Text 2164, 98 rader
Skriven 2006-02-18 23:33:24 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (060218) for Sat, 2006 Feb 18
===================================================
===========================================================================
President's Radio Address
===========================================================================

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
February 18, 2006

President's Radio Address


ÿÿÿÿÿAudio
ÿÿÿÿÿ


ÿÿÿÿÿAudio (WIN)
ÿÿÿÿÿ

THE PRESIDENT: Good morning. This coming week, I will visit Wisconsin,
Michigan, and Colorado, to discuss our strategy to ensure that America has
affordable, reliable, and secure sources of energy. The best way to meet
our growing energy needs is through advances in technology. So in my State
of the Union Address, I announced the Advanced Energy Initiative. We will
pursue promising technologies that will transform how we power our
vehicles, businesses, and homes -- so we can reduce our Nation's dependence
on foreign sources of energy.

ÿRadio Address
  þ 2006
  þ 2005
  þ 2004
  þ 2003
  þ 2002
  þ 2001
ÿRadio Interviews
  þ 2005
  þ 2004
This morning, I want to speak to you about one part of this initiative: our
plans to expand the use of safe and clean nuclear power. Nuclear power
generates large amounts of low-cost electricity without emitting air
pollution or greenhouse gases. Yet nuclear power now produces only about 20
percent of America's electricity. It has the potential to play an even
greater role. For example, over the past three decades, France has built 58
nuclear power plants and now gets more than 78 percent of its electricity
from nuclear power. Yet here in America, we have not ordered a new nuclear
power plant since the 1970s. So last summer I signed energy legislation
that offered incentives to encourage the building of new nuclear plants in
America. Our goal is to start the construction of new nuclear power plants
by the end of this decade.

As America and other nations build more nuclear power plants, we must work
together to address two challenges: We must dispose of nuclear waste
safely, and we must keep nuclear technology and material out of the hands
of terrorist networks and terrorist states.

To meet these challenges, my Administration has announced a bold new
proposal called the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. Under this
partnership, America will work with nations that have advanced civilian
nuclear energy programs, such as France, Japan, and Russia. Together, we
will develop and deploy innovative, advanced reactors and new methods to
recycle spent nuclear fuel. This will allow us to produce more energy,
while dramatically reducing the amount of nuclear waste and eliminating the
nuclear byproducts that unstable regimes or terrorists could use to make
weapons.

As these technologies are developed, we will work with our partners to help
developing countries meet their growing energy needs by providing them with
small-scale reactors that will be secure and cost-effective. We will also
ensure that these developing nations have a reliable nuclear fuel supply.
In exchange, these countries would agree to use nuclear power only for
civilian purposes and forego uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities
that can be used to develop nuclear weapons. My new budget includes $250
million to launch this initiative. By working with other nations under the
Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, we can provide the cheap, safe, and
clean energy that growing economies need, while reducing the risk of
nuclear proliferation.

As we expand our use of nuclear power, we're also pursuing a broader
strategy to meet our energy needs. We're investing in technologies like
solar and wind power and clean coal to power our homes and businesses.
We're also investing in new car technologies like plug-in hybrid cars and
in alternative fuels for automobiles like ethanol and biodiesel.

Transforming our energy supply will demand creativity and determination,
and America has these qualities in abundance. Our Nation will continue to
lead the world in innovation and technology. And by building a global
partnership to spread the benefits of nuclear power, we'll create a safer,
cleaner, and more prosperous world for future generations.

Thank you for listening.

END

===========================================================================
Return to this article at:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2006/02/20060218.html

 * Origin: (1:3634/12)