Archive for the ‘Nukes’ Category
Nukes Need Money – Nuclear
Posted on: September 18, 2008
It’s late summer in Washington at the tail end of a lame duck presidency. And that means one thing for Beltway insiders: open season for lobbying.
The nuclear energy industry is one group in a good position to take advantage of the changing of the guard. And one of its biggest guns–former New Jersey Gov. and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman–is drumming up publicity for what might be a nuclear renaissance in the U.S. within the next few years.
“Right now the only base form of power that we have that doesn’t emit any greenhouse gases or other pollutants while producing power is nuclear,” she said in a recent interview with Forbes.com. She says the U.S will need 25 to 27 new reactors by 2030 if nuclear power is to continue to produce 20% of the nation’s electricity, the current level.
Whitman’s got a vested interest in seeing the U.S. nuclear industry bloom. She spoke to Forbes.com in her role as co-chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, a pro-nuclear group whose very broad membership includes nuclear power heavyweights like Exelon (nyse: EXC – news – people ), AREVA (other-otc: ARVCF.PK – news – people ) and Southern Co.. It’s funded by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), an industry organization.
But she’s also got a point. There’s a lot of buzz about nuclear power around the country. Republican presidential candidate John McCain says he wants to see 45 new plants built by 2030. Democrat Barack Obama says it’s “unlikely” the U.S. can meet its climate goals without the help of nuclear power, though he wants the waste issue resolved. Both are pushing for a new regulatory mechanism to curb greenhouse gas pollution, a boon for operators of nuclear plants. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission expects applications for as many as 34 new reactors by 2010.
Other issues remain. The industry is concerned that Senate appropriators have reduced funding for the proposed waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The NEI is also pushing for the creation of a “clean energy bank” that could offer loans and guarantees on nuclear and other energy projects. It wants to see the government create a cost-sharing program with the private sector for spent fuel-recycling units.
Moreover, Whitman says McCain’s grand vision is a “nice idea” but it’s “not going to happen,” partly because one reactor component is only built in Japan.
Still, the industry’s staying busy. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group, the NEI has spent $1.23 million on lobbying so far in 2008. In June, the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition released a study touting the job creation a nuclear renaissance could bring–as many as 700 jobs at each reactor, many of which pay upwards of $65,000 per year.
“Nuclear’s not a silver bullet,” concedes Whitman. Though it would certainly be cheaper if it was.
Nukes Need Money – Nuclear
Posted on: September 18, 2008
It’s late summer in Washington at the tail end of a lame duck presidency. And that means one thing for Beltway insiders: open season for lobbying.
The nuclear energy industry is one group in a good position to take advantage of the changing of the guard. And one of its biggest guns–former New Jersey Gov. and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Christine Todd Whitman–is drumming up publicity for what might be a nuclear renaissance in the U.S. within the next few years.
“Right now the only base form of power that we have that doesn’t emit any greenhouse gases or other pollutants while producing power is nuclear,” she said in a recent interview with Forbes.com. She says the U.S will need 25 to 27 new reactors by 2030 if nuclear power is to continue to produce 20% of the nation’s electricity, the current level.
Whitman’s got a vested interest in seeing the U.S. nuclear industry bloom. She spoke to Forbes.com in her role as co-chair of the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition, a pro-nuclear group whose very broad membership includes nuclear power heavyweights like Exelon (nyse: EXC – news – people ), AREVA (other-otc: ARVCF.PK – news – people ) and Southern Co.. It’s funded by the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI), an industry organization.
But she’s also got a point. There’s a lot of buzz about nuclear power around the country. Republican presidential candidate John McCain says he wants to see 45 new plants built by 2030. Democrat Barack Obama says it’s “unlikely” the U.S. can meet its climate goals without the help of nuclear power, though he wants the waste issue resolved. Both are pushing for a new regulatory mechanism to curb greenhouse gas pollution, a boon for operators of nuclear plants. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission expects applications for as many as 34 new reactors by 2010.
Other issues remain. The industry is concerned that Senate appropriators have reduced funding for the proposed waste repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada. The NEI is also pushing for the creation of a “clean energy bank” that could offer loans and guarantees on nuclear and other energy projects. It wants to see the government create a cost-sharing program with the private sector for spent fuel-recycling units.
Moreover, Whitman says McCain’s grand vision is a “nice idea” but it’s “not going to happen,” partly because one reactor component is only built in Japan.
Still, the industry’s staying busy. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, a watchdog group, the NEI has spent $1.23 million on lobbying so far in 2008. In June, the Clean and Safe Energy Coalition released a study touting the job creation a nuclear renaissance could bring–as many as 700 jobs at each reactor, many of which pay upwards of $65,000 per year.
“Nuclear’s not a silver bullet,” concedes Whitman. Though it would certainly be cheaper if it was.
Valleywag - valleywag.wordpress.com 
Recent Comments