To ensure a diverse energy supply that lessens dependence on oil from abroad, the US must promote safe, clean nuclear power and start building nuclear power plants again, president George Bush has said.
In a speech in Ohio on 9th March 2005, Mr Bush said nuclear power can generate huge amounts of electricity without emitting air pollution or greenhouse gases. “America hasn't ordered a nuclear power plant since the 1970s, and it's time to start building again,” he said.
Mr Bush said many people have concerns about the safety of nuclear power. Yet decades of experience and advances in technology have proven it is reliable and secure. “We're taking early steps towards licensing the construction of nuclear power plants, because a secure energy future must include nuclear power.”
Mr Bush drew attention to the urgent need for a national energy bill that meets four objectives. It must promote conservation and efficiency, increase domestic production, diversify the country’s energy supply, and modernise its energy infrastructure.
He said the US has had four years of debate about a national energy bill and now is the time to get the job done. “It's time for Congress to act.”
The US imports more than half its oil from abroad, said Mr Bush, and its dependence is growing. “We're becoming more reliant upon natural gas, and a lot of it is coming from outside our borders. I believe that creates a national security issue and an economic security issue for the United States. And that's why it's important for us to utilise the resources we have here at home in environmentally friendly ways.”
Mr Bush was accompanied on his trip to Ohio by secretary of energy Samuel Bodman, who later took part in an online interactive forum answering questions about energy policy.
In response to a question about the proposed nuclear waste deep geological repository at Yucca Mountain in Nevada, Mr Bodman said the president is “strongly committed” to moving forwards with the process that will allow the site to open. He said submitting the licence application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) meant preparing very technical documents that run into millions of pages.
In November 2004, the Department of Energy (DOE) announced it would no longer be able to meet its original application deadline of 31st December 2004 to submit the licence application for the repository [see News No. 208, 24th November 2004].
Mr Bodman was also asked why a national energy bill was proving difficult to enact. “Energy legislation has always been difficult for Congress to deal with, and major energy legislation has not been passed since 1992. But it is a priority for us, and we will work very hard to help Congress get it done this year,” he said.
