House Slips Nuclear Subsidy into Continuing Resolution

Loan guarantees for commercial nuclear power plants whose risks are too great to attract free-market capital could be slipped by Congress into a final "continuing resolution," anti-nuclear advocates are warning. President Obama urged an increase in nuclear loan guarantees earlier this year, but it has not gone through, because it was packaged with the cap-and-trade bill and the renewable energy standard. Now the administration is reported to be pushing for it again. A variety of news and advocacy organizations were telling parts of the story as the 111th Congress lurched toward a close December 7, 2010.

At about 7pm ET Dec. 8, the Nuclear Energy Institute reported via Twitter that the House had passed, 212-206, a Continuing Resolution for FY 2011 containing $7 billion in additional money for nuclear loan guarantees.

"House CR Contains Changes for Loan Guarantees, Leasing" (Greenwire -- Subscription Only)

"House Panel Scales Back Obama Plan for Nuclear Loan Guarantees" (Bloomberg)

Alert: "DOE Yet Again Seeking $9 Billion for New Reactor Loans" (Nuclear Information and Resource Service)

"The New Millennium Nuclear Energy Summit" (NEI Nuclear Notes)

"Nuclear Summit Urges Wider Use of Atomic Power" (McClatchy)

"Nuclear 'Renaissance' Is Short on Largess" (Green/New York Times)

"Report Urges More Gov't Support for Nuclear Energy" (AP)

"The Administration Explores a 'Clean Energy' Standard That Includes Nuclear Power" (ClimateWire)