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Skriven 2006-05-24 23:34:14 av Whitehouse Press (1:3634/12.0)
Ärende: Press Release (0605244) for Wed, 2006 May 24
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Fact Sheet: The Advanced Energy Initiative: Ensuring a Clean, Secure Energy
Future
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For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 24, 2006

Fact Sheet: The Advanced Energy Initiative: Ensuring a Clean, Secure Energy
Future


˙˙˙˙˙ President Discusses Energy During Visit to Nuclear Generating Station
in Pennsylvania ˙˙˙˙˙ Advanced Energy Initiative ˙˙˙˙˙ In Focus: Energy

Today, President Bush Discussed The Advanced Energy Initiative (AEI)  A
Comprehensive Vision For A Clean, Secure Energy Future. ˙The President's
Advanced Energy Initiative promotes America's four main sources of
electricity: coal, nuclear, natural gas, and renewable sources.

To Continue Economic Growth In A Competitive World, America Must Find
Solutions To Its Energy Needs.˙Over the past 30 years, our economy has
grown three times faster than our energy consumption.˙ During that period,
we created more than 55 million jobs, while cutting air pollution by 50
percent.˙ But America_s dynamic economy is also creating a growing demand
for electricity; electricity demand is projected to increase nearly 50
percent over the next 25 years.˙

As The Global Economy Becomes More Competitive, America Must Find New
Alternatives To Oil, Pursue Promising New Technologies, And Find Better
Ways To Generate More Electricity.˙America faces new energy challenges as
countries like China and India consume more energy  especially oil.˙
Global demand for oil is rising faster than global supply.˙ As a result,
oil prices are rising around the world, which leads to higher gas prices in
America.˙

The President Is Working To Meet America_s Energy Demands And The
Challenges Of The Global Economy By Developing Clean, Domestic, Affordable
Supplies Of Energy.˙ We must safeguard the environment, reduce our
dependence on energy from abroad, and help keep prices reasonable for
consumers.

Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power Is Abundant And Affordable. Nuclear power is America_s
second-leading source of electricity.˙ Today, more than 100 nuclear plants
operate in 31 states.˙ Once a nuclear plant is constructed, its fuel and
operating costs are among the cheapest forms of energy available today.

Nuclear Power Is Clean. Nuclear power produces no air pollution or
greenhouse gases, and there is a growing consensus that it is an
environmentally responsible choice.˙ Without nuclear energy, carbon dioxide
emissions would have been 28 percent greater in the electricity industry in
2004, America would have an additional 700 million tons a year of carbon
dioxide, and nitrogen-oxide emissions would rise by the equivalent of 58
million passenger cars.

Nuclear Power Is Safe. Advances in science, engineering, and plant design
have made nuclear power plants far safer than ever before  plant workers
and managers focus on security above all else.

President Bush Is Helping Expand America's Use Of Nuclear Power In Four
Important Ways:

1.˙˙ The Energy Bill The President Signed In 2005 Provides Loan Incentives,
Production Tax Credits, And Federal Risk Insurance For Builders Of New
Nuclear Plants.˙Loan incentives will give investors confidence that the
Federal government is committed to the construction of nuclear power
plants. ˙Production tax credits will reward investments in the latest in
advanced nuclear power generation.˙ Federal risk insurance for the first
six new nuclear power plants will help protect builders of these plants
against lawsuits, bureaucratic obstacles, and other delays beyond their
control.

2.˙˙ The Bush Administration Has Launched The Nuclear Power 2010 Initiative
 A $1.1 Billion Partnership Between The U.S. Government And Industry To
Facilitate New Plant Orders.˙At this time last year, only two companies
were seeking to build nuclear power plants.˙ Now, 16 companies have
expressed interest in new construction  and they are considering as many
as 25 new plants.˙ By the end of this decade, America will be able to start
construction on nuclear plants again.

3.˙˙ President Bush Has Proposed Legislation That Will Help Complete A
Nuclear Waste Repository At Yucca Mountain.˙Yucca Mountain is critical to
expanding nuclear power in the United States because it will provide a safe
geologic repository to store spent fuel and nuclear waste.˙ Yucca Mountain
was selected based on sound science after many years of scientific study.˙
Making Yucca Mountain fully operational would inspire confidence among
builders and entrepreneurs that the government fully supports the expansion
of nuclear power. ˙The President urges Congress to pass this important
legislation to move our efforts forward.

4.˙ Under The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership, America Will Work With
Nations That Have Advanced Civilian Nuclear Energy Programs, Such As
France, Japan, And Russia.˙The President's budget includes $250 million to
launch this initiative.
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    GNEP Will Use New Technologies That Effectively And Safely Recycle
    Spent Nuclear Fuel. Re-processing spent uranium fuel for use in
    advanced reactors will allow us to extract more energy.˙ It also has
    the potential to reduce storage requirements for nuclear waste by up to
    90 percent.˙ With re-processing, Yucca Mountain could hold America_s
    nuclear waste through the end of the 21st century.
  ū 

    Working With Other Nations Under The Global Nuclear Energy Partnership,
    America Can Provide The Cheap, Safe, And Clean Energy That Growing
    Economies Need, While Reducing The Risk Of Nuclear Proliferation. We
    will 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 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 re-processing activities that can be used to develop
    nuclear weapons.

Coal

President Bush Is Encouraging The Research And Development Of Clean-Coal
Technologies. ˙Coal is by far America_s most abundant and affordable energy
resource.˙ America has enough coal to last about 240 years at current rates
of consumption.
  ū 

    In 2000, President Bush Promised To Invest $2 Billion Over Ten Years To
    Promote Clean Coal.˙The Administration is several years ahead of
    schedule in keeping that promise.˙
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    By 2012, Under The FutureGen Initiative, America Will Build The World_s
    First Power Plant To Run On Coal And Remove Virtually All Pollutants.˙

Natural Gas

The Energy Bill President Bush Signed In 2005 Addressed The Increasing
Demand For Natural Gas.˙ Natural gas is the most versatile fuel, but demand
for it has increased, and the price has more than doubled between 2001 to
2005.˙ The Energy Bill President Bush signed last year expands our ability
to receive liquefied natural gas  a super-cooled form of natural gas that
can be transported from overseas on tankers.˙ The bill clarifies Federal
authority to license new sites, reduces bureaucratic obstacles to open new
terminals, and streamlines the permitting process for onshore development.

Alternative And Renewables

President Bush's FY2007 Budget Proposes $44 Million In Funding For Wind
Energy Research.
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    About Six Percent Of The Continental United States Has Been Identified
    As Highly Suitable For Construction Of Wind Turbines.˙ This area alone
    has the potential to supply up to 20 percent of our Nation_s
    electricity.˙ Our goal is to expand the use and lower the cost of wind
    turbine technology  so that our country can get more electricity from
    clean, renewable wind power.

The President Has Proposed A New Solar America Initiative To Accelerate
Research And Development In Solar Technology.˙Solar technology has the
potential to change the way all Americans live and work.˙ President Bush's
FY2007 budget proposes nearly $150 million in funding for government and
private research into solar technology  an increase of more than 75
percent over current levels.˙ This support can help make solar power
competitive by 2015.

The President Is Working To Boost Oil And Gas Supplies To Relieve High Gas
Prices.

In April, President Bush Directed The Strategic Petroleum Reserve To Defer
Filling The Reserve This Summer.˙ In addition, he has directed EPA
Administrator Steve Johnson to use all his available authority to grant
waivers that would relieve the restrictions on getting fuel delivered to
the pump. ˙The President has also called on Congress to simplify the
process for building new refineries and to make it easier for refiners to
make modifications to increase production.

We Need More Access To The Domestic Resources On The Outer Continental
Shelf, While Respecting The Concerns Of Nearby States.˙In the long term,
America must find alternatives to oil and the way we power our cars.

It will take time for America to move from a hydrocarbon economy to a
hydrogen economy.˙ In the meantime, there are billions of barrels of oil
and enormous amounts of natural gas off the Alaskan Coast and in the Gulf
of Mexico.˙

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