Skip to main content

NAM Updates Policies on Nuclear Energy

By

NAMThe National Association of Manufacturers’ board of directors approved new energy and resources policy language in a meeting last month. The updated policy language reflects views held by the association’s members, which represent a broad array of leaders within the manufacturing sector.

On the topic of nuclear energy, the updated language says:

Adopted Winter 2012 Effective until Winter 2016

1.07. Nuclear Energy

Nuclear power is a safe and vital source of cost-effective base-load electricity that does not emit criteria pollutants or greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. It is the largest source of non-emitting power generation in the United States and the second largest source of electricity, supplying approximately 20 percent of the nation's power. The NAM supports the continued development and operation of nuclear energy consistent with the protection of public health and safety.


Nuclear energy helps stabilize the price of electricity while maintaining a diversity of domestic fuel sources. As the demand for electricity in the U.S. continues to grow, the NAM supports the construction of additional nuclear power plants that have been approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to maintain a diverse portfolio of generating resources. The NAM also supports advanced nuclear technology for use in manufacturing as a source of carbon-free process heat.


In supporting the continued use and development of nuclear energy in the United States, the NAM supports the construction and operation of facilities covering all parts of the fuel cycle and nuclear energy generation, including power plants, fuel enrichment facilities, fuel fabrication plants, low-level and high-level waste handling and disposal operations, and other related facilities critical to supporting and expanding the nuclear energy industry.

The NAM supports policies that allow the federal government to fulfill its legal obligation to remove used fuel from commercial nuclear power plants and manage its long term disposal. We support the research, development and demonstration of technologies to close the fuel cycle while a permanent disposal facility, which is needed even if the fuel cycle is successfully closed, is developed. The NAM encourages the development of interim storage facilities for consolidating used fuel until recycling or permanent disposal facilities or both are available.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Fluor Invests in NuScale

By
You know, it’s kind of sad that no one is willing to invest in nuclear energy anymore. Wait, what? NuScale Power celebrated the news of its company-saving $30 million investment from Fluor Corp. Thursday morning with a press conference in Washington, D.C. Fluor is a design, engineering and construction company involved with some 20 plants in the 70s and 80s, but it has not held interest in a nuclear energy company until now. Fluor, which has deep roots in the nuclear industry, is betting big on small-scale nuclear energy with its NuScale investment. "It's become a serious contender in the last decade or so," John Hopkins, [Fluor’s group president in charge of new ventures], said. And that brings us to NuScale, which had run into some dark days – maybe not as dark as, say, Solyndra, but dire enough : Earlier this year, the Securities Exchange Commission filed an action against NuScale's lead investor, The Michael Kenwood Group. The firm "misap...
1 comment
Read more

Wednesday Update

By
From NEI’s Japan micro-site: NRC, Industry Concur on Many Post-Fukushima Actions Industry/Regulatory/Political Issues • There is a “great deal of alignment” between the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the industry on initial steps to take at America’s nuclear energy facilities in response to the nuclear accident in Japan, Charles Pardee, the chief operating officer of Exelon Generation Co., said at an agency briefing today. The briefing gave stakeholders an opportunity to discuss staff recommendations for near-term actions the agency may take at U.S. facilities. PowerPoint slides from the meeting are on the NRC website. • The International Atomic Energy Agency board has approved a plan that calls for inspectors to evaluate reactor safety at nuclear energy facilities every three years. Governments may opt out of having their country’s facilities inspected. Also approved were plans to maintain a rapid response team of experts ready to assist facility operators recoverin...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nuclear Utility Moves Up in Credit Ratings, Bank is "Comfortable with Nuclear Strategy"

By
Some positive signs that nuclear utilities can continue to receive positive ratings even while they finance new nuclear plants for the first time in decades: Wells Fargo upgrades SCANA to Outperform from Market Perform Wells analyst says, "YTD, SCG shares have underperformed the Regulated Electrics (total return +2% vs. +9%). Shares trade at 11.3X our 10E EPS, a modest discount to the peer group median of 11.8X. We view the valuation as attractive given a comparatively constructive regulatory environment and potential for above-average long-term EPS growth prospects ... Comfortable with Nuclear Strategy. SCG plans to participate in the development of two regulated nuclear units at a cost of $6.3B, raising legitimate concerns regarding financing and construction. We have carefully considered the risks and are comfortable with SCG’s strategy based on a highly constructive political & regulatory environment, manageable financing needs stretched out over 10 years, strong partners...
Post a Comment
Read more