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Top Obama Administration officials, in Seattle for a Clean Energy Economy forum, touted new "clean" power sources as a wellspring for new American jobs. But there were surprisingly glowing words for nuclear power. "We're laying a foundation for our economic future: We all believe that a cornerstone of that will be a clean energy economy," said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency boss Lisa Jackson. But an administration colleague, Undersecretary of Energy Kristina Johnson, praised nuclear energy - even though a collapsing nuclear construction program once threatened to melt down the Northwest's economy.

Top Obama Administration officials, in Seattle for a Clean Energy Economy forum, touted new "clean" power sources as a wellspring for new American jobs. But there were surprisingly glowing words for nuclear power. "We're laying a foundation for our economic future: We all believe that a cornerstone of that will be a clean energy economy," said U.S. Environmental Protection Agency boss Lisa Jackson. But an administration colleague, Undersecretary of Energy Kristina Johnson, praised nuclear energy - even though a collapsing nuclear construction program once threatened to melt down the Northwest's economy.

Nuclear energy has always had something of a bad reputation-a volatile, barely containable force that nobody wants in their neighborhood. But with the planet heating up, the economy floundering, and the world economy striving for safer energy alternatives, it's time to ask: does nuclear power really deserve its negative stigma, and does it hold promise as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels? Nuclear Plant Safety Safety has always been a concern regarding nuclear plants, and one of the primary factors motivating people to keep nuclear plants away from their homes. Three Mile Island and Chernobyl are two of the first things that come to mind when many consider hosting a nuclear power plant, and neither are particularly cheering images. When compared to other power plants, however, nuclear energy is actually one of the safest options. According to a study by the Paul Scherrer Institute, there have been only seven major nuclear accidents ever, accounting for approximately 64 deaths and 220 latent fatalities.

Nuclear energy has always had something of a bad reputation-a volatile, barely containable force that nobody wants in their neighborhood. But with the planet heating up, the economy floundering, and the world economy striving for safer energy alternatives, it's time to ask: does nuclear power really deserve its negative stigma, and does it hold promise as a renewable alternative to fossil fuels? Nuclear Plant Safety Safety has always been a concern regarding nuclear plants, and one of the primary factors motivating people to keep nuclear plants away from their homes. Three Mile Island and Chernobyl are two of the first things that come to mind when many consider hosting a nuclear power plant, and neither are particularly cheering images. When compared to other power plants, however, nuclear energy is actually one of the safest options. According to a study by the Paul Scherrer Institute, there have been only seven major nuclear accidents ever, accounting for approximately 64 deaths and 220 latent fatalities.

Noting that there is not going to be a magic cure for Pakistan's ailing energy sector, the Obama Administration has said the US is looking to transform energy economy of the country. However, it made no reference to the nuclear energy as one of the option to bail out Pakistan from its deepening energy crisis. Following the US-India civilian nuclear deal last year, Pakistan has been asking for a similar agreement with the US, but America has been resisting from it, given the concerns it has about Islamabad's past record with regard to nuclear proliferation, in particular the A Q Khan network.

Noting that there is not going to be a magic cure for Pakistan's ailing energy sector, the Obama Administration has said the US is looking to transform energy economy of the country. However, it made no reference to the nuclear energy as one of the option to bail out Pakistan from its deepening energy crisis. Following the US-India civilian nuclear deal last year, Pakistan has been asking for a similar agreement with the US, but America has been resisting from it, given the concerns it has about Islamabad's past record with regard to nuclear proliferation, in particular the A Q Khan network.

Nuclear power critics cite an ailing U.S. economy as yet another reason to rethink the controversial energy source. "We're in a new world of hurt," said longtime energy insider S. David Freeman. "The economy is shrinking. Take a fresh look. There are other alternatives." Freeman tours Texas newspapers this week to promote energy efficiency and alternative sources - solar, wind and other renewables.

Even Bulgaria's ever optimistic Economy and Energy Minister Petar Dimitrov has had to concede that the country's plans to build a second nuclear power plant at Belene on the Danube River face an uphill struggle to secure financing for construction to begin.

S.C. Gov. Mark Sanford cited expectations of tougher environmental regulations, rising coal prices and a weak economy Wednesday as he came out against a state-owned utility's plan to build a $1.25 billion coal-fired plant. Sanford said Obama administration rules on mercury emissions and expected caps on carbon dioxide emissions would double the plant's cost. Meanwhile, Sanford said, dire predictions of brownouts during the next decade won't play out because the economy won't grow fast enough to create demand at the heart of arguments for building the plant near Florence. And, Sanford said, coal prices have nearly tripled from projections used to justify the plant.

Japan launched an organisation Thursday to help other countries promote nuclear power generation which is increasingly in demand in the age of global warming, officials said. The new body, the International Nuclear Energy Cooperation Council, comprises representatives from government branches, power utilities, nuclear power plant makers and research organisations, they said. It will help the makers' overseas expansion while there are requests from Asian and Middle East countries for Japan's help in the field, according to the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. "Nuclear power plants have been revalued from the viewpoints of ensuring energy sources and dealing with global warming," Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshihiro Nikai told an inaugural meeting of the council. "Japan has a long track record in safe operation of nuclear power plants and it has become a model for peaceful use of nuclear power," he said.

"President Obama's commitment for federal loans for two advanced plants in Georgia is an important step for clean energy and a revitalized economy. President Obama's announcement that the federal government would guarantee loans for two advanced-design nuclear plants in Georgia was good news. The commitment jump-starts the U.S. nuclear energy industry at a time when we have begun to understand that nuclear energy has a substantial role to play in combating climate change and supplying power. More important for the near term, the administration is putting nuclear energy at the center of its push to revitalize the economy."

A plan to dismantle Zion's nuclear power plant will be delayed by up to 15 months because the fund that will pay for the $1 billion decommissioning has declined in value, officials announced this week. The fund's value, estimated at $900 million in January, has dropped by about 10 percent because of the declining economy, said Marshall Murphy, spokesman for Exelon Nuclear, which is responsible for fund oversight and owns the power plant.

An "excessive exuberance" for expansion in the U.S. nuclear power industry has calmed because of the global credit and economic crisis, the head of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission said on Tuesday. Separately, a GE Hitachi Nuclear Energy official warned that the lack of credit will slow the pace of U.S. nuclear power development. U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission Chairman Dale Klein said in the past two years he worried whether there would be enough NRC staff to review an avalanche of licenses for new nuclear power plants, none of which have been ordered since the 1970s. "Today, of course, the picture looks a little different ... it seems like the global economy has resolved the issue of what I referred to as an 'excessive exuberance' to be in line for the first new reactor builds," Klein said in a speech to NRC staff in Washington.

Last week House Energy and Commerce members approved by 51-6 an amendment to the Waxman-Markey bill offered by Rep. John Dingell (D-MI) to create a clean energy bank . As Greenwire explained, the amendment would "create an autonomous Clean Energy Deployment Administration (CEDA) within the Energy Department" that would "provide a suite of financing options, including direct loans, letters of credit, loan guarantees, insurance products and others" for "energy production, transmission, storage and other areas that could reduce greenhouse gases, diversify energy supplies and save energy." CEDA must adopt a "portfolio investment approach" and "ensure no particular technology receives more than 30 percent of the total funding available." John Podesta and Karen Kornbluh explain why we need a clean energy bank in a post first published here. The picture is of a worker makes adjustings before a section of a wind turbine is put into place at Energy Northwest's Nine Canyon Wind Project near Finley, WA, the kind of clean energy project the bank could help accelerate. The United States is falling behind in the space race of our generation-building long-term economic prosperity powered by low-carbon energy. China's stimulus package invests $12.6 million every hour in greening its economy, for a total of $220 billion, twice as much as similar U.S. investments. Meanwhile, during the most recent economic expansion the average American family paid more than $1,100 a year in rising energy bills for U.S. policies that favor fossil fuels.

Indian Point and federal regulators have reached an agreement that will allow a reactor to sit dormant - under monitoring - for as long as 50 years while its parent company accrues enough money to safely tear it down. The agreement comes eight months after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission discovered a $38.6 million shortfall in the decommissioning trust fund for Indian Point's Unit 2. Federal laws require Entergy, Indian Point's parent company, to show it would have enough money to shut down and dismantle the unit by the end of its life. Entergy also wants license adjustment Entergy is also seeking a change to its license that would allow an auxiliary feedwater pump in Unit 3 to be out of commission for a longer period of time. The license currently allows the pump to be out of service for 72 hours. Entergy wants permission for it to be inactive for 106 hours so that it can evaluate and fix high vibrations that are affecting the pump. The pump is important because it provides water to a steam generator. The steam then turns the turbines and creates electricity. Because Entergy's request involves a chanage to its operating license, the public is allowed to submit requests for a hearing until mid-February. Requests should be submitted to the NRC. Adam Bosch Unit 2 is licensed until 2013, but Entergy is seeking a 20-year renewal. Entergy's investment fund for decommissioning had fallen behind because of the slumping economy, company spokesman Jerry Nappi said.

Indian Point and federal regulators have reached an agreement that will allow a reactor to sit dormant - under monitoring - for as long as 50 years while its parent company accrues enough money to safely tear it down. The agreement comes eight months after the Nuclear Regulatory Commission discovered a $38.6 million shortfall in the decommissioning trust fund for Indian Point's Unit 2. Federal laws require Entergy, Indian Point's parent company, to show it would have enough money to shut down and dismantle the unit by the end of its life. Entergy also wants license adjustment Entergy is also seeking a change to its license that would allow an auxiliary feedwater pump in Unit 3 to be out of commission for a longer period of time. The license currently allows the pump to be out of service for 72 hours. Entergy wants permission for it to be inactive for 106 hours so that it can evaluate and fix high vibrations that are affecting the pump. The pump is important because it provides water to a steam generator. The steam then turns the turbines and creates electricity. Because Entergy's request involves a chanage to its operating license, the public is allowed to submit requests for a hearing until mid-February. Requests should be submitted to the NRC. Adam Bosch Unit 2 is licensed until 2013, but Entergy is seeking a 20-year renewal. Entergy's investment fund for decommissioning had fallen behind because of the slumping economy, company spokesman Jerry Nappi said.

Today, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the issue of a final rule amending the Department of Energy's regulations for its Loan Guarantee Program. The revised rule will allow for increased participation in the program by financial institutions and other investors and enable the support of more innovative energy technologies in the United States. "This much needed change will provide greater flexibility to the Loan Guarantee Program and help us to support more projects at a better value to taxpayers," said Secretary Chu. "This is part of our commitment to ensuring businesses are able to access the support they need to create jobs and contribute to a clean energy economy." Under the rule change, the Loan Guarantee Program will be able to consider financing projects together with other lenders and will be able to provide loan guarantees to projects with multiple participants (who may hold undivided interests in a project). As an example, export credit agencies and other financial institutions will now be able to provide financing to complement Title XVII loans and loan guarantees. This approach will result in lowered risk and potential costs to taxpayers.

Today, Energy Secretary Steven Chu announced the issue of a final rule amending the Department of Energy's regulations for its Loan Guarantee Program. The revised rule will allow for increased participation in the program by financial institutions and other investors and enable the support of more innovative energy technologies in the United States. "This much needed change will provide greater flexibility to the Loan Guarantee Program and help us to support more projects at a better value to taxpayers," said Secretary Chu. "This is part of our commitment to ensuring businesses are able to access the support they need to create jobs and contribute to a clean energy economy." Under the rule change, the Loan Guarantee Program will be able to consider financing projects together with other lenders and will be able to provide loan guarantees to projects with multiple participants (who may hold undivided interests in a project). As an example, export credit agencies and other financial institutions will now be able to provide financing to complement Title XVII loans and loan guarantees. This approach will result in lowered risk and potential costs to taxpayers.

Twenty-one years after TVA halted work on Alabama's biggest construction project, Jackson County officials say they want the federal utility to restart the nuclear plant work to help power the local economy and the Tennessee Valley electricity grid. Ron Bailey, 61 and a former mayor of Scottsboro, said community leaders continue to support plans for a new reactor at Bellefonte - either by finishing the old or building new. "As a taxpayer and ratepayer, I can't help think what a waste of money it is to see that plant sitting there idle," Mr. Bailey said of the unfinished $4 billion complex in Hollywood, Ala. "But as an elected official and Chamber of Commerce supporter, I also see the plant as a tremendous opportunity for our future for both jobs and energy."

Twenty-one years after TVA halted work on Alabama's biggest construction project, Jackson County officials say they want the federal utility to restart the nuclear plant work to help power the local economy and the Tennessee Valley electricity grid. Ron Bailey, 61 and a former mayor of Scottsboro, said community leaders continue to support plans for a new reactor at Bellefonte - either by finishing the old or building new. "As a taxpayer and ratepayer, I can't help think what a waste of money it is to see that plant sitting there idle," Mr. Bailey said of the unfinished $4 billion complex in Hollywood, Ala. "But as an elected official and Chamber of Commerce supporter, I also see the plant as a tremendous opportunity for our future for both jobs and energy."

* Russian supplies to keep filling global supply gap * Russia seeks lucrative direct deals with U.S. firms * Eyes China, India and other markets * Uranium mines to expand production By Robin Paxton MOSCOW, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Nearly one in 10 U.S. households runs on power from Soviet nuclear bombs. Now Russia hopes its Cold War arsenal, twinned with fast-growing uranium mines and enrichment capacity, will also be powering China, India and other booming economies when a 20-year nuclear fuel pact with the United States expires in 2013. Russia has expressed no desire to refresh the 'Megatons to Megawatts' programme, under which it will recycle the equivalent of 20,000 nuclear warheads and create enough uranium to power the entire United States for two years.

* Russian supplies to keep filling global supply gap * Russia seeks lucrative direct deals with U.S. firms * Eyes China, India and other markets * Uranium mines to expand production By Robin Paxton MOSCOW, Dec 10 (Reuters) - Nearly one in 10 U.S. households runs on power from Soviet nuclear bombs. Now Russia hopes its Cold War arsenal, twinned with fast-growing uranium mines and enrichment capacity, will also be powering China, India and other booming economies when a 20-year nuclear fuel pact with the United States expires in 2013. Russia has expressed no desire to refresh the 'Megatons to Megawatts' programme, under which it will recycle the equivalent of 20,000 nuclear warheads and create enough uranium to power the entire United States for two years.

In announcing its application to extend the life of Diablo Canyon nuclear reactors until 2045, PG&E emphasized the taxes it contributes to the local economy. However, there is a long list of unresolved safety and security issues that were not acknowledged. Storing radioactive waste next to two earthquake faults presents a permanent hazard. Neither the faults nor the waste will ever go away. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Homeland Security declare that all nuclear plants are targets of terrorists, and the San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace has a lawsuit pending in federal court regarding the vulnerability of the wastes stored at Diablo. In addition, the NRC is currently investigating why and how Diablo operated for a full 18 months with a defect in the controls of the system designed to flood the Unit 2 reactor in the event of an accident or sabotage causing a loss of essential cooling water. Diablo property taxes do not compensate for the safety hazards inherent in the nuclear reactors and waste storage.

In announcing its application to extend the life of Diablo Canyon nuclear reactors until 2045, PG&E emphasized the taxes it contributes to the local economy. However, there is a long list of unresolved safety and security issues that were not acknowledged. Storing radioactive waste next to two earthquake faults presents a permanent hazard. Neither the faults nor the waste will ever go away. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Homeland Security declare that all nuclear plants are targets of terrorists, and the San Luis Obispo Mothers for Peace has a lawsuit pending in federal court regarding the vulnerability of the wastes stored at Diablo. In addition, the NRC is currently investigating why and how Diablo operated for a full 18 months with a defect in the controls of the system designed to flood the Unit 2 reactor in the event of an accident or sabotage causing a loss of essential cooling water. Diablo property taxes do not compensate for the safety hazards inherent in the nuclear reactors and waste storage.

Weakening Wisconsin laws regulating new nuclear reactors should not be part of a climate change bill. The Clean Energy Jobs Act, unveiled in the state Legislature recently, is a significant step toward addressing global warming while strengthening our state economy. Although much of the bill is a positive step to addressing global warming, it weakens Wisconsin's current law on building new nuclear reactors. Wisconsin's current law is common sense and protects citizens and the environment from radioactive nuclear waste, which poses considerable risks for tens thousands of years and contains plutonium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons if separated. Available renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies are faster, cheaper, safer and cleaner strategies for reducing greenhouse emissions than nuclear power.

Weakening Wisconsin laws regulating new nuclear reactors should not be part of a climate change bill. The Clean Energy Jobs Act, unveiled in the state Legislature recently, is a significant step toward addressing global warming while strengthening our state economy. Although much of the bill is a positive step to addressing global warming, it weakens Wisconsin's current law on building new nuclear reactors. Wisconsin's current law is common sense and protects citizens and the environment from radioactive nuclear waste, which poses considerable risks for tens thousands of years and contains plutonium, which can be used to make nuclear weapons if separated. Available renewable energy and energy efficiency technologies are faster, cheaper, safer and cleaner strategies for reducing greenhouse emissions than nuclear power.

Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd (JNFL) has announced a postponement to the start of construction of its mixed oxide (MOX) fuel plant and a delay in installing new centrifuges at its enrichment plant. The company has requested that Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Meti) revise its original application for the construction of its MOX fuel plant to allow for a further six month before the start of its construction. Construction of the J-MOX fabrication facility at Rokkasho had originally been scheduled to begin in 2007, but has been delayed by reviews of seismic criteria. In April, JNFL said that it planned to start work last month, with an expected start-up date of June 2015 for the plant, revising the date of 2012 specified in an earlier construction application.

Japan Nuclear Fuel Ltd (JNFL) has announced a postponement to the start of construction of its mixed oxide (MOX) fuel plant and a delay in installing new centrifuges at its enrichment plant. The company has requested that Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Meti) revise its original application for the construction of its MOX fuel plant to allow for a further six month before the start of its construction. Construction of the J-MOX fabrication facility at Rokkasho had originally been scheduled to begin in 2007, but has been delayed by reviews of seismic criteria. In April, JNFL said that it planned to start work last month, with an expected start-up date of June 2015 for the plant, revising the date of 2012 specified in an earlier construction application.

"The Nuclear Energy Institute spent $460,000 lobbying in the fourth quarter, focusing on legislation that promotes nuclear power as a way to reduce global warming, promote energy independence and make the transition to a more clean energy economy. That's about $90,000 less than was spent in the third quarter and $40,000 less than what was spent in the year-ago period. Backers of nuclear power predict a nuclear renaissance in the U.S., three decades after the Three Mile Island nuclear accident halted all new reactor orders, as the country looks to cut emissions of carbon dioxide. Last month, President Barack Obama announced the first federal loan guarantees for a project in Georgia."

More than a third of the $4.2 billion in federal grants and contracts sent so far to South Carolina to revive the economy has gone to the former Savannah River nuclear weapons facility, according to an analysis of federal data by The Greenville News. The stimulus awards amount to about $954 for each S.C. resident - the nation's third-highest per-capita rate behind only the District of Columbia and Alaska, the paper found. STIMULATED Richland County, home to the state capital, received the largest chunk of stimulus money among South Carolina's counties, according to the analysis. Much of Richland's funding went to state agencies to be used across South Carolina. Aiken was second because of large earmarks to clean up the Savannah River nuclear complex: 1. Richland - $2.2 billion 2. Aiken - $1.6 billion 3. Greenville - $76.3 million

More than a third of the $4.2 billion in federal grants and contracts sent so far to South Carolina to revive the economy has gone to the former Savannah River nuclear weapons facility, according to an analysis of federal data by The Greenville News. The stimulus awards amount to about $954 for each S.C. resident - the nation's third-highest per-capita rate behind only the District of Columbia and Alaska, the paper found. STIMULATED Richland County, home to the state capital, received the largest chunk of stimulus money among South Carolina's counties, according to the analysis. Much of Richland's funding went to state agencies to be used across South Carolina. Aiken was second because of large earmarks to clean up the Savannah River nuclear complex: 1. Richland - $2.2 billion 2. Aiken - $1.6 billion 3. Greenville - $76.3 million