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Candidate comes out for nuclear power in Denver speech
For some time Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama has stepped around the issue of nuclear energy so as not to offend the party's "green" base of votes and campaign donations. Thursday night in his acceptance speech in Denver he came out four square with an energy policy that includes nuclear energy. Here it is. "As President, I will tap our natural gas reserves, invest in clean coal technology, and find ways to safely harness nuclear power. I'll help our auto companies re-tool, so that the fuel-efficient cars of the future are built right here in America. I'll make it easier for the American people to afford these new cars. And I'll invest $150 billion over the next decade in affordable, renewable sources of energy -- wind power and solar power and the next generation of biofuels; an investment that will lead to new industries and five million new jobs that pay well and can't ever be outsourced."
That's clear. He said "safely harness nuclear power," and without the usual qualifiers that have dogged his previous campaign statements including most recently his response to John McCain's visit to Fermi II in Michigan.
Obama is not out on a limb with this position even with politicians from that greenest of states California. The San Francisco Chronicle reports that Senator Barbara Boxer (D-Calif) said at the Democratic convention this week,
"Under any scenario, we're going to see more nuclear power, because it's just going to be more cost-effective once there's a price on carbon."
It looks like a positive development for the Democrats. It closes the gap between the two candidates on this issue. Maybe now that the primaries are behind us and the general campaign is underway, common sense is rising to the top?
Oh yes. I really like his point about the fact that jobs associated with wind and solar energy projects can't be outsourced. Just for the record, neither can you "outsource" the operation of a nuclear power plant.
Note to parents . . . tell your sons and daughters that if they want one of those high paying jobs in the energy field, including solar, wind, and nuclear, to include math and science courses in high school and strongly consider engineering majors if planning on college.
Watch this space for updates.
On the net . . .
Barack Obama's web site - energy policy
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Idaho Samizdat is a blog about the political and economic aspects of nuclear energy and nonproliferation issues. It covers the nuclear energy industry globally. Additionally, the blog has regional coverage on uranium mining in the western U.S. Link to original post
