John Boozman Addresses Electric Power Generation & Supports Nucear Power

Arkansas 3rd District US Rep. John Boozman and Candidate for the US Senate recently completed a tour of electrical generation facilities in his district and issued the following statements detailing his comprehensive plan for for electrical power generation including nuclear power. However, before addressing his tour of electricity-related sites, he made a few observations about the Gulf disaster.

GULF OIL SPILL: First, the Federal Government needs to be more supportive of and responsive to the governors of our Gulf Coast states and to provide requested assistance. This includes, to the maximum degree possible, federal agency approvals for state clean-up initiatives. Second, all available tools and resources, including the best engineers and latest technologies, need to be used to stop the leak as soon as possible. Third, a full, transparent, and detailed investigation into the causes of the spill must be conducted. Fourth, responsible parties – including BP – must bear the entire financial burden for the clean-up of this spill. Fifth, new rules and procedures need to be put in place to ensure that deep water exploration takes place only with the use of new technologies to guarantee that this kind of disaster cannot happen again and that any future leak can be quickly stopped and cleaned-up. Finally, we must not let this disaster freeze our country in-place. We must not become more dependent on foreign sources of energy. We need to find out what went wrong, fix it, and encourage safe onshore and offshore production. I support an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy that emphasizes the production of all forms of safe, affordable American-made energy. All federal energy policies should be geared toward enabling a strategy that encourages American-made energy, and therefore American jobs and affordable costs for Arkansas families and businesses.

ELECTRICITY GENERATION TOUR: Arkansas is undertaking many exciting energy-related activities and developments. These activities include the production of electricity from nuclear, coal, and hydropower, as well as the development of businesses and industries in wind and solar sectors. Our State’s universities lead the world in nanotechnology and electric power transmission innovations. Also, the development and use of natural gas resources plays an important role in the Arkansas economy.

My visit focused on the generation, transmission, and use of electric power by Arkansans. I did not have the opportunity to visit with all of the suppliers and producers of energy in the District, my visits included Arkansas Nuclear One near Russellville, the Corps of Engineers’ Ozark Powerhouse on the Arkansas River at Ozark, and the Ozarks Electric Cooperative in Fayetteville where we discussed conservation technologies and the full range of generation resources, including renewable resources and coal.

ARKANSAS NUCLEAR ONE is one of the 100 most-productive electric power plants in the United States, and it supplies about 25 percent of all electricity used in our State. I am committed to supporting the development of new nuclear production in our country. Nuclear energy is emissions-free energy. No carbon dioxide. No mercury. No sulfur. The facilities use very little land, when compared to solar or wind, and are much more productive. No one in our country has ever died from a nuclear power accident.

In February, the Administration approved loan guarantees for the construction of two nuclear reactors in Georgia. I support this effort. If this project moves forward, these would be the first plants to start construction in the United States since the 1970s. Over 40 nuclear plants are under construction in other countries, and about 80% of France’s power is nuclear. I believe the United States can and should return to its place as a world leader in nuclear energy production.

OZARK-JETA TAYLOR POWERHOUSE consists of five 20-megawatt slant-axis turbines that are designed to produce electric energy that is marketed throughout our region. The Powerhouse, which was originally constructed in 1972-1974, is currently undergoing a major rehabilitation that will improve the efficiency and reliability of generation and extend the life of the facility by decades. The power customers and the federal government have partnered on this rehabilitation project, and the taxpayers will be paid-back for their investment through the sale of energy. I have strongly supported this rehabilitation project step-by-step for many years. My visit to this facility allows me to inspect the current state of construction and to emphasize the importance of clean, renewable, emissions-free hydropower that is used by thousands of Arkansas families, manufacturers, and businesses.

ELECTRIC COOPERATIVES: Ozarks is one of 17 Cooperatives that provide electric service to more than 60 percent of the land area in Arkansas and to approximately 490,000 homes, farms, businesses, and industrial members. In addition to discussing the wide-range of generation sources used by the Cooperatives, this visit allows me to hear from experts who understand that “Cap-and-Trade” legislation would result in skyrocketing electricity bills for Arkansans. Equally concerning, this visit provides an opportunity discuss the higher energy rates that would result from possible new Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations. The unprecedented EPA regulations would significantly drive up the cost of electricity generation, and these costs will show up on our electric bills.

CONCLUSION: I am approaching each conversation with an open mind and ready to learn what policies need to be enacted or amended to best provide safe, clean, affordable energy for Arkansas. More than ever, I am convinced that we need an ‘all-of-the-above’ strategy, which includes more of everything: more renewable sources of energy, such as hydropower, wind, and solar, more nuclear, more conservation, and more environmentally-responsible development of America’s energy resources.

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