Nuclear Energy Considered as Alternative to Help Biden Reach Climate Goals

November 4, 2021 by Tom Ramstack
Nuclear Energy Considered as Alternative to Help Biden Reach Climate Goals

WASHINGTON — Representatives of the nuclear power industry tried to convince a Senate panel Thursday that much of the answer to reducing global warming is already within our grasp.

Nuclear energy technology has advanced beyond the horrors of meltdowns and city-killing blasts to become a practical way of powering the nation’s electrical grid, they said.

It also could be turned over to private companies to produce medical treatments, hydrogen for a new breed of vehicle engines and to desalinate seawater for municipal water systems.

“Nuclear energy is a proven, low-emission option that can provide consistent, dispatchable power to meet electricity demands,” said Shannon Bragg-Sitton, a division director for Idaho National Laboratory.

She testified before the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources as it tried to determine whether new nuclear power systems could help the Biden administration reach its goal of eliminating fossil fuels in the U.S. by 2035.

Separately, she told The Well News that nuclear energy has the advantage of being multifaceted.

“As part of integrated energy systems, current and future nuclear reactors would continue to generate electricity when demand is high,” she said. “But when demand is low, or when ample electricity is available from renewables, those reactors could divert excess energy in the form of heat, steam or electricity to a wide range of applications — from purifying water and heating greenhouses to producing hydrogen and manufacturing steel.”

Much of the U.S. power grid is fueled by coal-fired and hydropower plants, which were built for the sole purpose of generating electricity.

Any new development of nuclear power as an alternative energy source is likely to depend on votes pending in Congress on Biden’s aggressive climate policy.

The president proposes $555 billion in programs to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and clean up the environment. Alternative energy, such as solar, wind generators and nuclear power, would receive big infusions of money to replace oil and gas under Biden’s proposal.

If Biden’s plan for infrastructure improvements are added, Congress would allocate more than $900 billion to climate change through grants, tax credits and other measures.

A final vote could come as soon as next week. So far, it is stalled by Republicans and two holdout Democrats who are concerned Biden’s plan would add too much to the federal deficit.

The president returned to Washington Tuesday from the COP26 climate change summit in Glasgow, Scotland, where he committed the U.S. to join in reducing methane emissions and reversing global deforestation by 2030.

Sen. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., chairman of the Senate Committee on Energy and Natural Resources, said during the hearing Thursday, “I believe advanced nuclear reactors hold enormous potential to provide opportunity to communities across the country with zero-emission, baseload power.”

He also acknowledged steep challenges with current energy supplies.

Industrial emissions have increased 69% since 1990, Manchin said. They make up about 28% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Meanwhile, developing countries are trying to help their economies by investing in more energy-intensive industries, meaning the outlook for global warming is getting worse without a shift to more clean energy, he said.

“This shift is an enormous opportunity to deploy new technologies domestically and abroad to promote job growth here in the U.S. as the demand for nuclear technologies that reduce emissions and deliver industrial products such as hydrogen, chemical feedstock, district heating, water purification and building materials increases,” Manchin said.

Michael J. Guastella, executive director of the Council on Radionuclides and Radiopharmaceuticals, Inc., said more than 20 million medical procedures using radioactive material are performed in the U.S. every year. However, the U.S. lacks the facilities to produce the material, instead relying on imports.

“Nuclear medicine is integral to the care of patients with cancer, heart disease and brain disorders,” Guastella said.

Licensing reactors to produce the material for nuclear medicine could relieve the dependence of U.S. hospitals on foreign suppliers, he said.  

Tom can be reached at [email protected]

A+
a-
  • climate
  • Joe Biden
  • nuclear energy
  • In The News

    Health

    Voting

    Climate

    March 20, 2024
    by Dan McCue
    White House Unveils Sweeping Rules to Speed Switch to Cleaner Cars

    WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration on Wednesday rolled out an ambitious new regulatory regime aimed at bolstering the standards of... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The Biden-Harris administration on Wednesday rolled out an ambitious new regulatory regime aimed at bolstering the standards of electric and hybrid vehicles by placing new restrictions on tailpipe emissions. According to administration officials, who briefed reporters on the new rules during a conference call... Read More

    March 15, 2024
    by Tom Ramstack
    Senate Told Growing Wildfire Threat Needs New Strategies

    WASHINGTON — The number of wildfires driven by climate change has grown but the U.S. effort to control them has... Read More

    WASHINGTON — The number of wildfires driven by climate change has grown but the U.S. effort to control them has not, according to emergency response officials at a Senate hearing Thursday. At least not fast enough to prevent disasters like the fire that ravaged Maui in... Read More

    Storm Carrying Massive 'Gorilla Hail' Hits Parts of Kansas and Missouri

    ST. LOUIS (AP) — Massive chunks of hail pelted parts of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday night, bringing traffic to... Read More

    ST. LOUIS (AP) — Massive chunks of hail pelted parts of Kansas and Missouri on Wednesday night, bringing traffic to a standstill along Interstate 70, as storms unleashed possible tornadoes and meteorologists urged residents to stay indoors. There were three unconfirmed reports of tornadoes in Wabaunsee... Read More

    Climate, a Major Separator for Biden and Trump, Is a Dividing Line in Many Other Races

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The race for the White House isn’t the only one with big stakes for climate policy.... Read More

    RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) — The race for the White House isn’t the only one with big stakes for climate policy. In campaigns for Congress and for governor around the country, candidates are talking about how green the grid should be, too. Voters are increasingly feeling the impacts... Read More

    The First-Ever European Climate Risk Assessment Finds a Continent Unprepared for Growing Extremes

    Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared for them, the European Environment Agency said in its first-ever risk... Read More

    Europe is facing growing climate risks and is unprepared for them, the European Environment Agency said in its first-ever risk assessment for the bloc Monday. The agency said Europe is prone to more frequent and more punishing weather extremes — including increasing wildfires, drought, more unusual... Read More

    Fewer Fish and More Algae? Scientists Seek to Understand Impacts of Historic Lack of Great Lakes Ice

    RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Michigan Tech University biologists have been observing a remote Lake Superior island's fragile wolf population every... Read More

    RACINE, Wis. (AP) — Michigan Tech University biologists have been observing a remote Lake Superior island's fragile wolf population every winter since 1958, but they had to cut this season's planned seven-week survey short after just two weeks. The ski plane they study the wolves from... Read More

    News From The Well
    scroll top