Nixon and Franken on Nuclear Energy

Hard not to be pleased by Missouri Governor Jay Nixon’s decision to support a new unit at the state’s Callaway nuclear plant, announced a couple of months ago. But at his state of the state address, he went much, much further:

Every business in Missouri needs reliable, affordable energy to grow and prosper.

And every Missouri family needs reliable, affordable energy to heat and cool their homes.

In November, I announced a historic agreement that will transform the economy of our state - creating thousands of jobs and benefitting millions of Missouri consumers of electric power.

That agreement put the wheels in motion for the construction of a second, state-of-the-art nuclear power plant in Callaway County.

Missouri has some of the lowest electric rates in the nation. That's attractive to businesses and families. But as our energy needs grow, we need to be looking now for new sources of clean, abundant and affordable power.

Building a second nuclear plant will create thousands of good-paying jobs for all our construction trades: iron and sheet metal workers; carpenters and cement masons; boilermakers and bricklayers; plumbers and pipefitters; teamsters and laborers; electrical workers and operating engineers.

They built Callaway One. And they will build Callaway Two.

As we move ahead on Callaway Two, we must make sure that we protect the interests of Missouri ratepayers - and their pocketbooks . That is why my budget includes more funding for a strong office of public counsel.

Building the next generation of nuclear power plants. Advancing the frontiers of biotechnology. The 21^st Century economy is knowledge-based, and the best jobs will belong to those with the best education.

Wow. Keep an eye on NEI’s YouTube channel. If we can grab this speech, we will.

---

And if that didn’t impress you, I bet this will:

A discussion with former Vice President Al Gore caused Minnesota Sen. Al Franken (D) to change his opinion on nuclear power.

During a meeting with the Post-Bulletin editorial board last week, Franken said that during the 2008 campaign his position was that there needed to be a solution to nuclear waste storage before nuclear power expanded. That's changed.

Franken said he asked Gore about the issue. Gore told him he believes that advances in technology can keep up with increased use of nuclear power and lead to better ways to monitor and store the waste.

A little more:

Franken went on to say this "represents something of a change for me." He said there are certainly pros and cons to the nuclear issue, but he believes expanding nuclear power will help solve global warming.

"Nuclear has to be a part of the solution to that," he said.

Uh, double wow?

Al Franken in his Washington office.