Energy Provision May Test Priorities (may "include nuclear power and certain kinds of coal plants")

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/02/02/AR2009020203162.html

Energy Provision May Test Priorities

By Steven Mufson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, February 3, 2009; D01

Environmental groups are protesting a proposed $50 billion increase to an existing federal loan guarantee program for "innovative" energy technologies that could expand funding beyond renewable energy to include nuclear power and certain kinds of coal plants.

The proposal is part of the Senate's $884 billion version of the government's stimulus package. It is just one example of the number and size of items buried in the proposal and an illustration of the battles that loom as the House and Senate try to reconcile their proposals.

During its consideration of the stimulus package, the Senate Appropriations Committee adopted an amendment from Sen. Robert F. Bennett (R-Utah) that was supported by some leading Democrats including Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee Chairman Jeff Bingaman of New Mexico.

Bennett's amendment took $500 million away from $10 billion initially allotted to a new loan guarantee program for renewable energy and electric transmission projects and moved it to an existing loan guarantee program established under the Energy Policy Act of 2005. The existing program covers a much wider variety of energy projects, including "advanced nuclear" power plants, plants that "gasify" coal or turn it into liquid form, and plants that capture and bury carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas produced by coal power plants.

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[madrchsod]

1. there will be no nuclear plants built in the usa for years

cost per plant-an estimated 18 billion per plant. there is`t enough manufactures in the usa that makes bits and pieces and more important is the japanese have the only forge in the world that makes the containment vessel-there`s a three year backlog of vessels.

[OKIsItJustMe]

2. I wouldn't count on that

There are powerful forces at play here, and there are other technologies that can be used (e.g. "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pebble_bed_reactor">pebble bed reactors.")