Angie Craig: “I rise today to express my agreement with President Bush's belief that our country's security depends in large part on a…”

“I rise today to express my agreement with President Bush's belief that our country's security depends in large part on a diverse energy portfolio, one that is not overly reliant on any one energy source, especially sources of foreign origin. I agree with the President that this country is overly dependent on foreign oil. Consistent with that belief, the Bush administration has just announced a potentially far-reaching energy program known as the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership or GNEP. This program provides a wide- reaching, long-term plan for establishing a robust and sustainable future for nuclear energy in this country and abroad. The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership promises to provide abundant energy, without emitting greenhouse gases; to recycle used nuclear fuel in order to minimize waste; to safely and securely allow developing nations to deploy nuclear power to meet their energy needs, while reducing proliferation risks; to assure maximum energy recovery from still-valuable used nuclear fuel; and to allow the U.S. to rely on a single geologic waste repository for the rest of this century. Nuclear energy currently provides about 20 percent of this Nation's electricity, and does so without emitting any carbon, greenhouse gases, or other air pollutants. All the waste generated by commercial nuclear powerplants is securely managed and destined for safe, permanent disposal in a geologic repository.…”