Murkowski mulls the future of nuclear at NEI conference

May 14, 2015 | By Barbara Vergetis Lundin

Nuclear has all the attributes energy should have, U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, told industry leaders at the Nuclear Energy Institute's (NEI) annual conference yesterday. Murkowski is considering various energy sources as she prepares to draft new comprehensive energy legislation, convening the second of four committee hearings on key sections of the prospective energy legislation today.

Caption: U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski Credit: Nuclear Energy Institute

"I believe that energy should be abundant, affordable, clean, diverse and secure. And I believe that the future of the nuclear industry is bright because it checks all of those boxes. Nuclear fits right in," Murkowski said at the conference, noting that nuclear energy facilities operating in 30 states produce 19 percent of total U.S. electric supplies, and provide 63 percent of the electricity generated by carbon-free sources.

Since 2007, when Congress last enacted comprehensive energy legislation, the nation's energy landscape has changed significantly. New energy legislation will address challenges that are threatening the economic viability of some nuclear energy facilities.

Because nuclear power is a critical part of the energy mix, it is important that the regulatory processes for licensing nuclear energy facilities be more efficient and effective, Murkowski said, identifying the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) Clean Power Plan (CPP) -- which has been widely criticized for insufficiently valuing nuclear energy -- as another instance where energy legislation could be beneficial.

Murkowski also called for reform of the federal government's nuclear waste management program -- noting that she is championing the Nuclear Waste Administration Act along with Senators Lamar Alexander, Maria Cantwell and Dianne Feinstein -- and emphasized her support for new forms of nuclear energy.

"I have long supported and advocated for the development and employment of small modular reactors," with generating capacities of 300 megawatts (MW) or less, she said. Pointing to Alaska's high energy costs and heavy dependence on fossils fuels, Murkowski said the use of small reactors in her state could be a "game changer" for remote communities that aren't attached to an electrical grid.

Also at the NEI event, Senator Lamar Alexander, who serves on the Senate Appropriations Committee and the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, spoke about how to overcome the obstacles facing nuclear energy.

"The United States uses nearly 25 percent of all the electricity in the world. If we want a large amount of clean, cheap, reliable electricity available to power our 21st-century economy, then we need to do everything we can to make sure nuclear power continues to provide it. Relying on wind when nuclear plants are available is like going to war in sailboats when nuclear ships are available," Alexander said, and offered six steps to overcoming nuclear energy obstacles:

Invest in more research to safely extend nuclear reactor licenses from 60 to 80 years.
Build small modular reactors.
End the nuclear waste stalemate, which should include completing Yucca Mountain, as well as creating a pilot program for consolidated storage sites.
Oppose the EPA's Clean Power Plan, which arbitrarily favors wind and solar over nuclear power.
Reduce the burden of overregulation.
End wasteful subsidies like the wind production tax credit, and double energy research.

At the event, a panel focusing on the value of baseload power sources concurred that markets and regulators are imperiling energy diversity by favoring newer energy technologies but ignoring their shortcomings.

"The future will see more distributed generation and renewables, but you need to have a stable grid to support it, and that comes from baseload like nuclear and coal," Nicholas Akins, president and chief executive officer of American Electric Power and panel member, said. "It's very disturbing to see regulatory actions like the Clean Power Plan not paying enough attention to the resources that actively support the grid."

The utility executives, including Christopher Crane, president and CEO of Exelon Corp., also warned that once a nuclear energy facility closes -- as in Wisconsin and Vermont over the past two years, despite the plants' excellent operating performance -- the decision cannot be undone.

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