Here is a great thought on the challenge of choosing energy sources from an article by Kerry A. Lynch, Senior Fellow for American Institute for Economic Research:
 

Nuclear power currently provides about 20 percent of total U.S. electric power. If you advocate “no nukes,” that means finding an alternative source for that 20 percent (or cutting electricity use). The major source for our electric power, however, is coal. So eliminating nuclear power would likely result in burning more coal. If your goal is cleaner energy, this is a poor trade-off. Nuclear energy emits no carbon when it is produced, while coal emits more than any other fossil fuel.

The whole piece “Green Dreams vs. the Energy Dilemma” is worth a read.

“But in any case, nuclear stands as the likely surviving “conventional energy” pole of any grand compromise on energy and climate legislation…

It is also the only other low-carbon energy source currently available on a scale large enough to substitute for the energy we get from oil, though not for oil’s attributes as an energy carrier and storage medium.”
– from Energy Outlook

We agree with Friedman’s insight on the need for America (or any country) to see it’s Energy strategy and it’s ablity to produce “green electrons” as a key metric of it’s overall national health…

“That is why I am convinced that the ability to develop clean power and energy-efficient technologies is going to be come the defining measure of a country’s economic standing, environmental health, and energy security, over the next fifty years.

The ability to design, build and export clean technologies for producing green electrons, clean water, clean air and healthy and abundant food is going to become
the currency of power in the Energy-Climate Era — not the only one, but right up there with computers, microchips, information technologies and planes and tanks.

Some see that now. Others will see it soon. Eventually it will be obvious to all. I hope every country gets there sooner or later, but as an American, I want to make
sure that my country is in the lead….”

- Thomas Friedman, from his book, Hot, Flat and Crowded

“I want you to know the votes may not be there right now, but I intend to find them in the coming months… But we will get this done. The next generation will not be held hostage to energy sources from the last century.”

– President Obama on the proposed Energy/Climate Bill

“The Three Mile Island reactor accident happened in 1979. Fortunately, because of the design of our reactors, with their containment building, external damage and radiation were very small, but it was clear that operator training was inadequate to handle such an emergency. The NRC began strengthening its safety requirements. While industry protested that stringent regulation would cripple it, something very different happened. U.S. nuclear reactors went from a typical 60 percent capacity factor to more than 90 percent today, the world’s best. U.S. licensing and training requirements are today regarded worldwide as the gold standard. The industry also became more profitable in the years after regulation.”

– Burton Richter, member of the Department of Energy’s Nuclear Energy Advisory Committee in a letter published in the Washington Post yesterday



We would like to highlight some of the comments made by the leaders of Idaho in the wake of this important announcement for the Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility which is planned for their communities.

“DOE’s decision is great news for AREVA and Idaho,” said Governor Otter. “The loan guarantee confirms that Idaho continues to lead the nuclear renaissance in America. The decision also paves the way for new careers and economic recovery across the state.”
– 


Idaho Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter (link)



”This loan guarantee from the Department of Energy is a crucial step in meeting the demand for a reliable, U.S.-based source of enriched uranium to fuel our nuclear power plants,” said Risch, a member of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee. “It is also a great benefit to our local communities and the state for the positive economic impact the new construction and permanent operation jobs that will come about from this facility.”
– Idaho Senator Jim Risch (link)

“Developing new U.S.-based sources of uranium enrichment is critical to the country being able to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, achieving energy independence, having a reliable supply for domestic power reactors and protecting our national security,” said Crapo. “If we are going to have a chance at reducing greenhouse gas emissions, a robust expansion of nuclear power is the only way to do it without tanking the economy. The Eagle Rock plant will be one of Idaho’s contributions to this worthy and attainable goal.”
– Idaho Senator Mike Crapo

“I want to congratulate AREVA and the people of Eastern Idaho who have worked so hard to secure this loan guarantee and bring the Eagle Rock facility to our state,” said Simpson, a member of the House Energy and Water Appropriations Subcommittee which funds the Department of Energy and the Loan Guarantee program. “Nuclear energy must play a strong role in our nation’s energy future and the Eagle Rock facility’s contribution to that future will be enormous.”
– Idaho Congressmen Mike Simpson

“This project will have impact far beyond Idaho Falls,” said Minnick. “Alternative energy solutions such as nuclear power and woody biomass are a crucial part of our work toward an economic recovery. This project will help Idaho businesses and universities do just that, and will help meet our shared goal of Idaho becoming a national leader in the new energy future.”

– Idaho Congressmen Walt Minnick

“The Eagle Rock loan guarantee offer is an extremely positive development for the nation’s electric infrastructure, for the Idaho economy and for U.S. energy security.”

View full release here

“For the sake of our economy, our security, and our environment, America must develop decisive policies that will allow us not only to compete in this clean energy race, but to become the leader in providing clean energy technology to the world.”

-Energy Secretary Steven Chu speaking yesterday at the Senate Committee on Appropriations, Subcommittee on Energy and Water Development.

For our part, AREVA is already making direct economic investments to build critical clean energy infrastructure in America, including some $250 million in the development of the U.S. EPR™ reactor, AREVA Newport News, Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility, and renewable energy sources like biomass and concentrated solar.

From this weekend’s Wall Streeet Journal Op Ed:

“We’ve essentially fallen 10 years behind the rest of the world in nuclear technology, but the Obama administration’s decision to support nuclear will finally get the ball rolling. Within a decade we may very well catch up with the rest of the world in developing the energy technology of the 21st century.”

- William Tucker, Author “Terrestrial Energy: How Nuclear Power Will Lead the Green Revolution and End America’s Energy Odyssey“

From Energy Secretary Chu’s Facebook Page:

Here’s a chart showing the International Energy Agency’s estimate of the combination of technologies that will be needed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in the United States – and put the world on a sustainable energy path.

As you’ll see, we need nuclear power as part of a comprehensive solution: investing in energy efficiency, wind, solar, geothermal, carbon capture, energy storage, electric vehicles, and more. In doing so, we are sparking a new industrial revolution that will create millions of new jobs here in the United States and lay the foundation for America’s long-term economic prosperity.