For Immediate Release:
September 12,
2002 |
|
Energy Bill Conferees Should Increase Energy
Security and Reject Unsafe Energy Bills - Statement of Anna
Aurilio, Legislative Director
The safety
of nuclear power plants is more questionable today than ever,
corporate irresponsibility is front page news, and consumers
are vulnerable to oil price spikes. The energy bill conferees
should reject flawed energy bills that could make these
problems even worse. Instead, the House and Senate should go
back to the drawing board to increase our energy security.
Unfortunately, the energy bill conferees are expected
to vote today on increasing nuclear power subsidies without
increasing nuclear power plant security. They will also debate
auto fuel economy provisions in the House and Senate energy
bills that increase our dependence on foreign oil.
Many
nuclear power plants cannot even meet the current inadequate
security requirements. For example, prior to September 11,
nearly half of the nation's nuclear power plants failed to
repel small groups of intruders on foot in "force-on-force"
exercises conducted by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission
(NRC).
One year
after September 11, the energy bill conferees are considering
nuclear-related legislation in the energy bill that does not
contain one word about increasing security at nuclear
reactors. Instead of increasing security at nuclear power
plants, the conferees are debating increased subsidies for
nuclear power plants. We are especially concerned that the
conferees will encourage corporate irresponsibility and extend
the Price-Anderson Act. This law guarantees that nuclear power
plant operators get limited liability in the event of an
accident. Extending this and other nuclear subsidies leaves
the public even more vulnerable to threats, power plant owners
even less accountable, and taxpayers potentially on the hook
for billions of dollars in the event of a nuclear catastrophe.
We are
also concerned that the conferees will adopt auto fuel economy
provisions that will increase our dependence on oil from
unstable sources while doing nothing to shield consumers from
oil price spikes. The Senate energy bill contains new hurdles
to increasing auto fuel economy standards and would exempt
pickup trucks from future increases in these standards. Both
the House and Senate energy bills contain provisions that
increase oil consumption. These bills extend a loophole that
credits auto companies for selling vehicles that could run on
alternative fuels, but mostly don't. Instead of increasing our
vulnerability to oil price spikes, the House and Senate
conferees could increase fuel economy standards. By making
light trucks meet the same fuel economy standards as cars over
the next five years, by 2014 we would save annually nearly as
much oil as we imported from Iraq last year.
It's clear
that the nuclear and auto industry want the Congress to ignore
pressing energy security and consumer concerns. It's up to the
conferees to reject this harmful agenda.
# # #
U.S.
PIRG is the national lobbying office for the state Public
Interest Research Groups. State PIRGs are non-profit,
non-partisan public interest advocacy
organizations.
