Continued—and increasing-support for nuclear power

摘要

As I write my editorial this month, the swearing-in ceremony for President George W. Bush has just ended, and the United States will embark on another four years with an administration that is supportive of nuclear power. Bush and other administration officials have declared the need for the United States to build more nuclear power plants—to provide a reliable, abundant source of electricity, to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and to reduce dependence on imported oil. Also, the Yucca Mountain project has moved forward, with Bush's signing in July 2002 of the bill approving the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada for the development of a commercial spent fuel and defense high-level waste repository. The Department of Energy' s submittal of a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission is pending.