The NEI Morning Clip File

Here are some of the news clips we're reading at NEI this morning. Cliff Kincaid of Accuracy in Media feels that the media isn't giving nuclear energy the credit it deserves.

One exception is New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof, who has broken ranks and says that "It's increasingly clear that the biggest environmental threat we face is actually global warming, and that leads to a corollary: nuclear energy is green. . . Nuclear power, in contrast with other [energy] sources, produces no greenhouse gases. . .[F]or now, nuclear power is the only source that doesn't contribute to global warming and that can quickly become a mainstay of the grid."

...Nuclear power should be supported because it can be demonstrated to be safe and reduces our dependence on foreign oil, not because it solves a perceived and much-disputed global warming problem that the media endlessly publicize. But it is fascinating nonetheless to see columnists like Kristof and some environmentalists come around on the issue.

Stan Choe of SeacoastOnline.com wonders if America is ready for nuclear power:

Ganthner and the nuclear industry say yes.

They say people will recognize that a new generation of U.S. nuclear plants will translate into enough available electricity to avoid a forecast deficit in the next decade.

The sky will be less congested with greenhouse gases, they say. And Americans are more willing than ever to accept new nuclear construction, according to a survey by the nuclear industry's trade group.

In other news, the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation recently called the public's fear of radioactive waste "unreasonable:"

The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) says there is little chance radioactive waste could spill while being transported to a nuclear waste dump in the Northern Territory.

ANSTO says much of the debate about the dump is not based on fact.

ANSTO's chief executive, Ian Smith, says the public's fear of radioactive waste is understandable but technically it is unreasonable.

He says there are much more dangerous materials being stored and transported in the Northern Territory.

"If you gave me the opportunity of driving behind a truck transporting low-level radioactive waste or a truck transporting cyanide I know which one I would choose," Dr Smith said.

Dr Smith says history shows there is little chance of an accident during the transportation of intermediate-level waste, which he says is solidified so there is no potential for fires or explosions.

On the energy bill, Idaho lawmakers are excited that nuclear energy will be playing a larger role in energy production, as reported by the Idaho State Journal:

The bill gives the go-ahead to designing the long-discussed next generation nuclear power plant and targets 2021 as the date to have such work done, but it will be up to Congress to provide the financial backing.

Idaho Sen. Larry Craig is a member of both the Appropriations, and Energy and Natural Resources committees and the veteran Idaho officeholder played a key role in the energy bill's passage.

"We need new, clean energy production in the United States," Craig said. "If we don't begin to design and ultimately build new nuclear energy facilities in this country, then we have no other options for producing emission- free electricity, and eventually hydrogen."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India recently held a press conference on the future of nuclear energy in his country. You can read his comments in full here:

That is one area of priority, which is recognised in this Joint Statement. Today, we cannot do without hydrocarbons. For 70 per cent of our consumption of hydrocarbons today, we are dependent on imported supplies. I hope this prosperity prevails in the West Asia. But who can ignore all the uncertainty, leave aside other uncertainty? We are witnessing this year the uncertainty, instability and unpredictability of the oil prices. They have tripled in the last five or six months. So, we must, therefore, explore other options.

The resolution which led to the establishment of our Atomic Energy Commission -- and, our country will be eternally grateful to Panditji for having the vision to recognise the role of science and technology, particularly atomic energy, in managing the future needs of our country -- laid the greatest emphasis on the use of atomic power for generation of electricity. I think, Jaswant Singhji, mentioned our ambitions in this regard.

...If we want energy security, we have to rely more on nuclear energy. All over the world, nations like Japan and France, which are short of raw material, rely heavily on nuclear energy. I do believe that while we must develop coal, we must develop hydropower; we must develop renewable sources of energy to widen our development options for the future; and we must have an equal access to commercial energy, which is environment-friendly.

Also on India, power company Tata is interested in joining in on the nuclear endeavor:

The recent Indo-US joint declaration on civil nuclear energy cooperation must have given a very strong indicator of things to come for Mr Ratan Tata, Chairman of the Tata group, to have said what he did at the Tata Power AGM on Thursday.

In the event that Indo-US cooperation takes a form where the possibility of nuclear power production by the private sector becomes a reality in India ... ... then... "should that happen, this company would like to be involved in that also," said Mr Tata.

Come back this afternoon for more news from the NEI Clip File.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics