[From The New York Sun]
By JOSH GERSTEIN
Staff Reporter of the Sun
April 20, 2007
In American politics, the rallying cry “No nukes!” seems to be losing its punch.
The crop of candidates seeking the White House in 2008 shows an affinity for atomic energy that would have been unthinkable a decade ago.
“You absolutely would not have gotten the same reaction not that long ago,” a key anti-nuclear activist in California, Rochelle Becker, said.
Each of the top contenders for the Republican nomination and all but one of the major Democratic hopefuls support nuclear power to some extent. Most cite the prospect that atomic energy could help reduce climate change by supplanting power produced by fossil fuel sources such as coal and natural gas.
“The global warming issue is what is causing at least the Democratic candidates to say we need to leave nukes on the table,” Ms. Becker, the executive director of the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility, said.
The two leading Democratic presidential candidates, Senators Clinton and Obama, have joined one of the top Republicans in the race, Senator McCain of Arizona, to sponsor the Climate Stewardship and Innovation Act of 2007. The measure includes more than $3.6 billion in funding and loan guarantees for the planning and construction of nuclear plants using new reactor designs.
Continue reading 2008 Candidates Show Affinity for Atomic Energy at The New York Sun
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