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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
June 21, 2007
Fact Sheet: Expanding the Safe Use of Nuclear Power
President Bush Discusses Nuclear Power, Calls On Congress To Pass An Energy Bill
In Focus: Energy
Today, President Bush Toured Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant In Alabama
And Discussed His Administration's Energy Policy, Including The Importance
Of Expanding Nuclear Power. Browns Ferry Nuclear Power Plant Unit 1 is the first U.S. nuclear reactor to come online in the 21st century. Shut down
in 1985 due to management and operational concerns, the Tennessee Valley
Authority (TVA) decided in 2002 to restart the unit and has done so on time
and on budget. This unit has the capacity to supply electricity to about
650,000 homes.
-
Nuclear Power Is Part Of The Administration's Energy Strategy, Which
Includes Pursuing Alternatives To Oil And Taking Advantage Of New
Technologies. In 1985, about 27 percent of our oil came from abroad;
today, about 60 percent of our oil comes from abroad. U.S. dependence on
oil creates national security, economic, and environmental risks, so the
President has set a "Twenty in Ten" goal of cutting U.S. consumption of
gasoline by 20 percent over the next 10 years.
-
President Bush Commends Congress For Considering Legislation To Help Bring
America Closer To Meeting His "Twenty In Ten" Goal, And Challenges Them To
Take A Bolder Approach To Strengthen America's Energy Security. Reaching
the President's goal will require:
-
Setting An Alternative Fuels Standard: The President's proposal will
require the equivalent of 35 billion gallons of renewable and other
alternative fuels by 2017 - a standard that is nearly five times the
current 2012 target and more aggressive than that required by the Senate
energy bill.
-
Reforming And Modernizing CAFE Standards: The Administration has twice
increased CAFE standards for light trucks using an attribute-based method,
which reduces the risk that vehicle safety is compromised and helps
preserve consumer choice. The Administration seeks the same reform for
passenger vehicles. The increased vehicle fuel economy standard proposed
by the President could save up to 8.5 billion gallons of gasoline per year
by 2017.
-
Doubling The Strategic Petroleum Reserve Capacity: The President has
proposed doubling the size of the SPR to further protect against severe
disruptions to the world's oil supply that threaten our national and
economic security.
-
The President Has Also Proposed Steps To Increase Domestic Oil Production.
The President's proposal would take immediate steps to increase supply and
better protect America from fluctuations in oil and natural gas prices by
approving drilling in the Outer Continental Shelf and ANWR and continuing
onshore access improvements. In contrast, the Senate energy bill would do
nothing to increase domestic supplies of oil and natural gas for American
homes and businesses.
The World Is Seeing The Promise And Potential Of The Peaceful Use Of
Nuclear Energy
Today, Nuclear Power Provides Almost Twenty Percent Of The United States'
Electricity. In addition, nuclear power provides 78 percent of the
electricity for France, 50 percent of the electricity for Sweden, and 30
percent of the electricity for the entire European Union. China has nine
nuclear plants in operation, and plans to build many more.
-
Nuclear Power Is Clean Domestic Energy. Nuclear energy produces no air pollution or greenhouse gases. Without its use, carbon dioxide emissions
would have been 28 percent greater in the electricity industry in 2005 - an
increase nearly equal to the annual emissions from all 136 million
passenger cars in the U.S.
-
Nuclear Power Is Safe. The nuclear sector is one of the safest industries
in the United States, and advances in science, engineering, and plant
design have made nuclear plants even safer than the last generation of
plants. Plant workers and managers focus on safety and security above all
else, and Nuclear Regulatory Commission inspectors stationed full-time at
plants provide daily inspections to ensure safety and security requirements
are being met.
-
Nuclear Power Is Affordable And Reliable. Once a nuclear plant is
constructed, fuel and operating costs are among the cheapest forms of
energy available. In addition, the cost of electricity from a nuclear
power plant is stable and reliable - the cost does not fluctuate like
natural gas, and the flow of power is not intermittent like wind.
The Federal Government Is Helping To Expand The Safe Use Of Nuclear Power
Nuclear Power Is The Only Significant Emissions-Free Baseload Power Source
That Is Able To Expand To Meet America's Growing Need For Electricity. To maintain nuclear power's current twenty-percent share of electricity
generation in the U.S., experts believe it will be necessary to build an
average of three new plants per year, starting in 2015. Partially as a
result of litigation and complex regulations, however, no new nuclear
plants have been ordered in the U.S. since the 1970s.
1. In 2003, The Administration Launched The Nuclear Power 2010
Initiative. This partnership between the U.S. government and industry is
focused on reducing the technical, regulatory, and institutional barriers
to deployment of new nuclear power plants. The President's 2008 budget
will double the requested funding for this program to $114 million to help
private industry obtain licenses for new designs.
-
By The End Of This Decade, America Should Be Able To Start Construction On
Several New Nuclear Plants. To date, 20 companies and consortia have
announced their intent to file license applications over the next two years
with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission for as many as 30 new reactors.
2. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) Is Working To Improve And Streamline The Regulatory Process To Help Accelerate The Construction Of Nuclear Plants. Under the old system, the permitting process was slow and
cumbersome because it limited builders to completing only one step at a
time before moving on. The NRC is now implementing a more efficient review
process that allows builders to complete several steps at a time without
compromising safety.
3. The Energy Bill The President Signed In 2005 Provides Production
Tax Credits And Federal Risk Insurance For Builders Of New Nuclear Plants.
Production tax credits will reward investments in the latest in advanced
nuclear power generation, and Federal risk insurance helps protect the
first builders of new nuclear plants against frivolous lawsuits,
bureaucratic obstacles, and other delays beyond their control.
4. The Administration Has Repeatedly Proposed Legislation To Complete
A Nuclear Waste Repository Site At Yucca Mountain. Yucca Mountain is
critical to expanding nuclear power in the United States because it will
provide a safe geologic repository to store spent fuel and nuclear waste.
The President's 2008 budget request devotes nearly $495 million to continue
progress on licensing Yucca Mountain as a repository for spent fuel, and he
urges Congress to pass this important legislation to move our efforts
forward.
5. Under The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, America Will Work
With Nations That Have Advanced Civilian Nuclear Energy Programs - Such As
France, China, Japan, And Russia. The partnership will work to provide the
cheap and safe energy growing economies need, while reducing the risk of
nuclear proliferation and avoiding greenhouse gas emissions.
-
This Partnership Will Use New Technologies That Effectively And Safely
Recycle Spent Nuclear Fuel. Recycling spent uranium fuel for use in
advanced reactors will allow us to extract more energy and has the
potential to reduce repository requirements for nuclear waste by up to 90
percent.
-
It Will Also Help Developing Countries Meet Their Growing Energy Needs By
Providing Them With Small-Scale Reactors That Will Be Secure And
Cost-Effective. In exchange, these countries would agree to use nuclear
power only for civilian purposes and to forego sensitive nuclear fuel cycle
activities that can be used to develop nuclear weapons.
# # #
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