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