| Federal lawmakers patted themselves on the back, | | | | for future disposal, and immediately provides energy. |
| last Friday, in a joint bi-partisan news release issued | | | | The major issue in the western United States, about |
| by three New Mexico politicians: U.S. Senators Pete | | | | nuclear waste, is "please don't put it in our backyard." |
| Domenici and Jeff Bingaman, and U.S. Congressman | | | | Several western states have been approached, and |
| Steve Pearce. Their celebratory remarks were meant | | | | even the Carlsbad area was once discussed. Through |
| to remind voters why the politicians were in | | | | the ABR technology, it may be possible to minimize |
| Washington - to bring their state new jobs for at | | | | the amount of this waste to make it a less |
| least some of New Mexico's voters. While the chorus | | | | undesirable disposal problem. A look at local New |
| of praise revolved around creating new jobs and | | | | Mexico politics may provide an insight as to where |
| bringing millions of dollars into the state's economy, is | | | | the two U.S. senators may be heading with regards |
| there more behind this story, which has not yet been | | | | to a nuclear power plant for New Mexico. |
| told? | | | | New Mexico's Enrichment Facility:Prelude to a Nuclear |
| For Senator Domenici, this was another major victory | | | | Power Plant? |
| as the longest serving U.S. Senator in New Mexico's | | | | If Federal lawmakers are happy about the proposed |
| history. The Republican Senator heads the Senate | | | | uranium enrichment facility, some of New Mexico's |
| Energy and Natural Resources Committee. Domenici | | | | state politicians were still floating on clouds when we |
| made his views on nuclear energy quite clear in his | | | | talked to them yesterday. New Mexico legislator John |
| book "A Brighter Tomorrow: Fulfilling the Promise of | | | | A. Heaton, the Democratic representative serving |
| Nuclear Energy" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2004). He | | | | Carlsbad, waxed enthusiastic about the enrichment |
| began pursuing Louisiana Energy Services to move to | | | | facility, "It's the first step in converting this country |
| New Mexico in February 2003, after it became | | | | to nuclear energy." |
| apparent Hartsville, Tennessee didn't want uranium | | | | Mainly the four state senators and representatives, |
| being enriched in their backyard. | | | | whom we interviewed, echoed each other's praise |
| And again, it was Domenici, whose last minute | | | | about Urenco's proposed enrichment facility. "I could |
| negotiations with Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, | | | | not be more pleased," Senator Carroll H. Leavell told |
| led to the adoption of the Part 810 Waiver. The | | | | us. "It will have a major, very positive impact on the |
| waiver allowed Louisiana Energy Services (LES) to | | | | economy." At the peak of construction, as many as |
| contact foreign-owned Urenco Ltd about transferring | | | | 1200 workers may be employed. Later, when the |
| high technology data (the gas centrifuge technology) | | | | facility is operational, about 300 workers will remain. |
| to LES so the uranium enrichment technology could | | | | All four were pleasantly surprised that town hall |
| be utilized at the new facility. U.S. laws ordinarily | | | | hearings for the proposed facility were |
| prohibit such nuclear technology transfers, but | | | | overwhelmingly positive, and the local citizens would |
| Domenici's intervention brought the project to the | | | | be delighted to have this facility in built in |
| NRC approval stage. LES had been on the drawing | | | | southeastern New Mexico. Senator Leavell said with |
| boards since 1989, having derived its name from the | | | | disgust, "Most of the (anti-nuclear) protests have |
| state of Louisiana. The LES partnership was initially | | | | come from outside our area, places like San |
| formed with the intent of building its centrifuge | | | | Francisco, DC and Santa Fe." |
| enrichment plant in Homer, Louisiana. | | | | Senators Leavell and Gay G. Kernan, the state |
| Senator Domenici's impact upon the nuclear | | | | senator from Hobbs, were invited by Urenco Ltd. to |
| resurgence in the United States is evident to the | | | | tour an enrichment technology plant in Almelo, |
| entire industry and most politicians. He announced last | | | | Netherlands and left impressed with the company, its |
| year, "In 1997, I predicted the resurgence of nuclear | | | | honesty and especially the management's attitude of |
| energy in the United States. For the last eight years, | | | | looking at both sides of the issues. Both state |
| I have worked to help make that renaissance a | | | | senators also observed the surrounding community |
| reality." Is there, perhaps, one more achievement | | | | failed to be negatively impacted by the enrichment |
| Senator Domenici would like to add on behalf of the | | | | facility. |
| nuclear industry, before giving up his Senate seat? In | | | | Looking for deeper insights into what the future |
| his book, "A Brighter Tomorrow," Domenici bemoans | | | | might hold, we asked all four about the possibility of |
| and condemns nuclear fuel reprocessing. With the | | | | a nuclear power plant in New Mexico. All four agreed |
| advent of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership | | | | it would be desirable. Additional comments by the |
| (GNEP), Domenici may bring a nuclear power plant to | | | | four state politicians led us to believe there might be |
| New Mexico before he retires. | | | | a second step, following Heaton's remark about the |
| Domenici's Democratic counterpart, Senator Jeff | | | | enrichment facility being the first step. |
| Bingaman, is the ranking Democrat on the Senate | | | | Donald L. Whitaker, the Democratic legislator from |
| Energy and Natural Resource Committee. We | | | | Eunice, the closest town to the proposed enrichment |
| suspect Bingaman may play an integral role in helping | | | | facility, told us, "I would like to see a nuclear reactor |
| Senator Domenici fulfill that dream. Ironically, Senator | | | | in New Mexico." Whitaker has toured a nuclear facility, |
| Bingaman, who last November was invited to a Santa | | | | and believes one would be great for the state's |
| Fe anti-nuclear environmentalist fundraiser, and which | | | | economy. "They employ about one thousand and |
| highlighted television mogul Ted Turner, was effusive | | | | bring high-paying jobs," he said. Representative |
| in saying about the LES enrichment facility, "This will | | | | Whitaker was not the lone voice among his fellow |
| be one of the largest construction projects our state | | | | eastern New Mexican legislators. |
| has ever seen. And the economic impact in | | | | "Yes, we want a nuclear reactor in New Mexico," |
| southeastern New Mexico will be tremendous." Does | | | | Representative Heaton said. Heaton is the legislature's |
| Bingaman appear to be playing both sides of the | | | | Vice Chairman of the Radioactive and Hazardous |
| nuclear chessboard? | | | | Materials committee and a member of the Energy & |
| No, the former attorney, who reportedly once | | | | Natural Resources Committee. He discussed the ABR |
| provided legal advice to uranium mining powerhouse, | | | | technology and GNEP, explaining how this would solve |
| Kerr McGee, is deftly maneuvering between being a | | | | the waste disposal problem of nuclear reactors and |
| good Democrat and providing what he may honestly | | | | sway public opinion on nuclear energy. |
| believe is best for his state. While Bingaman has | | | | Senator Leavell took a more cautious approach, |
| curried favor among the environmentalists, in May of | | | | explaining how nuclear reactors need tremendous |
| this year, he accepted, along with Domenici and | | | | amounts of water. "I don't think New Mexico could |
| others, the William S. Lee Award for Leadership at | | | | have a nuclear reactor, not with the current |
| the Nuclear Energy Institute's (NEI) annual | | | | technology." But, he still agreed it would be a good |
| conference, saying, "I share a belief that nuclear | | | | idea if new technologies were developed, which used |
| power can make a meaningful contribution to | | | | less water. |
| controlling the growth of greenhouse gases, while still | | | | Senator Gay Kernan told us, "I don't know if I should |
| allowing our economy to expand." It was his | | | | be talking about this, but we are one of the |
| subsequent remark directed at the NEI, which leads | | | | candidates for the GNEP program." Having heard a |
| us to believe he may be among the first to support | | | | rumor that General Atomics may propose building a |
| additional nuclear growth in New Mexico. He told the | | | | nuclear power plant in eastern New Mexico, Senator |
| NEI, "I am hoping that you will do your part to use | | | | Kernan confirmed such a plant may be on the |
| those tools that Congress has put in place to ensure | | | | drawing boards, and telling us West Texas is likely to |
| that nuclear power achieves its potential as part of | | | | be developed as an "alternative energy corridor." She |
| our future energy mix." | | | | told us, "It would stretch from Carlsbad, New Mexico |
| The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership | | | | to the Odessa-Midland, Texas area." Senator Kernan |
| In March 2006, Senator Domenici pledged his support | | | | would also like New Mexico to have a nuclear plant, "I |
| to President Bush's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership | | | | don't have a problem with that." |
| (GNEP), | | | | The third politician, joining Senators Domenici and |
| "With GNEP, we begin to close the cycle on nuclear | | | | Bingaman, in praising the NRC approval of a draft |
| waste in ways that prevent proliferation and reduce | | | | license for LES and Urenco Ltd, was U.S. |
| both the volume and toxicity of waste. By recycling | | | | Congressman Steve Pearce. Comments, issued by his |
| spent nuclear fuel, we can reuse the uranium, which | | | | press secretary on Friday and praising the LES |
| is 96 percent of spent fuel, and separate the most | | | | announcement, may foreshadow New Mexico's next |
| toxic radioactive material to be burned in an | | | | step, "Today's announcement marks a major |
| advanced burner reactor. By reusing uranium fuel and | | | | milestone in our efforts to cement our state's |
| burning the transuranic material in a new generation | | | | leadership role in the development of alternative |
| of modern reactors, we can reduce the amount of | | | | energy." What greater leadership by a state than in |
| waste placed in Yucca Mountain by a factor of 100." | | | | introducing the new GNEP ABR technology in New |
| One of the key technologies in the GNEP program in | | | | Mexico? After all, the state of New Mexico remains |
| is the Advanced Burner Reactor (ABR). Deriving its | | | | the founding home to nuclear technology, where the |
| technology from fast reactors, which were used to | | | | world's first atomic technology was designed at Los |
| make nuclear weapons, the concept of the ABR is to | | | | Alamos. |
| minimize the amount of nuclear waste, produced by | | | | In a related development, David Watts, President of |
| the nuclear industry's power plants, to a tiny fraction | | | | the University of Texas of the Permian Basin, |
| of content. The concept behind the ABR is to "burn" | | | | recently met with Congressman Pearce about |
| the transuranic elements, such as plutonium and other | | | | developing a helium-cooled nuclear reactor facility, |
| long-living radioactive material. In this case, burning the | | | | which would be built underground in either Lea |
| radioactive waste is translated as: destroying the | | | | County, New Mexico or Andrews County, Texas. |
| transuranics, by converting them into shorter-lived | | | | General Atomics of San Diego has funded the |
| isotopes. When the transuranic elements are | | | | pre-conceptual design, which is underway and |
| consumed by the ABR, a large amount of energy is | | | | scheduled for completion in August. Waste Control |
| released and then converted into electricity. | | | | Specialists has a low-level radioactive waste storage |
| Instead of burying several football fields of nuclear | | | | site in Andrews County. Realistically, a nuclear reactor |
| waste in Yucca Mountain (or elsewhere) for one | | | | in New Mexico is not out of the question. The |
| million years, the toxic waste would be recycled as | | | | legislators may get what they want. We believe |
| energy to be immediately used to power homes and | | | | Senator Domenici will ultimately set into motion the |
| industry. Part of the GNEP plan is to combine the | | | | plans to bring New Mexico its first nuclear power |
| current, or advanced, light water reactors with the | | | | plant. It would become his crowning achievement in |
| ABR. As the light water nuclear reactors produce | | | | helping the nuclear renaissance blossom in this |
| transuranics, the ABRs consume those highly | | | | country and in his state. |
| radioactive elements. This leaves less nuclear waste | | | | |