Times demand Democrats take another look at nuclear energy

Democratic control of the U.S. Congress will have an impact on the nation’s energy policy. The new leadership’s proclivity toward alternative energy sources such as ethanol, biodiesel and wind is evident.


What about nuclear power? A look at the last 30 years would suggest a skeptical attitude toward nuclear energy among Democrats. Yet today the nuclear-policy contour among Democrats is less definitive. A recent headline touts, “[Speaker of the House] Pelosi Reconsiders Nuclear Power.” And an October 2006 policy paper issued by the Progressive Policy Institute – a Democratic-oriented think tank – states that “Nuclear power holds great potential to be an integral part of a diversified energy portfolio for America.”

Is nuclear power under “reconsideration” by the Democrats? Or is nuclear power still a “third rail” of environmental politics? Things are different in five keys ways from years past.

Des Moines Register