Topics in the News: Nuclear Energy & Weapons
Tim Walz on Energy & Oil
: Nov 1, 2024
Supports nuclear power as part of clean energy plan
Under Walz's leadership, Minnesota adopted an aggressive clean energy plan. We asked if that includes nuclear power, which is controversial because of the potential for accidents and the thorny issue of what to do with nuclear waste. Although Yucca
Mountain, north of Las Vegas, has been designated as the national repository for high-level nuclear waste, Democrats have defunded the project and are seeking alternatives to burying waste at Yucca.But Walz said despite the waste issue, nuclear
should be part of the nation's energy portfolio. "I know the vice president and I talk about an 'all of the above' [strategy]," Walz said. "I know one of the issues, and I know this is a hot topic here in Nevada, the storage issue. And how do we store
the waste? But I do think it's part of it. I think we're going to have an aggressive approach."
Walz's home state of Minnesota has two nuclear generating stations and struggling to deal with the waste generated there.
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Source: KNTV ABC-13 on 2024 Veepstakes
Ryan Binkley on Energy & Oil
: Feb 5, 2024
We must adopt a national "All Of The Above" energy strategy
God granted us this rich and bountiful land that already has everything we require to meet our energy needs. By investing in homegrown and produced energy, we will create family-supporting jobs, reduce energy costs for working
Americans, and break the stranglehold that nations like Russia have on the world's economy. To do this, we must adopt a national "All Of The Above" energy strategy that includes oil, natural gas, coal, nuclear power, biofuels, and emerging technologies.
Click for Ryan Binkley on other issues.
Source: 2024 Presidential campaign website Binkley2024.com
Vivek Ramaswamy on Energy & Oil
: May 1, 2023
Drill, frack & burn coal: abandon the climate cult
UNLEASH THE AMERICAN ECONOMY: ACHIEVE >5% GDP GROWTH- Drill, frack & burn coal: abandon the climate cult & unshackle nuclear energy
- Put Americans back to work: dismantle Lyndon Johnson's failed "Great Society"
- Incentivize trade schools over
hollow college degrees (sorry, gender studies majors)
- Launch deregulatory "Reagan 2.0" revolution: cut >75% headcount amongst U.S. regulators
- Limit the U.S. Fed's scope: stabilize the dollar & nothing more
Click for Vivek Ramaswamy on other issues.
Source: 2024 Presidential campaign website vivek2024.com
JD Vance on Education
: Nov 1, 2022
Climate is changing; solution is nuclear power
Climate Change: Should climate change be a top priority? Tax or limit the output of greenhouse gases, or support renewable energy?-
Tim Ryan (D): Yes. "The threat of global climate change is one of the most critical issues facing our nation." Voted for infrastructure bill offering
Ohioans "historic investments in cleaner, more convenient transportation."
- J.D. Vance (R): Mostly no. "Certainly the climate is changing. I think the big question is, how much is man causing it?"
If people were serious about addressing climate change, they should turn to nuclear power.
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Source: Guides.vote candidate survey on 2022 Ohio Senate race
Mike Pence on Energy & Oil
: Sep 22, 2020
Global warming is a myth; treaty is a disaster
[Mike Pence For Congress via Wayback Machine, 2000]: "Global warming is a myth. The global warming treaty is a disaster. There, I said it. Just like the 'new ice age' scare of the 1970's, the environmental movement has found a new chant for their latest
'chicken little' attempt to raise taxes & grow centralized governmental power. The chant is 'the sky is warming! the sky is warming!'" [Star Press, 1/7/10]: "On nuclear power: 'I think we ought to build 100 new nuclear plants in the next 20 years.'"
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Source: FactCheck on 2020 Trump Research Book
Howie Hawkins on Energy & Oil
: Jul 12, 2020
End nuclear power, offshore drilling, & fracking
- End the use of nuclear power. Nuclear energy is massively polluting, dangerous, financially risky, expensive and slow to implement.
- Our money is better spent on wind, solar, geothermal, conservation and small-scale hydroelectric.
-
The Green Party stands for the enactment of bans on hydraulic fracturing for natural gas and oil on the local, state and federal level and stands for bans on the disposal of wastes created by the fracking industry.
-
Protect 40% of the world's oceans as marine preserves, especially near shore coastal habitats.
- Ban offshore oil drilling.
- Ban the siting of liquefied natural gas facilities off the U.S. coast.
- Ban ocean transportation of nuclear and toxic waste.
- Support the ban on international commercial whaling.
- Ban drift-net fishing and long-line fishing and phase out factory trawling.
- Support the Law of the Sea Treaty that establishes the global sharing of ocean resources.
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Source: Green Party Platform adopted by 2020 presidential hopeful
Mike Pence on Technology
: Oct 20, 2019
Go to Moon's South pole to mine oxygen & extract water
When American astronauts go back to the moon, they will land at the lunar south pole. Why there? "In this century, we're going back to the moon with new ambitions," Pence said. "Not just to travel there, but also to mine oxygen from lunar rocks that
will refuel our ships, to use nuclear power to extract water from the permanently shadowed craters of the south pole, and to fly on a new generation of spacecraft that will enable us to reach Mars in months, not years."
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Source: OpEd by Mike Pence in Wired.com on Trump Administration
Bernie Sanders on Environment
: Sep 4, 2019
Deal with existing nuclear waste before creating any more
Q: In your Green New Deal plan, you argue that nuclear energy is "a false solution" to the climate crisis. Why?SANDERS: We got a heck of a lot of nuclear waste, which is going to stay around for many thousands of years. We don't know how to get rid
of it right now. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me to add more dangerous waste when we don't know how to get rid of what we have right now. Number two, it costs a lot more to build a new nuclear power plant today than it does to go to solar or
to go to wind. So I think that it is safer and more cost effective to move to sustainable energies like wind, solar, and geothermal, and not nuclear.
Q: Can you go carbon neutral without nuclear in the short term?
SANDERS: I think you can. And
I think the scientists tell us, in fact, that we can. And I think if you talk to the people in Japan in terms of what happened at Fukushima, talk to the people in Russia what happened in Chernobyl, they may not feel so comfortable with nuclear power.
Click for Bernie Sanders on other issues.
Source: CNN Climate Crisis Town Hall marathon (10 Democrats)
Kamala Harris on Environment
: Sep 4, 2019
Figure out what to do with nuclear waste--not Yucca Mountain
Q: What about the new and smarter generation of nuclear power technologies? HARRIS: The biggest issue we face in terms of nuclear energy is the waste and what are we going to do with that. Yucca Mountain--that's a nonstarter for me.
The kind of disposal that has happened at Yucca Mountain--and also taking away that state's ability to make decisions--this administration was, in the middle of the night, carting waste in to
Yucca Mountain without the authority and the permission of the leaders of the state of Nevada.
Q: Senator Bernie Sanders now says he wants to phase it out, get rid of nuclear power. Do you agree?
HARRIS: We have to figure out what
we're going to do about the waste. My bottom-line is that I'm not going to allow the federal government to go in and impose its priorities on any state--it's going to have to be those states who make that decision.
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.
Source: CNN Climate Crisis Town Hall marathon (10 Democrats)
Joe Biden on Environment
: Jul 17, 2019
Develop new nuclear technologies
Biden on Nuclear Power: Support developing new nuclear technologies as part of an effort to fight climate change.TWO CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Kamala Harris; Jay Inslee.
Utilities and scientists are developing nuclear power
reactors that are much smaller than the massive facilities that have been used in past decades. The new reactors, called Small Modular Reactors that the Energy Department's national labs are helping to develop, would produce perhaps 50 to 100 megawatts.
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Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Kamala Harris on Environment
: Jul 17, 2019
Develop new nuclear technologies
Kamala Harris on Nuclear Power: Support developing new nuclear technologies as part of an effort to fight climate change.TWO CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Joseph Biden, Jr.; Jay Inslee.
Utilities and scientists are developing nuclear power
reactors that are much smaller than the massive facilities that have been used in past decades. The new reactors, called Small Modular Reactors that the Energy Department's national labs are helping to develop, would produce perhaps 50 to 100 megawatts.
Click for Kamala Harris on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Marianne Williamson on Environment
: Jul 17, 2019
Close down existing nuclear power reactors
Williamson on Nuclear Power: Support closing down existing nuclear power reactors.TWO CANDIDATES HAVE SIMILAR VIEWS: Tulsi Gabbard; Bernard Sanders.
Many environmentalists have for decades called for shutting down nuclear power plants because of
the problems presented by the radioactive waste. They also fear accidents like the one at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi plant in 2011, when a tsunami caused an outage that led three reactor meltdowns and spread radioactivity through the air and water.
Click for Marianne Williamson on other issues.
Source: Politico "2020Dems on the Issues"
Marianne Williamson on Energy & Oil
: Apr 20, 2019
Nuclear energy may be part of "green" mix
"Nuclear energy is not ideal, by any stretch," said Williamson, one of those with reservations. "But it is
still head and shoulders above coal and natural gas."
Click for Marianne Williamson on other issues.
Source: Mother Jones magazine on "2020 Dems on Climate Change"
Marianne Williamson on Environment
: Apr 18, 2019
Opposes nuclear power; phase out existing reactors
Q: Do you think nuclear energy should be part of the U.S.'s decarbonizing toolbox?Williamson: "I'm opposed to nuclear power, as it provides risks and wastes that are dangerous and life-threatening. That said, nuclear power currently is responsible
for about 20 percent of U.S. electricity and 50 percent of its carbon-free electricity. We may not be able to replace this carbon-free production in time if we close these plants too soon. Germany initially set out to close all of its nuclear reactors
by 2022, but as a result, they are now likely to miss their emissions reduction targets. And France is now considering options to extend the life of many of its older nuclear power plants. Nuclear energy is not ideal, by any stretch.
But it is still head and shoulders above coal and natural gas, and until we have solar, hydro and wind plants up and running to pick up the slack, we need to keep certain options open."
Click for Marianne Williamson on other issues.
Source: 2019 "Meet the Candidates" (NY Times.com)
Bernie Sanders on Environment
: Apr 18, 2019
Opposes new nuclear power plant development
Q: Do you think nuclear energy should be part of the U.S.'s decarbonizing toolbox? Do you support the construction of new nuclear energy plants? Providing federal support to keep existing ones online?
A: Sanders's campaign said he opposed nuclear development but did not provide an on-the-record quote.
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Source: 2019 "Meet the Candidates" (NY Times.com)
Jill Stein on Energy & Oil
: Sep 27, 2016
Nuclear power plants risk proliferation and going Fukushima
HILLARY CLINTON: Donald Trump's cavalier attitude about nuclear weapons is so deeply troubling. That is the number one threat we face in the world. And it becomes particularly threatening if terrorists ever get their hands on any nuclear material.
DR. JILL STEIN: Yes, nuclear material in the hands of terrorists is a very dangerous thing. This is yet another reason why nuclear power and nuclear power plants and their proliferation around the world is an intolerable threat, not only because of
the nuclear weapons that can be made from their materials once they have been used, but also because of the inherent dangers of nuclear power, particularly in the era of climate change. In our country, we have something like 16 nuclear power
plants which are located at sea level. Right now, we could see as much as nine feet of sea level rise as soon as 2050, which means that our 16 or so nuclear power plants are all going Fukushima.
Click for Jill Stein on other issues.
Source: DemocracyNow interview on First 2016 Presidential Debate
Joe Biden on War & Peace
: Sep 21, 2016
Don't trust Iran but they met initial conditions of deal
I think the deal is attractive as it is. We don't trust Iran at all. But Iran has met the front-end portion of the deal. Could there be a better deal? Yeah. I mean, the better deal was we could have them foreswear there's no circumstance in which
they could ever have peaceful nuclear power, et cetera. But to get from here to there is a difficult choice. I think the president did a hell of a job bringing together a coalition to get this done.
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Source: Council on Foreign Relations on 2020 candidates
Mike Pence on Energy & Oil
: Jan 4, 2016
Sued Obama administration on Clean Energy Plan
Indiana needs to reduce carbon dioxide energy emissions by 37% over the next 15 years to meet CO2 reduction goals. However, Gov. Mike Pence is again in the way.Instead of being proactive and taking the responsibility for the rapid transition to
renewable energy, Pence is suing the Obama administration's Clean Energy Plan. Pence [prefers] procrastination and nuclear power. This is a needless delay and outright abdication of our energy future to private gain over a public emergency.
The federal energy plan should restructure our energy industry to go around state and private corporate impediments to clean renewable power.
By democratizing Indiana Michigan Power Co. and other antiquated power organizations with public and
cooperative majority ownership we can exceed our federal energy goals. By 2030 we can extend 3 planned direct current power transmission lines from the wind energy belt across Indiana and greatly reduce our dependence on coal. [Pence opposes those].
Click for Mike Pence on other issues.
Source: Fort Wayne News-Sentinel, "Letter to the editor"
Chris Christie on Energy & Oil
: Sep 16, 2015
Get nuclear power plants back on the table
Look at what we have done in New Jersey. We have already reached our clean air goals for 2020. And when I was governor, I pulled out of the regional cap and trade deal, the only state in the Northeast that did that. And we still reached our goals.Why?
Because 53% of our electricity comes from nuclear. We use natural gas. We use solar power. We're the 3rd-highest-using solar power state. You know why? Because we made all of those things economically feasible.
We shouldn't be destroying our economy in order to chase some wild left-wing idea that somehow us by ourselves is going to fix the climate. We can contribute to that and be economically sound.
We have proven we can do that in New Jersey. Nuclear needs to be back on the table in a significant way in this country if we want to go after this problem.
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Source: 2015 Republican two-tiered primary debate on CNN
Jill Stein on Energy & Oil
: Jan 25, 2012
Let states prevent nuclear power plants
Just last week, a federal court told the people of Vermont that they could not prevent a dangerous nuclear power plant from operating in their state. The court did this on the basis of a doctrine known as "field preemption." Basically, the State of
Vermont is barred--or "preempted"--from regulating the nuclear power industry because a federal judge says that the industry is the concern of the federal government only. Over the past 30 years, we have seen other reforms "preempted" in the same way.
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Source: Green Party 2012 People's State of the Union speech
Jill Stein on Energy & Oil
: Dec 21, 2011
Nuclear energy is dirty, dangerous and expensive
Q: Should the US replace oil & coal with alternatives? A: Yes, but those alternatives should be renewable clean energy, not nuclear. Nuclear energy is dirty, dangerous and expensive, and should be precluded on all of those counts.
The Fukushima [nuclear disaster] is the ongoing example. There is no safe nuclear energy.
You can put in in someone else's backyard or even on the other side of the world--but we're all endangered by it. And we don't need it: Renewables are less expensive.
Nuclear power would never survive on a free open market. It can only survive with tens of billions $of taxpayer loan guarantees.
Click for Jill Stein on other issues.
Source: 2011 OnTheIssues interview with Jill Stein
Donald Trump on Energy & Oil
: Mar 15, 2011
We need nuclear energy, and we need a lot of it fast
Q: What about the Japan nuclear crisis resulting from the earthquake & tsunami?A: Ultimately what could happen to nuclear energy in terms of a worldwide feeling, is not a good thing.
Q: Are we overreacting? Germany sidelining some nuclear reactors?
A: When you see what's going on in Japan, certainly you can't say overreacting, but, look, nuclear is a way that we get what we have to get, which is energy. I think that probably there's not an overreaction, but we have to be very, very careful.
I worry about terrorists. I worry about other things beyond just that. I'm very strongly in favor of nuclear energy. You know, it's sort of interesting. If a plane goes down, people keep flying. If you get into an auto crash, people keep driving.
There are problems in life. Not everything is so perfect. You have to look very carefully, though, at really taking care; having the best people in terms of safeguards for nuclear energy. But we do need nuclear energy, and we need a lot of it fast.
Click for Donald Trump on other issues.
Source: Interview on Your World with Neil Cavuto
Joe Biden on Energy & Oil
: Aug 25, 2008
Nuclear OK after dealing with security, safety, and waste
Q: What role do you see for nuclear power? A: I see a role for nuclear, but first you've got to deal with the security as well as the safety concerns. I'd be spending a whole hell of a lot of money trying to figure out how to
reconfigure the spent fuel into reusable fuel. I would not invest in [growing our nuclear power capacity in its current form], but I would invest in sorting out the storage and waste problems.
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Source: NEI Nuclear Notes (Nuclear Energy Industry blogspot)
Howie Hawkins on Foreign Policy
: Nov 1, 2006
Support the UN; oppose the Cuban embargo
Q: Should the United States maintain its financial support of the United Nations?A: Yes.
Q: Should the United States commit troops to United Nations peacekeeping missions?
A: Yes.
Q: Should the United States lift the travel ban to Cuba?
A: Yes.
Hawkins adds, "Stop exporting and encouraging nuclear power, which leads to nuclear weapons. Push for complete global nuclear disarmament through US unilateral initiatives to set the example. Stop 'Star Wars' militarization of space."
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Source: 2006 Congressional National Political Awareness
Howie Hawkins on Enviroment
: Jul 31, 2006
Shut down nuclear energy
Shut down nuclear energy. Implement solar-based renewable energy. Phase out fossil fuels.
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Source: 2006 Senate campaign website, hawkinsforsenate.org, "Issues"
Howie Hawkins on Energy & Oil
: Jun 30, 2006
Solar-Based Renewable Energy
Solar-Based Renewable Energy. Shut down nuclear power. Phase out fossil fuels.
Click for Howie Hawkins on other issues.
Source: 2006 Senate campaign website, hawkinsforsenate.org, "Issues"
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