Working group devoted to nuclear established in White House

london (Platts)--30May2006

A White House official announced last week that a special working group, led
by the National Economic Council, has been established to oversee the
expansion of nuclear power in the US.

Lisa Epifani, special assistant to the president for economic policy on the
NEC, told the Nuclear Energy Assembly in San Francisco that the group is still
in the formative stages. But it is expected that the core members will include
representatives from the White House Council of Economic Advisers, Office of
Management and Budget, Council on Environmental Quality, Office of Science and
Technology Policy, Office of the Vice President, DOE, and Environmental
Protection Agency.

She said the specific activities of the group are still being ironed out, but
the group possibly could serve as a "sounding board" for proposals to advance
nuclear construction, focus on plant licensing issues, request progress
reports from the NRC, partner with state and local leaders, and brief
President George W. Bush's cabinet members on nuclear energy-related matters.

Epifani, 34, has been in her position for less than three months. Prior to
working at the White House, she was the majority counsel for the Senate Energy
and Natural Resources Committee.

Epifani called the expansion of nuclear power a "presidential priority" and
said the working group's aim is to assist in delivering results to meet Bush's
expectations.

One conference attendee noted that Bush has embraced a "solution" to the
global warming dilemma but "won't embrace the problem."

Epifani told the conference that Allan Hubbard, director of the NEC, would
chair the working group. The role of NEC, which is part of the executive
office, is to advise the president on economic issues.

Following her talk, Epifani told reporters that the working group has only met
once, on May 4, and that representatives from EPA and CEA did not attend. She
said the group is in the "brainstorming stages" and plans to meet every two
weeks. The internal group does not yet have a name, though unofficially it is
referred to as the nuclear accelerator working group.

The working group is another indicator that Bush is hoping to see a new plant
order before leaving office. Deputy Energy Secretary Clay Sell reminded the
conference May 18 that the administration had "only 977 days left to build
momentum for the energy policy."

"More than anything, the safety and operational record of the industry over
the last decade have put nuclear power back on the table," Sell said.

But in the end, there was no one action the government could take to instigate
a nuclear renaissance, he said. "It is you ? the industry, the investors, the
builders ? [that] have the power to really make it happen," Sell said.

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