GOP Energy Legislation Offers Corporate Subsidies to Build New U.S. Nuclear Power Plants

Interview with Michael Mariotte, executive director of the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, conducted by Between the Lines' Melinda Tuhus

When the Bush administration first took office, Vice President Dick Cheney held a series of closed-door meetings with corporate executives, including officials from Enron, to assist in the formulation of White House energy policy. After the collapse of Enron and the scandals surrounding California's electricity deregulation, Congress unsuccessfully sought records of those meetings to determine how much influence people like Enron CEO Ken Lay may have had on the president's energy policy. With Republicans in control of the White House and Congress, the Bush administration is continuing its push to weaken environmental regulations now preventing the exploitation of oil and coal reserves in wilderness areas.

Another cornerstone of Bush and Cheney's secretly-arrived at energy policy is promotion of nuclear power. The Republican-controlled Congress is ready to go along. An energy bill already passed by the GOP-led House offers corporate subsidies for the construction of new nuclear power plants across the U.S. A companion bill is now being debated in the Senate.

Since the 1979 nuclear accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, grassroots opposition to nuclear power has effectively prevented the construction of more new atomic power plants than currently operate in the U.S. Between The Lines' Melinda Tuhus spoke with Michael Mariotte, executive director of NIRS, the Nuclear Information and Resource Service, who discusses provisions in the Republican energy bill and what opponents are doing to mitigate its worst aspects.

Contact the Nuclear Information and Resource Service by calling (202) 328-0002 or visit their Web site at www.nirs.org

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