President Barack Obama will announce on Tuesday plans for the government to help finance the construction of two nuclear reactors -- the first in nearly 30 years, a top US official said.
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I hate to say I told ya so, but "I told you so . . . "
I've had several debates over the past week or so here at Daily Kos, wherein I argued that my global warming "skepticism" (for lack of a better term) derives from my impression that climate change issues are going to be used to justify a number of environmentally and socially destructive policies that would not otherwise be considered, absent the concern about global warming.
Well, here's exhibit A:
Obama, who has advocated reducing foreign energy dependency and cutting back on greenhouse gases, will use a 2005 law that authorizes the Energy Department to guarantee loans to projects that help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Obama "has long believed that nuclear power should be part of our energy mix," a senior administration told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.
. . .
According to the official, Obama's 2011 budget "triples loan guarantees for nuclear-power plants to more than 54 billion dollars."
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It's been 30 years since a nuclear power plant was constructed in the United States. You may differ, but many consider this to be a great victory not only for the environmental movement, but also the peace movement, given the relationships between nuclear power and nuclear weapons. By way of example, stopping Iran from pursing its nuclear power plans will be much more difficult when we ourselves have now acknowledged that nuclear power should be a part of the "energy mix".
I wonder how many of us here at Daily Kos will now express support for restarting the nuclear power plant construction industry. Does the climate crisis "change the game" such that now nuclear power is a progressive priority?