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Many local authorities worldwide have declared themselves "nuclear-free". However, this label is largely symbolic, since most local authorities would be powerless to stop the construction of a nuclear plant even if one was planned for the area (which would be unlikely in the many urban authorities with the label). NEW ZEALAND Under the New Zealand Nuclear Free Zone, Disarmament, And Arms Control Act 1987 , the territorial sea and land of New Zealand is a nuclear free zone. After this act was passed by the Labour government of David Lange , the United States government suspended its ANZUS obligations to New Zealand. UNITED KINGDOM The Nuclear Free Zone Movement in the United Kingdom was very strong in early 1980s, up to 200 local authorities including County Council s, District Council s and City Council s such as the GLC (before its abolition) declared themselves to be 'nuclear free'. This was legally underpinned by Section 137 of the Local Government Act, which allowed local authorities to spend a small amount on whatever members considered was in the interest of their area or a part of their area. Wales became 'nuclear free' on 23rd February 1982 after Clwyd County Council declared itself 'nuclear free' and the Nuclear Free Wales Declaration was made. The scale of the NFZ movement was the main reason for the cancellation of the national 'Hard Rock' Civil Defence exercise due to the non-cooperation of the NFZ autorities - this has historically been seen as a victory for the British Peace Movement against the policies of Margaret Thatcher . The first 'Nuclear Free Zone' in the UK was Manchester City Council in 1980 - this still exists to this day. Generally, NFZs were predominantly Labour Party controlled Councils but Liberal Party Councillors were often active in this respect too. UNITED STATES A number of cities in the United States established themselves as Nuclear-Free Zones in the 1980s. One of the most prominent is Berkeley, California , known for its radical politics, whose citizens passed the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act in 1986. The City of Berkeley has posted signs at each of its borders proclaiming its nuclear free status, which specifies possible fines for nuclear-weapons-related activities within its borders. This is particularly ironic considering that the University Of California, Berkeley , is deeply involved in the History Of Nuclear Weapons , and the University Of California system continues to manage the contracts of the two U.S. nuclear weapons design laboratories ( Los Alamos National Laboratory and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory ). The UC Office of the President and the UC Office of Laboratory Management used to be located in Berkeley, but in the 1990s moved to a new building in Oakland, California , which is also a Nuclear-Free Zone. According to the Nuclear Free Berkeley Act which established the zone, the city reserves the right to level fines for nuclear-weapons-related activity and to boycott companies involved in the United States nuclear infrastructure. No such fines have ever been leveled, however. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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