Rejuvenated nuclear power program key to delivering a prosperous future
MercuryNews.com | 08/14/2005 | Rejuvenated nuclear power program key to delivering a prosperous future
Under the ``Megatons to Megawatts'' venture with Russia, about 50 percent of the fuel used by U.S. nuclear plants is supplied by uranium from decommissioned nuclear weapons of the former Soviet Union.
Posted on Sun, Aug. 14, 2005
By Skip Bowman
president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington, D.C.
When Republicans and Democrats in Congress joined in July to adopt the first comprehensive energy legislation in more than a decade, they set the United States on a path toward a safer, cleaner and more prosperous future.
In these uncertain times, energy security and national security are inextricably linked. By developing a diverse energy supply within our borders, we are better able to protect ourselves from becoming dependent on unstable regions of the world that do not have our best interests in mind.
The United States needs as much new electricity production as it can get from all sources, including nuclear energy. Even with greater efficiency and conservation, this country will need 31 percent more electric generating capacity over the next 20 years. In that time, our consumption of oil is expected to increase by 40 percent.
Our best chance for success is to utilize America's diverse energy resources, including renewable sources, nuclear and others. The legislation approved by Congress is a vital step. Among other provisions, it includes limited incentives to jump-start the construction of next-generation nuclear plants -- the future workhorses of electricity production in this country.
The overwhelmingly bipartisan support for a new wave of nuclear plant construction may have taken some observers by surprise. But the industry's excellent record in safety, efficiency and reliability in the past decade has captured the attention of policy-makers, both Democrat and Republican.
And the geologic repository planned for Nevada's Yucca Mountain -- a state-of-the-art disposal facility for used nuclear fuel -- continues to move forward. The Department of Energy has said it intends to file its licensing application for Yucca Mountain's approval with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission next year.
Nuclear plants are among the most-secure industrial facilities in the United States, and we continue to enhance security in light of potential new global threats. The nuclear energy industry has invested more than $1.2 billion in security upgrades, including physical barriers, detection and access technology, and additional security officers since 2001.
The U.S. nuclear industry also is taking steps to promote non-proliferation. Under the ``Megatons to Megawatts'' venture with Russia, about 50 percent of the fuel used by U.S. nuclear plants is supplied by uranium from decommissioned nuclear weapons of the former Soviet Union.
With growing concern about the potential for global warming, nuclear energy plays a key role in protecting the environment. Providing more than 70 percent of the electricity from emission-free sources, nuclear power is the nation's largest emission-free source of energy. Across the nation, nuclear power plants prevented almost 700 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions last year alone.
Elected officials, environmental advocates like the Pew Center and World Resources Institute, business leaders and opinion-makers in this country and abroad increasingly support the expansion of nuclear power. The Group of 8 meeting in Scotland noted the importance of nuclear power to a cleaner future and a diverse global energy portfolio. This was echoed by the strong bipartisan support for the energy bill in Congress. And in a nationwide poll conducted in May, 83 percent of Americans said nuclear energy will be important in meeting America's electricity needs in the years ahead.
Congress has taken an important first step toward long-term energy policy for America, but it is now up to the industry, state and local government leaders and consumers to carry the torch of enhancing our energy independence.
A renewed commitment to nuclear should be part of a brighter, safer, more prosperous future.
SKIP BOWMAN is president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington, D.C. He wrote this article for the Mercury News.
Under the ``Megatons to Megawatts'' venture with Russia, about 50 percent of the fuel used by U.S. nuclear plants is supplied by uranium from decommissioned nuclear weapons of the former Soviet Union.
Posted on Sun, Aug. 14, 2005
By Skip Bowman
president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington, D.C.
When Republicans and Democrats in Congress joined in July to adopt the first comprehensive energy legislation in more than a decade, they set the United States on a path toward a safer, cleaner and more prosperous future.
In these uncertain times, energy security and national security are inextricably linked. By developing a diverse energy supply within our borders, we are better able to protect ourselves from becoming dependent on unstable regions of the world that do not have our best interests in mind.
The United States needs as much new electricity production as it can get from all sources, including nuclear energy. Even with greater efficiency and conservation, this country will need 31 percent more electric generating capacity over the next 20 years. In that time, our consumption of oil is expected to increase by 40 percent.
Our best chance for success is to utilize America's diverse energy resources, including renewable sources, nuclear and others. The legislation approved by Congress is a vital step. Among other provisions, it includes limited incentives to jump-start the construction of next-generation nuclear plants -- the future workhorses of electricity production in this country.
The overwhelmingly bipartisan support for a new wave of nuclear plant construction may have taken some observers by surprise. But the industry's excellent record in safety, efficiency and reliability in the past decade has captured the attention of policy-makers, both Democrat and Republican.
And the geologic repository planned for Nevada's Yucca Mountain -- a state-of-the-art disposal facility for used nuclear fuel -- continues to move forward. The Department of Energy has said it intends to file its licensing application for Yucca Mountain's approval with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission next year.
Nuclear plants are among the most-secure industrial facilities in the United States, and we continue to enhance security in light of potential new global threats. The nuclear energy industry has invested more than $1.2 billion in security upgrades, including physical barriers, detection and access technology, and additional security officers since 2001.
The U.S. nuclear industry also is taking steps to promote non-proliferation. Under the ``Megatons to Megawatts'' venture with Russia, about 50 percent of the fuel used by U.S. nuclear plants is supplied by uranium from decommissioned nuclear weapons of the former Soviet Union.
With growing concern about the potential for global warming, nuclear energy plays a key role in protecting the environment. Providing more than 70 percent of the electricity from emission-free sources, nuclear power is the nation's largest emission-free source of energy. Across the nation, nuclear power plants prevented almost 700 million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions last year alone.
Elected officials, environmental advocates like the Pew Center and World Resources Institute, business leaders and opinion-makers in this country and abroad increasingly support the expansion of nuclear power. The Group of 8 meeting in Scotland noted the importance of nuclear power to a cleaner future and a diverse global energy portfolio. This was echoed by the strong bipartisan support for the energy bill in Congress. And in a nationwide poll conducted in May, 83 percent of Americans said nuclear energy will be important in meeting America's electricity needs in the years ahead.
Congress has taken an important first step toward long-term energy policy for America, but it is now up to the industry, state and local government leaders and consumers to carry the torch of enhancing our energy independence.
A renewed commitment to nuclear should be part of a brighter, safer, more prosperous future.
SKIP BOWMAN is president and CEO of the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington, D.C. He wrote this article for the Mercury News.
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