Earth Equity News

Democratic Presidential Candidates and Nuclear ‘Nuance’. By Jeff Mason, Reuters, May 7, 2008. “Interviews with top policy advisers to the three White House hopefuls reveal a varied approach [to nuclear power]… McCain… is by far the most enthusiastic… ‘Sen. McCain would eliminate the political obstacles that hinder nuclear power, allow it to compete more effectively, and likely increase its share of the U.S. energy portfolio,’ [McCain adviser Douglas Holtz-Eakin] said… Obama… shares McCain’s belief that nuclear energy is part of the solution to climate change. But he opposes new federal subsidies and would work to address concerns about safety and waste storage, senior adviser Jason Grumet said… Clinton… prefers using renewable fuels to fight climate change because of nuclear energy’s risks. ‘Hillary has real concerns about nuclear power because of the issues around safety, waste disposal and proliferation,’ policy director Neera Tandem said. ‘She opposes new subsidies for nuclear power, but would continue research focused on lowering costs and improving safety’… Jim Riccio [of Greenpeace]… described the Democrats’ positions as nuanced. Clinton’s energy platform was ‘better than the others’ because of its focus on non-nuclear sources, though she appeared to change her stances in different states… Both Democrats had received money from nuclear energy companies: Exelon… to Obama and Entergy to Clinton.”