Nuclear Energy Institute

Paul Newman on Nuclear Energy

NEI Nuclear Notes — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:59:00 GMT

The National Review has a terrific piece on our old friend Paul Newman and his support for nuclear energy. Here's a taster : “In all the meetings I had with Paul Newman, he struck me as very open-minded and inquisitive,” says [Denis Beller, a professor of engineering at the University of Nevada]. “He came out to Nevada in 2002 and visited the Harry Reid Center for Environmental...(read more)

India Notes NEI on the US-India Agreement

NEI Nuclear Notes — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 14:57:00 GMT

NEI has been supportive of the US-India nuclear trade agreement and worked to help it along its winding trail through the international and national thickets where it could. The Indians have noticed this, as this story from NDTV demonstrates: Nuclear Energy Institute, the policy arm of US nuclear energy industry, has welcomed the Congressional ratification of the historic US India Civilian Nuclear...(read more)

Congress Introduces Legislation to Tap Thorium as a New Source of Power for the Country

NEI Nuclear Notes — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 13:20:00 GMT

Kirk Sorensen has the story : The following legislation has been introduced in the US Senate today by Senator Orrin Hatch and Senator Harry Reid: A BILL To amend the Atomic Energy Act of 1954 to provide for thorium fuel cycle nuclear power generation. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may...(read more)

The VP Debate

NEI Nuclear Notes — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 10:55:00 GMT

If you watched last night's VP candidate debate hoping to hear a discussion about nuclear energy in the U.S., you were a little disappointed. Indeed, the only mention of the issue came during this exchange between Sen. Joe Biden and Gov. Sarah Palin over climate change. Biden : Well, I think it is manmade. I think it's clearly manmade. And, look, this probably explains the biggest fundamental...(read more)

You Have Nothing to Lose But Your Megawatts

NEI Nuclear Notes — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 20:36:00 GMT

We always found at least one aspect of Soviet culture amusing and that was its tendency to use the most muscular language imaginable to make its points. "Cast off your chains," "Proletarians of all nations, unite," and our favorite, "Let live forever in the people's memory the unparalleled achievement of the Leninist guard of October." Piquant, yet slightly salty Read...(read more)

Google's "Clean Energy 2030" Plan

NEI Nuclear Notes — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 19:15:00 GMT

Google.org (not the Google.com everyone is familiar with) just released a plan "to wean the U.S. off of coal and oil for electricity generation by 2030." I have to say I'm a bit disappointed with their plan because even though nuclear power is somewhat a part of it, Google doesn't give nuclear power much consideration. What's their plan? In order to achieve much of their goal...(read more)

Friends of the Earth Bailout Ad: A Response

NEI Nuclear Notes — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:38:00 GMT

Friends of the Earth , a grassroots environmental activist organization, has initiated a new national ad campaign focused on nuclear energy. Against the backdrop of the nation’s banking crisis, the campaign alleges that the Energy Department’s federal loan guarantee program will necessitate a “preemptive government bailout” for the nuclear energy industry. The campaign kicked off with a YouTube ad...(read more)

McCain on the U.S.-India Nuclear Agreement

NEI Nuclear Notes — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 14:32:00 GMT

The McCain campaign press office has just released this statement, "Yesterday, the U.S. Congress passed legislation clearing the way for the U.S.-India Civil-Nuclear Agreement to come into force. Governor Palin and I congratulate the Congress on moving this important legislation forward. India has been a responsible democracy and this agreement allows it to become further integrated into the global...(read more)

U.S. - India Agreement Passes in Senate

NEI Nuclear Notes — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 13:36:00 GMT

Last night, the Senate voted 86-13 to approve the U.S.-India Nuclear Agreement ( H.R.7081 ). The deal, agreed to in principle in July 2005, passed in the House last week , 298 - 117. Here's a breakout of the Senate vote. Alabama : Sessions (R-AL), Yea Shelby (R-AL), Yea Alaska : Murkowski (R-AK), Yea Stevens (R-AK), Yea Arizona : Kyl (R-AZ), Yea McCain (R-AZ), Yea Arkansas : Lincoln (D-AR), Yea...(read more)

Google's Birthday

NEI Nuclear Notes — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 20:07:00 GMT

As part of its 10-year anniversary celebration, Google is regifting all sorts of online widgets and indexes. The latest present to users offers the ability to search Google as it was back in 2001 . And while the search results for all permutations of " nuclear " and " nucular " were interesting enough, this moment provides an opportunity to plug a favorite non-Google widget: the...(read more)

A Blueprint for Securing America's Energy Future

NEI Nuclear Notes — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:52:00 GMT

The Institute for 21st Century Energy , an affiliate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, released its Blueprint for Securing America's Energy Future [PDF] earlier today, calling for the significant expansion of nuclear power in the U.S. The Institute made nine recommendations: Congress should increase the loan guarantee authority of DOE’s Loan Guarantee Program commensurate with the capital cost of...(read more)

Hat in Hand? The IAEA Talks Money Woes

NEI Nuclear Notes — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 19:30:00 GMT

If everything is timing, now was not the right time for the International Atomic Energy Agency to start a fundraising effort: The International Atomic Energy Agency chief urged 145 member states on Monday to come to grips with an IAEA funding crisis undermining its ability to prevent nuclear proliferation threats. Opening the IAEA's annual assembly, Mohamed ElBaradei called for urgent steps to...(read more)

Obama Campaigns in Nevada

NEI Nuclear Notes — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 15:49:00 GMT

At a speech to be delivered later this afternoon on the quad of the University of Nevada, Reno campus, Senator Obama has some things to say about rebuilding the grid and nuclear. To create new jobs, I’ll invest in rebuilding our crumbling infrastructure – our roads, schools, and bridges. We’ll rebuild our outdated electricity grid and build new broadband lines to connect America. And I’ll create the...(read more)

Indian-U.S. Deal Inches Forward

NEI Nuclear Notes — Mon, 29 Sep 2008 18:22:00 GMT

Inching, yes, but given that congress has been otherwise engaged during the last week, we'll take it : The US House of Representatives has approved a landmark nuclear deal with India, removing one of two final obstacles to a foreign policy victory for the Bush administration. While the House approved the deal 298-117 on Saturday, it still faces a hurdle in the Senate. Several senators oppose the...(read more)

Paul Newman (1925-2008)

NEI Nuclear Notes — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 04:23:00 GMT

People around my age picked up Paul Newman's career somewhere in the seventies, when he was lending his light gravitas to big bucks commercial clangers like When Time Ran Out or amusing himself with auteurist follies like Quintet – two hours of Newman in the snow, swaddled in heavy fur. If he had been anything like an actor, it had been for my parents, not me, and he was about as relevant as Olivia...(read more)