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U.S. President Announces Loan Guarantees of 8 Billion for Construction of New Nuclear at Vogtle Site
February 16, 2010
Amongst President Obama’s remarks were the following:
“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. And that's not a future that I accept.
Now, I know it’s been long assumed that those who champion the environment are opposed to nuclear power. But the fact is, even though we’ve not broken ground on a new power plant -- new nuclear
plant in 30 years, nuclear energy remains our largest source of fuel that produces no carbon emissions. To meet our growing energy needs and
prevent the worst consequences of climate change, we'll need to increase our supply of nuclear power. It's that simple. ...
We're not going to achieve a big boost in nuclear capacity unless we also create a system of incentives to make clean energy profitable. Energy leaders and
experts recognize that as long as producing carbon pollution carries no cost, traditional plants that use fossil fuels will be more
cost-effective than plants that use nuclear fuel.
That's why we need comprehensive energy and climate legislation, and why this legislation has
drawn support from across the ideological spectrum. ...
As the CEOs standing behind me will tell you, nuclear power generates waste, and we need to
accelerate our efforts to find ways of storing this waste safely and disposing of it. That's why we've asked a bipartisan group of leaders and
nuclear experts to examine this challenge. And these plants also have to be held to the highest and strictest safety standards to answer the
legitimate concerns of Americans who live near and far from these facilities.
The full speech can be accessed at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/remarks-president-energy-lanham-maryland.
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