Obama announces new nuclear power plant construction

This may persuade the more right-leaning in Congress to back a new climate and energy bill that is now expected to pass not until after the midterm elections in November.  That’s a long ways off so it’s good that business and clean tech industries are not waiting for our government to actually do anything on climate change.  It’s not clear if they ever will, but I would call this a good step towards a type of clean energy that is much better than something like the Canadian oil and tar sands.  It will also create about 3,800 jobs.  (see below)

. . . .President Obama just announced his administration will provide more than $8 billion in loan guarantees to help build a nuclear power plant in Georgia.

The anticipated announcement, made to union electricians and others at a job training facility in Lanham, Maryland, begins to fulfill a pledge the president made in his State of the Union address, his budget and in a meeting with the nation’s governors this month to recharge the nuclear energy industry after a 30-year hiatus.

“We’re going to have to build a new generation of safe, clean nuclear power plants in America,” Obama said. “This is only the beginning. My budget proposes tripling the loan guarantees we provide to help finance safe, clean nuclear facilities.”

The budget would add $36 billion to an existing $18.5 billion in available loan guarantees, for a total of $54.5 billion. Federal regulators are reviewing applications for 22 plants to be built in the next two decades.  Source — USA Today

Many environmental groups who have traditionally been against nuclear energy are coming up with all kinds of reasons why this is bad.  I can think of only one reason why this is questionable:  there is no permanent place to store nuclear waste, although there are plenty of temporary places to store it, like on-site, which is where most of it is.  It is safe where it is now, but eventually it will have to be moved.  The other concerns, especially that it’s very expensive, may also be a concern but to me they are merely an excuse to be opposed to it. Coal is more frightening and damaging to the environment in every way imaginable than nuclear power, and the new kinds of nuclear power being developed will address and possibly solve the nuclear waste problem.   Above is the video from the White House today; and below is more that was said by President Obama in making his announcement.

Earlier today in Maryland, President Obama spoke about the importance of clean energy for the country’s future.

Whether it’s nuclear energy, or solar or wind energy, if we fail to invest in the technologies of tomorrow, then we’re going to be importing those technologies instead of exporting them.  We will fall behind.  Jobs will be produced overseas, instead of here in the United States of America.  [...]