Resolve N/A Title, Resolve Supporting Efforts to Prevent Nuclear War This Resolve would call upon the United States Government to work to prevent nuclear war. In particular, the Resolve supports assuring that no one person can launch nuclear weapons, adding safeguard to reduce the likelihood of inadvertent launches, canceling plans for replacement of arsenals with enhanced nuclear weapons, renouncing the option of first-use of nuclear weapons, developing verifiable agreements among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals, and preventing the growth or spread of nuclear weapons. If passed, a copy of this Resolve would be sent to the President of the United States and each member of Maine's congressional delegation. Government Operations Committee 02/17/2021 Recommend for passage New Business CITY OF BANGOR RESOLVE 02/22/2021 21-088 Amended 02/22/2021 21-088 Amended Davitt Supporting Efforts to Prevent Nuclear War WHEREAS, global nuclear arsenals have over 14,000 weapons, with most being far more destructive than those used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945; WHEREAS, the detonation of even a small number of these weapons anywhere in the world could have catastrophic human, environmental, and economic consequences that could affect all people, including those in Bangor, Maine; WHEREAS, a large-scale nuclear war could kill many millions and perhaps billions of people and cause vast environmental damage, producing conditions wherein many more would die from starvation or disease; WHEREAS, the United States maintains nuclear missiles on launch on warning alert, greatly increasing the risk of an accidental or unauthorized launch; WHEREAS, the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia are obligated under the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to take concrete steps toward eliminating their nuclear arsenals; WHEREAS, Bangor taxpayers will pay approximately $132 per capita in 2021, or a collective $4.25 million, in federal taxes towards the cost of producing, deploying and maintaining nuclear weapons, diverting crucial resources needed to assure the health and well-being of Bangor citizens, and; WHEREAS, on January 22, 2021, the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force, making it illegal under international law for signatory countries to develop, test, produce, manufacture, or otherwise acquire, possess or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; Be it Resolved by the City Council of the City of Bangor that, The City Council calls on the United States government to lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by providing leadership in negotiations among nuclear powers to mutually: assure that no one person can launch nuclear weapons; reduce the risk of inadvertent use of nuclear weapons by requiring additional safeguards that must be verified prior to launch, mitigating potential launch-on-warning status mistakes, and banning the use of Artificial Intelligence as an automated, sole means of launching nuclear weapons; cancel any replacement of arsenals with enhanced nuclear weapons, until a total agreement on banning arsenal replacement can be negotiated and implemented; renounce the first-use of nuclear weapons; develop verifiable agreements among nuclear-armed states to eliminate nuclear arsenals; and prevent the spread of 21-088 Amended 02/22/2021 nuclear capabilities to any currently non-nuclear nations and the growth of any nation's nuclear weapons capacity. Be it Further Resolved by the City Council of the City of Bangor that, A copy of this resolution shall be sent to the President and each member of Maine's Congressional Delegation. 02/08/2021 21-088 02/08/2021 21-088 Legal Resolve N/A Title, Resolve Supporting Efforts to Prevent Nuclear War This Resolve would call upon the United States Government to work to prevent nuclear war. In particular, the Resolve supports renouncing the option of first-use of nuclear weapons, ending the sole, unchecked authority of a president to launch a nuclear attack, taking U.S. nuclear weapons off their hair-trigger launch status, cancelling plans to replace its entire nuclear arsenal with enhanced weapons, and actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals, beginning with embracing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. If passed, a copy of this Resolve would be sent to the President of the United States and each member of Maine's congressional delegation. Government Operations Committee 02/01/2021 Recommend for passage 50 New Business CITY OF BANGOR RESOLVE 02/08/2021 21-088 02/08/2021 21-088 Davitt Supporting Efforts to Prevent Nuclear War WHEREAS, global nuclear arsenals have over 14,000 weapons, with most being far more destructive than those used in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan, in 1945; WHEREAS, the detonation of even a small number of these weapons could have catastrophic human, environmental, and economic consequences that could affect all people, including those in Bangor, Maine; WHEREAS, a large-scale nuclear war could kill many millions and perhaps billions of people and cause vast environmental damage, producing conditions wherein many more would die from starvation or disease; WHEREAS, the United States maintains nuclear missiles on hair trigger alert, greatly increasing the risk of an accidental or unauthorized launch; WHEREAS, the United States, Britain, China, France and Russia are obligated under the Nuclear Non- Proliferation Treaty (NPT) to take concrete steps toward eliminating their nuclear arsenals; WHEREAS, Bangor taxpayers will pay an average of $132 per capita in 2021 for a “nuclear weapons war tax”, a collective $4.25 million in federal taxes towards the cost of producing, deploying and maintaining nuclear weapons, diverting crucial resources needed to assure the health and well-being of Bangor citizens, and; WHEREAS, on January 22, 2021, the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) entered into force, making it illegal under international law for signatory countries to develop, test, produce, manufacture, or otherwise acquire, possess, or stockpile nuclear weapons or other nuclear explosive devices; Be it Resolved by the City Council of the City of Bangor that, The City Council of the City of Bangor calls on the United States government to lead a global effort to prevent nuclear war by: renouncing the option of first-use of nuclear weapons; ending the sole, unchecked authority of any president to launch a nuclear attack; taking U.S. nuclear weapons off of their hair-trigger launch status; cancelling plans to replace its entire arsenal with enhanced weapons; and actively pursuing a verifiable agreement among nuclear-armed states to eliminate their nuclear arsenals, beginning with embracing the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the President and each member of Maine’s Congressional Delegation. IN CITY COUNCIL FEBRUARY 8,2021 CR 21-088 Motion made and seconded for Passage Motion made and seconded to Postpone to next City Council Meeting Vote 9—0 Councilors Voting Yes: Davitt,Dubay,Fournier,Hawes,Nichols, Okafor, Schaefer, Sprague,Tremble Councilors Voting No: None Passed CITV 4tLERK IN CITY COUNCIL FEBRUARY 22,2021 CR 21-088 Motion made and seconded for Passage Motion made and seconded to Amend by Substitution Vote: 9—0 Councilors Voting Yes: Davitt,Dubay,Fournier,Hawes,Nichols, Okafor, Schaefer, Sprague, Tremble Councilors Voting No: None Amendment Passed Motion made and seconded for Passage as Amended Vote: 9—0 Councilors Voting Yes: Davitt,Dubay,Fournier, Hawes,Nichols, Okafor, Schaefer, Sprague,Tremble Councilors Voting No: None Passed CITV CLERK