Pete Domenici: “we will have a great deal of time to discuss what I believe is the most important issue for America's future; that is…”

“we will have a great deal of time to discuss what I believe is the most important issue for America's future; that is, are we going to have an alternate source of energy for electricity, aside and apart from coal and natural gas? I believe the time has come. We ought to set in motion the authorization--not the approval, not the appropriations, but the authorization--to start down the path that says the United States may be ready to build a nuclear powerplant. The arguments that have just been made in anticipation of the agreement are not exactly as such. This bill says America should have an opportunity to have a variety of energy sources. We have provided subsidies for coal so that coal can be made clean and delivered to our people as clean as possible. That is subsidized. We have an enormous tax subsidy for wind and energy. In fact, it is so big and so current that there will be windmills built all over this country, and the amount is a direct tax credit. It is not something that may happen. Every time one of those windmills is built, the tax credit will apply and money will be used in large quantities. In addition, we are talking about whether nuclear powerplants are being built today.…”