The NEI Clip File

Here are some of the news clips we're reading at NEI today.

The energy bill is the first thing on everyone's mind, with the Senate approving the legislation by a vote of 74-26:

The Senate action a day after the bill breezed through the House completed the first major overhaul of the nation's energy policies in 13 years. The White House said in advance of passage that Bush looked forward to signing it into law, possibly next week.

...The bill provides $14.5 billion in tax breaks and potentially billions more in loan guarantees and other subsidies to encourage oil and gas drilling, improve natural gas and electric transmission lines, build new nuclear power reactors and expand renewable energy sources, especially construction of wind turbines.

Its cost, put at $12.3 billion after revenue offsets, is nearly twice the $6.7 billion price tag the White House had sought.

...The bill's cost was overridden by its widespread political support, in part because it includes something for virtually everyone.

In other news, NB Power's Point Lepreau nuclear power station in New Brunswick, Canada, has been slated for refurbishment:

The Province of New Brunswick will proceed with a C$1.4 billion refurbishment of NB Power's Point Lepreau nuclear power station with Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd as the general contractor, Premier Bernard Lord said at a news conference Friday.

"This is the lowest cost option for the ratepayers of New Brunswick. It makes good economic and environmental sense, while keeping our energy sources diversified," Lord said.

The province is seeking to generate a third of its future energy from nuclear power, a third from renewable sources and a third from existing fossil and hydro sources, Lord said.

NB Power and AECL will start the detailed engineering and procurement this summer, with completion expected by March 2008. The construction of temporary facilities and waste storage will begin in April 2006.

TXU Corp. announced its plans to build a big coal-fired power plant in the state that could reduce emissions that help produce acid rain and ozone:

TXU, which operates power plants fueled by coal, natural gas and nuclear energy, on Wednesday filed for an air permit for the 1,720-megawatt power plant with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, said TXU spokesman Chris Schein.

...The plant would burn Texas lignite coal to produce electricity and use selective catalytic reduction -- SCR -- technology to reduce emissions of nitrogen oxide, which contributes to the formation of acid rain and ozone.

Come back Monday morning for more news from the NEI Clip File.