European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 15, 1980, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Dailis Magazine Ray and Patricia Shadis at their Wiscasset farm nuclear Plant visible at rear. Maine to vote of nuclear Cher a by Michael Knight new York times he tourists who come through in picture Book Village of Wiscasset on the coast of Maine Don t gel to see the nuclear Power Plant hidden behind the Trees and intent on lobsters sailboats and other vacation pleasures probably would t care very much if they  for almost everyone else in Maine this summer in the nuclear Industry nationwide and in the growing move ment opposed to nuclear Energy the 840-Mcgawatl Maine Yankee Plant at the head of one of the state s innumerable Rocky Peninsulas is at the Center of a Battle Over the future of nuclear Energy. Next week main residents empowered since 1909 to enact legislation by referendum will vote on a measure to close Down the nuclear generating Plant the Only one in the state and to ban the construction 01 others. Two years ago voters in Montana one of the 16 states that do not have a nuclear Power Plant voted to prohibit the construction of any. Similar efforts in other states since then have failed. But the vote in Maine on sept. 23 is the first on the Issue of closing Down an operating  a result the nuclear Industry Utility companies in faraway states Industry associations and the builders and suppliers of nuclear Power plants have put s500, 000 into a save Maine Yankee committee a Large sum for such a sparsely populated and poor state As Maine. That figure is Only a fraction of what it might Cost to fight the Law in the courts if it is enacted which is widely regarded As a realistic possibility. Despite the opposition of gov. Joseph e. Brennan a Democrat the state demo cratic convention endorsed the ban on construction of nuclear plants earlier this year. The most recent polls show 55 percent of the voters opposed to our referendum 35 percent in favor and 15 percent undecided which Are pretty Good Odds for  said Ray Shadis an artist who with his wife Patricia started the referendum drive 18 months ago in the Kitchen of their farmhouse near Wiscasset. He said the people who Are opposed to the plan Are the most Likely to turn out for the  passage of the referendum would probably be Only the beginning of the Battle according to Richard Cohen the state s attorney general who last Winter issued an advis Ory opinion questioning the constitutionality of the Mea  one thing there is the atomic Energy act of 1954, which preempts any state control Over nuclear Power plants and on the other hand there is the Issue of the taking of property without just compensation he said. But in any Case if it passes it will be the Law of the state and we will defend it in court if need  the referendum s sponsors have spent $71,000, most of thai raised by Small individual contributions and a few jazz and Rock concerts. Because their Campaign is too poorly financed to buy radio and television advertisements they have concentrated on personal contacts. The Shadi ses came to Wiscasset 10 years ago in search of a Rural life. They had had no political experience when they started their Campaign last Spring. Shadis said his doubts about the safety of the eight year old Plant two Miles from his farm grew rapidly after the Accident last year at the three mile Island Plant in the vote on sept. 23 is the first on the Issue of closing Down an operating  monday september 15, 1980 Pennsylvania. Also contributing to his uneasiness were the shutdowns of the Maine Plant and five others because of an error in calculating their resistance to earthquakes. All we have Between i and disaster is the compe tence of the Plant s designers and operators which we have no Faith in anymore and the Odds which Aren t too great if you look at them he added. In August the couple led a March of 30,000 people on the state House in Augusta to kick off a petition drive calling for the referendum. The opponents of the measure include the main Yan Kee atomic co., which operates the Plant for a consortium of Maine and out of state Utility companies and the save Maine Yankee committee. John e. Menario a former City manager of Portland the state s largest City is the chairman of the committee to save the Plant. He said 30,000 people had signed committee membership cards although 90 percent of the group s financing came from businesses such As the Maine Central Power co., the state s largest Utility and Westinghouse inc., which manufactures nuclear re actors. The two groups who would be Hurt worst by a shut Down arc the Industry which sees a Domino effect in other states if it passes Here and the ratepayers and taxpayers of Maine who would be forced to Puy expensive imported Oil to replace the Plant s generating capacity he said. His group has estimated that Cost at si40 million a year. That would mean a 30 percent increase in Utility Bills for the average residential customer in the state which is the poorest in the nation in terms of per capita income. The Plant produces one third of the Power consumed in the state. The Shadi ses and other activists contend however that the Power produced by the Plant for use in the stale could easily be replaced by conservation and co Genera lion of Clcil Rickiy by Industrial plants using their waste heal. The stars and stripes Page 13