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In Renewable Energy Legislation, Nuclear Power May Find Exemptions

In Renewable Energy Legislation, Nuclear Power May Find Exemptions redOrbit  5 June 2009 In a law that would mandate utility companies to generate a certain amount of electricity from renewable sources, U.S. legislators are trying to increase incentives for the use of nuclear power and energy efficiency. Nuclear power, however, is not currently considered a renewable electricity source according to the terms laid out in the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee bill. If the bill becomes law, a predetermined percentage of every U.S. utility company’s total power output would have to be dedicated to renewable energy sources.

The Senate committee recently modified the bill to include an amendment authored by Alaskan Senator Lisa Murkowski. Under the modified legislation, any future increase in capacity at existing nuclear power plants or new nuclear power plants would be exempt from the bill’s green energy requirements.

By not including the expansion of output at nuclear power plants, the amendment would allow these power plants to increase energy production without being subject to mandatory increases in the amount of renewable power they generate.

In Renewable Energy Legislation, Nuclear Power May Find Exemptions – Science News – redOrbit

June 6, 2009 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | politics, USA | antinuclear, nuclear, nuclear costs