Rep. Shimkus: Stop Kowtowing to Sen. Reid on Yucca Mountain

Rep. John Shimkus

In an editorial in today's edition of the Lacrosse Tribune, Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.), renewed his call for the federal government to fulfill its commitments under the Nuclear Waste Policy Act and open a permanent geologic depository at Yucca Mountain:

It’s not just coal that suffers under the Clean Power Plan though. Energy consumers in states such as Illinois will get no credit toward meeting the EPA’s standards from existing carbon-free nuclear power.

For those fixated on reducing carbon dioxide emissions, but honest enough to admit the threat drastic cuts pose to baseload capacity, nuclear is a no-brainer. Here again, however, the president’s energy policies are at odds with the majority of America’s elected representatives. By kowtowing to Sen. Harry Reid’s, D-Nev., fear-mongering opposition to a permanent geologic repository for nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain, the administration denies nuclear power suppliers the certainty they need to continue producing emission-free, baseload electricity.

Rep. Shimkus is one of the most passionate supporters of the Yucca Mountain project, frequently taking to the floor of the House of Representatives to defend it. Here's a clip from March 2013 where the congressman laid out his case for the repository:

Bravo. For more on the safe storage of used nuclear fuel, please visit our website.

Comments

Anonymous said…

Fool us once (Chernobyl), shame on you,
Fool us twice (Fukushima), shame on us.
Fukushima has been like a volcano, spewing radiation into the air, sea, and groundwater for 4 1/2 years, non-stop. The Pacific Ocean is dying, West Coast sea and land life is clearly being affected.
Final wake-up call.

September 18, 2015 at 1:30 PM

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