Nuclear mattersNuclear energy central to climate debate
Published 2 November 2009
There are 104 power reactors in 31 states, providing one-fifth of the U.S. electricity; they are also producing 70 percent of essentially carbon-free power and are devoid of greenhouse gas emissions; a study by the industry-supported Electric Power Research Institute says 45 new reactors are needed by 2030; the Energy Information Administration puts the number at 70; an analysis by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) assumes 180 new reactors by 2050 for an 80 percent decline in greenhouse gas emissions
Opposition to nuclear energy was once a rallying cry for environmentalists, and, partially as a result of such opposition, it used to face almost insurmountable political and regulatory obstacles. Times change, and now nuclear energy has become a pivotal bargaining chip as Senate Democrats hunt for Republican votes to pass climate legislation.
AP reports that he industry’s long-standing campaign to rebrand itself as green is gaining footing as part of the effort to curtail greenhouse gases. Nuclear power still faces daunting challenges, including the fate of highly radioactive reactor waste. Reactors also remain a tempting target for terrorists, requiring ever vigilant security measures.
Still, 104 power reactors in 31 states provide one-fifth of the U.S. electricity. They are also producing 70 percent of essentially carbon-free power and are devoid of greenhouse gas emissions.
It is the message that the nuclear industry has been repeating in advertising and in lobbying on Capitol Hill for nearly a decade. Only recently, however, has the message begun to resonate among both industry supporters and skeptics. “If you want to address climate change and produce electricity, nuclear has got to be a significant part of the equation,” Marvin Fertel, president of Nuclear Energy Institute, the industry trade group, said in an interview.
This is not unexpected from a top industry lobbyist, but the same is heard from Republicans and Democrats in Congress, from a growing number of environmentalists, and from the White House, where nuclear power otherwise has received tepid support.
AP reports that the Senate is kicking off three committee hearings on legislation to cap greenhouse gases from m power plants and large industrial facilities. The goal is to cut them about 80 percent by 2050. The House has already passed a bill. Its chances in the Senate could hinge in part on whether demands by a few GOP senators, including Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and John McCain of Arizona, that the legislation provide help to build new reactors.
“Nuclear power is pivotal to both a low carbon economy and to generate a bipartisan coalition to pass a carbon cap,” says Jason Grumet, executive director of the National Commission on Energy Policy, a bipartisan group of experts created in seven years ago to advise government officials on energy matters. He says all economic models on climate legislation “assume significant increases in nuclear power” — an expansion binge unseen since the 1970s,
