Brian Wang highlights on his blog a petition supporting nuclear power that is being submitted through the White House’s “We the People” program. This government initiative provides U.S. citizens a means to petition the government.

The pro-nuclear petition needs 5,000 signatures by 10/23 to be accepted by the Obama Administration for consideration.

The petition states,

We petition the Obama Administration to:

Educate the Public Regarding Nuclear Power.

This petition is a response to the “End taxpayer subsidies for new nuclear reactors” petition.

Due to the manufactured controversy that is the nuclear reactor meltdown in Fukushima, Japan, perpetuated by a scientifically illiterate news media, the public is unnecessarily hostile to nuclear power as an energy source.

To date nobody has died from the accident and Fukushima, and nuclear power has the lowest per Terra-watt hour death toll of any energy source known to man:

http://nextbigfuture.com/2011/03/deaths-per-twh-by-energy-source.html

The Obama administration should take better strides to educate the public regarding this important energy source.

Go to the “We the People” website and take action.

…and here are the latest poll numbers showing US support for nuclear energy:

Six months after the Fukushima Daiichi accident in Japan, solid majorities of Americans still view nuclear energy favorably, still support the extension of operating licenses at existing facilities that meet federal safety standards, and still believe that construction of a new reactor is acceptable at the site of the nearest nuclear power plant that already is operating, a new national survey shows.

In the new telephone survey of 1,000 U.S. adults, 62 percent of respondents said they favor the use of nuclear energy as one of the ways to provide electricity in the United States, with 35 percent opposed. Those strongly favoring nuclear energy outnumber those strongly opposed by a two-to-one ratio, 28 percent vs. 13 percent, according to the survey conducted Sept. 22-24 by Bisconti Research Inc. with GfK Roper….

Despite the Fukushima accident, 67 percent of Americans rate U.S. nuclear power plant safety high. This is identical to the safety rating found in a national survey last February, one month prior to the earthquake and tsunami that caused the Fukushima accident. Eighty-two percent of Americans believe that “we should learn the lessons from the Japanese accident and continue to develop advanced nuclear energy plants to meet America’s growing electricity demand,” the new survey showed.

More numbers here….

Being defined by one’s actions instead of just words can be a daunting reality, but modern nuclear reactor facilities and designs unabashedly confirm the U.S. nuclear industry’s commitment and culture focused on safety.

This commitment created an astounding statistic: From the day President Eisenhower commissioned the first reactor to the present day, the ongoing commercial operations of U.S. nuclear reactors have caused zero (0) deaths in the workforce and general public. And modern reactors are designed to maintain that safety commitment with advanced technology and techniques.

For example, AREVA’s 1,600+ megawatt U.S. EPR™ reactor design completing review by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) represents additional advancements in secure, robust construction and multi-layer preventive and reactive safety systems. Here are the details divided out by the numbers …
read more…

As the Obama Administration looks to help jumpstart job creation across the United States, it should look no farther than the nuclear energy sector. Nuclear energy already plays an important role in the U.S. economy, producing 20 percent of the nation’s electricity and employing some 120,000 hardworking Americans. Yet investment in new nuclear facilities will create many additional jobs during both the construction and operation phases.
read more…

The independent U.S. nuclear regulator has issued its quarterly report on its inspection of construction activities at the Mixed Oxide (MOX) Fuel Fabrication Facility. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) report of inspections that took place from the beginning of April through the end of June concluded that no violations or deviations were identified as a result of these inspections.

The scope of these inspections included ongoing construction activities, engineering processes and oversight of subcontractor activities.

“We are committed to constructing the MOX facility safely and in accordance with regulations of the NRC,” said Kelly Trice, president and chief operating officer of Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC, “and the NRC’s report underscores this commitment.”

This dedication to safety and excellence is a key component of the work being done at the MOX Project. Another important accomplishment in safety took place in June when the MOX project surpassed 4 million consecutive work hours without a lost-time accident.

The MOX facility is currently under construction at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, S.C. More than 1,800 people are engaged in the design, construction and administration of the MOX project, which is being constructed for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) and is scheduled to begin operation in 2016.

The MOX facility will convert surplus weapons-grade plutonium into reactor fuel for use in commercial nuclear power plants, supporting the Department’s non-proliferation program to eliminate surplus weapons-grade plutonium in the U.S.

Shaw AREVA MOX Services, LLC, comprised of Shaw Environmental & Infrastructure Group and AREVA, works for the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration to design, build and operate a facility. For more information, visit www.moxproject.com.

And in case you are curious, the NRC inspection report can be found at: under the document number ML112082293.

In a compelling opinion piece on Fox News.com, writer Alex Epstein argues why Fukushima has demonstrated that nuclear power is in fact “extremely safe.” He also explains why there are hidden economic and environmental costs of not using nuclear energy.

To think rationally about nuclear safety, you must identify the whole context. As the late, great energy thinker Petr Beckmann argued three decades ago in his contrarian classic “The Health Hazards of NOT Going Nuclear,” every means of generating power has dangers and risks, but nuclear power “is far safer than any other form of large-scale energy conversion yet invented.”

Epstein notes that only a few sources are capable of producing electricity reliably, affordably and on a large scale, and among them nuclear energy has some advantages. “Whether you’re concerned about a dangerous accident or harmful emissions, a nuclear power plant is the safest way to generate power,” he writes.

The fact that nuclear plants do not produce emissions is another benefit for this energy source, Epstein states. He also notes the relatively small amount of waste produced by nuclear power, especially when the fuel is recycled.

Nuclear power also saves lives that would otherwise be lost to pollution. A nuclear power plant has effectively zero harmful emissions. (It generates a small amount of waste, which France, among other countries, has demonstrated can be both re-used economically and stored safely.)

Read more here.

With digital technology at the helm of many industries such as aviation, automotive and navy nuclear, the U.S. commercial nuclear fleet is embracing digital technology to improve safety, reliability and plant availability. With significant installations in Europe and Asia, AREVA is bringing this digital technology to the United States.

The most recent example of these advancements is the first-ever installation in a U.S. nuclear plant of AREVA’s comprehensive Digital Instrumentation & Control (I&C) Reactor Protection System this June.

In a nutshell, replacing the existing analog control system with a modern digital platform enhances the facility’s capabilities to ensure safe and reliable nuclear plant operations. And in the same way that advanced Generation III+ nuclear reactor designs emphasize redundant physical safety features, the digital I&C system ensures continuous integrity with its own inherent system redundancies.

This globally proven technology is already in operation or being installed at 69 units on 40 separate sites in 14 countries, and in reactors by 10 different suppliers. Last year, AREVA became the first and only supplier in the U.S. to receive NRC approval for full plant specific application of a safety-related digital I&C system.

By first evaluating and implementing regular, intentional safety upgrades and improvements like digital I&C, the U.S. nuclear industry continues progressively operating as a safe, secure clean energy source reliably generating 20% of American households’ electricity.

Progress can be a matter of perspective, but in the months since an extreme earthquake and tsunami struck the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plants, the U.S. nuclear industry has clearly made many significant advancements:

• Began examining every single one of the 104 American nuclear power plants, confirming (PDF) that the ongoing safety and operational upgrades installed during the decades since the plants were built have maintained a secure level of performance and modernization … even in the case of a flooded river plain.
• Established a Fukushima Response Steering Committee of nuclear industry executives and leaders to ensure a comprehensive and coordinated response in the event of an emergency
• Confirmed the vision and value of advancing America’s nuclear power fleet with new, modern reactors, such as AREVA’s EPR™ reactor, built from the ground up with active and automatic safety systems and enhanced operational design efficiencies
• Conducted personal interviews and opened their doors to host facility tours for government, media and public scrutiny of plant security, fuel management, operational processes, and contingency plans
• Engaged in the national nuclear fuel cycle deliberations discussing the option of recycling used fuel to recapture and reuse the 96% energy content that remains, evaluating centralized interim storage of used fuel, and the eventual development of a repository.

As with any advancement, progress is pegged on a continuum from past accomplishments to future goals. The U.S. nuclear industry’s intense, ingrained focus on safety is obvious with the unmatched statistic of zero deaths attributed to operating a commercial nuclear reactor beginning with President Eisenhower commissioning the first commercial nuclear power plant in 1954. No other energy industry in the U.S. comes close to matching this commitment and accomplishment.

In support of the nation’s goal of reduced carbon emissions and energy security, the nuclear power industry can play a larger role if we expand its current 20% supply of America’s electricity demand with modern, safe reactors. Additional reactors could significantly reduce our dependence on fossil fuels and replace fossil-fuel-generated carbon emissions with reliable, sustainable nuclear power. In tandem with expanding renewable energies, expanding safe nuclear energy could help us meet the expected 100% increase in electricity demand by the year 2050 with low-carbon sources.

The Energy Collective hosted the webinar ‘Nuclear Power, After Fukushima’ on June 30 focusing on the future of nuclear energy in the wake of this crisis.

Panel participants, Matt Wald, Edward Kee, and Jesse Jenkins shared their perspectives on nuclear energy and discussed complex areas such as national energy policy, differing reactions from countries around the globe, how to approach the existing fleet, and what the context will be for new nuclear builds going forward.

While these panelists provided their insights on the ‘After Fukushima context,’ we want to know what you think:

• What are the major challenges?
• Which direction should the U.S. go on future nuclear power?

We noted with interest this recent poll on the U.S. attitudes on nuclear power:

A June survey of private and public sector public policy elites in energy policy shows that the Fukushima nuclear accident has had little effect on the level of support for nuclear power in the United Sates. The survey, conducted by APCO Insight, the research division of the consulting firm APCO Worldwide, and released today under the auspices of the non-profit American Council on Global Nuclear Energy, shows that 69% of energy policy makers and influentials continue to believe that nuclear energy should be a somewhat or very high priority for meeting future energy demand. A similar 65% have a favorable impression of nuclear energy for balancing environmental and energy needs….

It certainly implies that the energy thought leaders in the U.S. continue to see the crucial role nuclear energy has to play and the needs for continuing to make support for nuclear development a key priority:

Views on specific nuclear energy policies remain mostly unchanged since October 2010. Support for the Obama Administration’s federal loan guarantee program remains strong at 60% approval and 25% disapproval. 71% of U.S. energy policy activists also agree that foreign partnerships will be essential to reinvigorating the U.S. nuclear industry.