The U.S. intends to expand the use of nuclear power to generate electricity. The proposal is included in President George W. Bush's Advanced Energy Initiative. The purpose, says Mr. Bush, is to reduce U.S. "dependence on foreign sources of energy":
"Nuclear power generates large amounts of low cost electricity without emitting air pollution or greenhouse gases. Yet nuclear power now produces twenty percent of America's electricity."
Nuclear energy, says Mr. Bush, "has the potential to play an even greater role":
"France has built fifty-eight nuclear power plants and now gets more than seventy-eight percent of its electricity from nuclear power. Yet here in America, we have not ordered a new nuclear power plant since the 1970s. . . . Our goal is to start the construction of new nuclear power plants by the end of this decade."
The U.S. will work "with nations that have advanced civilian nuclear energy programs," says Mr. Bush, "such as France, Japan, and Russia":
"Together, we will develop and deploy innovative, advanced reactors and new methods to recycle spent nuclear fuel. This will allow us to produce more energy, while dramatically reducing the amount of nuclear waste and eliminating the nuclear byproducts that unstable regimes or terrorists could use to make weapons."
The U.S. is committed to helping developing countries meet their growing energy needs by providing them with nuclear reactors that will be secure and cost-effective. Mr. Bush says the U.S. "will also ensure that these nations have a reliable nuclear fuel supply." By working with other countries, he says, the U.S. "can provide the cheap, safe, and clean energy that growing economies need, while reducing the risk of nuclear proliferation."
The preceding was an editorial reflecting the views of the United States Government.
