Nuclear Power, Lieberman on Health Care and Building Cleantech
Democrats consider adding incentives for new nuclear power facilities to their existing cap and trade bill.
Sen. Joe Lieberman’s defection from the Democratic caucus on health care generates anger in the Senate.
Energy Secretary Steven Chu warns that the U.S. must become a leader in “cleantech” energy sources or become dependent on other nations.
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1. ENVIRONMENT
Democrats consider adding incentives for new nuclear power facilities to their existing cap and trade bill.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of Energy and Global Warming Policy Myron Ebell on the real prospects for nuclear:
“No new nuclear power plants will be built unless there is somewhere to store the waste. Here’s what Sens. John Kerry and Lindsey Graham say about that: ‘We must also do more to encourage serious investment in research and development to find solutions to our nuclear waste problem.’ In other words, not finish the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada that the federal government has already spent billions on, but which Majority Leader Harry Reid and President Obama oppose.”
2. HEALTH
Sen. Joe Lieberman’s defection from the Democratic caucus on health care generates anger in the Senate.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Gregory Conko on the health care problems the Senate should be trying to fix:
“Efforts by federal and state governments over the past few decades to solve these problems have generated additional burdens and distortions, leading to increasingly bigger problems. To ensure affordable coverage for those in poor health or with potentially expensive medical conditions, governments have implemented guaranteed renewability, guaranteed issue, and community rating laws that force healthy individuals to subsidize those with higher health care costs.”
3. BUSINESS
Energy Secretary Steven Chu warns that the U.S. must become a leader in “cleantech” energy sources or become dependent on other nations.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Marlo Lewis rebuts Chu’s assertion:
“This point is silly on many levels. First, even if we choose to limit emissions, the German experience indicates that investing huge amounts in clean tech is not cost-effective. Second, if we don’t enact cap-and-trade, why even bother considering clean tech as an emissions-reduction strategy? Third, even if we do enact a cap-and-trade program, and even if clean tech becomes cost-effective, why would we want to make our own wind turbines and [solar panels] if imported products are cheaper?”
Listen to LibertyWeek, the CEI podcast, here.