Find us on Facebook
Follow us on TwitterNuclear Needs a Bigger Role in Energy Bill
Published: July 9, 2009
The energy bill that narrowly passed the House of Representatives last month is an environmentalist’s dream: lots of social engineering, visions of conserving our way to a brighter future and no solid data of the legislation’s ultimate economic impact.
While “cap and trade” and goals to the elimination of carbon emissions have garnered the most press, the American Clean Energy and Security Act touches virtually every segment of the American economy: national goals for the percentage of electricity generated from renewable sources, caps on carbon emissions, the creation of “emission permits” that can be traded on newly created commodities markets.
And fees. Lots of them.
New Feature
Sign up for our newsletter e-mailed to you at 8 a.m. each day Monday through Friday.
Only one thing was missing from the original bill: any mention of the role of nuclear power.
As initially crafted by Democratic Reps. Henry Waxman, of California, and Edward Markey, of Massachusetts, HR 2454 contained no mention whatsoever of the role of nuclear power in America’s energy future. For a major piece of legislation designed to plot America’s 21st century energy roadmap and address concerns about climate change, that omission was shocking, to say the least.
The final bill that passed the House 219-212, however, did make passing reference to nuclear energy, due in no small part to the efforts of House Majority Whip James Clyburn, of South Carolina. Clyburn, who represents the state’s Sixth District, heads up a group of representatives from districts where the nuclear industry has a major presence; Democrat Tom Perriello, who represents Virginia’s Fifth District, is a member of the caucus and pushed for mention of nuclear power in the bill.
The caucus worked hard to raise nuclear energy’s profile in the bill, succeeding to a moderate degree. Their most important successes for the industry include the extension of loan guarantees for nuclear plant construction and exemption from offset requirements.
Still, so far as nuclear energy is concerned, the bill is woefully lacking. Many people in the environmental community become apoplectic at the very mention of the word “nuclear,” with visions of Three Mile Island in their heads.
The bill is now in the hands of the U.S. Senate where, perhaps, more rational thinking will emerge.
For America to reach the energy goals set forth in the bill, especially those on carbon emissions and renewable generation, more power will have to be generated by nuclear plants. It’s that simple. The nation’s generating capacity is stretch to the limits today, with coal doing much of the heavy lifting. But coal is also the biggest source of carbon emissions.
Conservation, wind generation, biomass generation and any other niche source of power simply will not meet the nation’s growing needs. Nuclear has to be the linch pin of America’s energy future.
The radical environmental movement’s bogeymen — the specter of Three Mile Island and fears about nuclear waste — are just that, bogeymen. Glimpse behind the curtain of fear, and there’s nothing there.
Technology, some of it being developed right here in Central Virginia at Areva and B&W, takes nuclear power generation well into the 21st century. B&W, in fact, just unveiled its “mini” reactors that can be added easily at sites and quickly scaled up in size to meet demand. Areva is in the running for the contract to build a reactor for Dominion Power at North Anna, the nation’s first new reactor in 30 years.
So start calling and e-mailing Sens. Mark Warner and Jim Webb (warner.senate.gov and webb.senate.gov). Tell Virginia’s two U.S. senators that the energy bill needs some serious revisions and that nuclear power needs a bigger presence.
Time’s a’wasting.
Advertisement
Reader Reactions
Welcome to the War! Please excuse the use of a tagline from “Jumper”, but it is indeed appropriate. While this is an EXCELLENT article, my only negative comment would be “what took you so long?“ There is indeed a “nuclear war” going on, and the Obama administration wants to stop nuclear power. I give kudos to www.cleanenergyinsight.org for trying to educate the public. I myself have a similar blog on the science website RedOrbit with the title “The Nuclear Renaissance is Coming! Are You Ready.“ There I have detailed how the Yucca Mountain spent fuel repository has been derailed, as was the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership to reprocess and thus recover valuable fuel material and reduce waste volume by 95%. We need a call to arms to resist passionate but uninformed “environmentalist” that would have us FALSELY believe solar and wind power can answer our energy needs. Please join a group advocating safe, clean, and cheaper nuclear power. Lynchberg is the home of B&W reactors -what better place to start a grass roots movement.
Just look at the history of PCB’s and the amount of tax payer money it is taking to clean up that mess. Just why do American’s want more of the same.
Look around VA and check out the counties with high cancer rates or certain areas in counties. Does anybody really believe that it’s all genetics?
Mr.CEI.org, are you familiar with the Savannah Site? Do you know people who work there? Do you have any idea how MUCH waste is stored there.
I do and if there is one thing they know it’s they have ULTIMATE job security. Nobody will take the stuff!
I don’t let my grandchildren make a NEW mess until they clean up the old one.
I just rode up RT. 29 through Danville and the roadside is littered with NO MINE signs.
Corporations make the money and the public picks up the tab for the mess. That is NOT my idea of Capitalism.
There is nothing more scary then some one who wants to protect their lively hood and then claims to be an expert.
It is really great to see this coming from the News & Advance. I recently moved from SWVA to Charlotte, NC to work in the nuclear industry. I have also started a nuclear advocacy blog. I posted a link to this story today from my blog www.cleanenergyinsight.org.
The article is absolutely spot on. I am also enjoying the comments.
I would like to recommend the book “Terrestrial Energy” by William Tucker for Mr. Arthur Pewty. In this book, the author tours French nuclear waste disposal facilities and describes in detail what they do, where they are located, etc. It’s not really a mystery at all. Maybe a lack of Mr. Pewty being informed on the subject?
Also, posted on my blog (www.cleanenergyinsight.org) is an in-depth analysis of uranium mining’s history of regulations in the United States. This may interest those of you in SWVA who have been reading about the proposed Coles Hill Uranium mine. The article is entitled “Addressing Concerns on Uranium Mining.“ I hope you enjoy it and I encourage comments.
Exciting news from an article dated July 20, 2004… I am tempted to talk more about stuff that I don’t know anything about, but I believe, from the preponderance of stuff I read that nuclear energy is indeed working, that the disposal of waste is a problem but one also that is relatively small, and that nuclear power generation is a process that removes many of the downsides of the fossil fuel solutions.
[For Mr. Knipp]
Article: South Carolina’s Sen. Graham seeks help for cleanup at Savannah River Site.
Byline: Josh Gelinas
Jul. 20—NEW ELLENTON, S.C.—The cleanup of nuclear waste at Savannah River Site could grind to a halt by about 2008, leaving millions of gallons of radioactive material sitting dangerously in aging storage tanks, Department of Energy officials warned Monday.
To avoid this hazardous scenario—and save time and money—the department is lobbying hard in favor of an amendment proposed by Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., that would allow DOE to reclassify 37 million gallons of waste. That would allow the agency to sidestep a ruling by a federal judge in Idaho last summer that stopped the site’s plans for treatment of waste it deemed low-level.
It’s STILL there Mr. Knipp. France won’t tell the world what it does with it’s nuclear waste. It’s a “secret”. Perhaps our grandchildren will find out, the hard way.
Private investors make the profit and the taxpayers clean it up… and underwrite any and all liability. What kind of Capitalism do you call that Mr. Knipp?
An excellent article, and I found that the many posts with reference material were extremely helpful. It is time to give nuclear a full and fair hearing. It bemuses me that France can supply so much of its needs via nuclear, and the U.S. appears afraid to try!
——“The radical environmental movement’s bogeymen — the specter of Three Mile Island and fears about nuclear waste — are just that, bogeymen. Glimpse behind the curtain of fear, and there’s nothing there.“——
There is no curtain of fear. There IS the reality that the American people will end up footing the bill for disposing of an enormous amount of waste that must be kept secure for 10,000 years and is astoundingly deadly. Until we have a way of doing this, any and all “cost of energy” figures are TOTALLY meaningless. All that is certain is that corporations will make huge amounts of money… and the citizens will suffer the consequences of paying for disposal.
Even children are not permitted to make NEW messes until they have cleaned up the old. To base an energy policy on behavior one would not tolerate in children speaks volumes about our sophistication as a society.
ON a bill that will economically affect 100% of Americans, don’t you think we should wait the 5 days that Obama promised when he campaigned?
Post a Comment(Requires free registration)
- Please avoid offensive, vulgar, or hateful language.
- Respect others.
- Use the "Flag Comment" link when necessary.
- See the Terms and Conditions for details.
Advertisement