Engineering Inc. - September/October 2005 - 13

N uclear power is one of the safest, cleanest sources of power in the
world. In fact, many people don't realize that nuclear power is actually
the only technology available today that reliably can produce the large
amounts of electricity we need without emitting pollution or greenhouse
gases. SECRETARY BODMAN ducing hydrogen fuel as well as nuclear plant
licensing process. E n v i r o n m e n t a l Management t h a n necessary.
We believe electricity. FutureGen will allow We also have proposed provid-
O E M , which represents A m e r i c a must start building America to
continue using its ing risk insurance to partially r o u g h l y 25
percent of the m o r e nuclear plants again to 250-year supply of coal,
without cover the cost of such unfore- department's total budget. ensure a
secure energy future for the environmental drawbacks of seen delays. The
priorities for OEM are to A m e r i c a . A s an incentive, traditional
coal plants. These projects and many oth- safely treat and dispose of hun-
D O E launched the Nuclear We're also encouraging the e r s that DOE has
invested in dreds of millions of gallons of Pow e r 2010 Initiative, which
c o n s t r u c t i o n of new nuclear could revolutionize the power h i g
h - l e v e l radioactive waste, w i l l streamline the regulatory power
plants. Advances in tech- industry and help make Amer- w h i c h is stored
in 200 or so process and address other con- n o l o g y have made nuclear
ica more energy independent. underground storage tanks; sta- c e r n s
that have kept nuclear MULCAHY: The long-term power safer, cleaner and
more bilize thousands of tons of spe- constr uction from happening.
efficient, but America has not extension of the Price Anderson cial
nuclear material and spent As a result, several companies o rd e r e d a
new nuclear power A c t provides federal liability nuclear fuel; treat and
dispose of are now taking steps that could plant since the 1970s. DOE is p
r o t e c t i o n for those of our hundreds of thousands of cubic r e s u
l t in new nuclear plants continuing to work on ways to m e m b e r s who
are engaged in m e t e r s of low-level and being built in the near
future. R A Y M O N D : Engineering reduce unforeseen delays in the c l e
a n - u p activities at nuclear t r a n s u r a n i c waste; remediate f a
c i l i t i e s . What are your h u n d r e d s of square miles of firms
are increasingly working thoughts on the importance of contaminated soil
and ground- with clients in both the public this provision? water, and
decontaminate and a n d private sectors to design BODMAN: The administra-
tear down thousands of excess more energy-efficient buildings. tion
strongly believes that com- buildings. W h e r e do you see this trend MUL
CAHY: Nuclear power p r e h e n s i v e energy legislation going? B O D M A
N : The building should include long-term reau- is being looked at again,
but the industry is becoming more con- thorization of the Price Ander-
viability of new construction is centrated and the products are son Act,
which ensures prompt, tempered by the uncertainty of b e c o m i n g more
engineered. fair compensation for the public the permitting process. What
To d a y, builders are applying i n the unlikely event of a c a n be done
to improve the some of the same process engi- nuclear accident. Because
this business-planning environment n e e r i n g systems used in the
insurance has been a major fac- in the nuclear sector? BODMAN: Nuclear
power is a u t o m o b i l e manufacturing t o r in encouraging private i
n d u s t r y. DOE's residential i n v e s t m e n t in nuclear plants, o
n e of the safest, cleanest b u i l d i n g energy efficiency extension of
Price Anderson is sources of power in the world. research program
recognizes that critical to the future viability of In fact, many people
don't real- buildings are engineered systems n u c l e a r power as a
source of ize that nuclear power is actually and is providing integrated
solu- energy in this country. t h e only technology available RAYMOND:
ACEC's mem- t i o n s to building energy-effi- today that reliably can
produce cient design and construction. bers play a key role in DOE's the
large amounts of electricity Moreover, DOE, along with ongoing
Environmental Man- we need without emitting pollu- t h e Department of
Housing agement EM program as facil- tion or greenhouse gases. While a n d
Urban Development and ity operations and management nuclear plants now
supply 20 the Environmental Protection contractors and subcontractors.
percent of America's electricity, A g e n c y, recently launched a W h a t
is the agency's funding the percentage is much larger in n e w Partnership
for Home p r i o r i t i e s to support the EM many other countries. E n e
r g y Efficiency aimed at mission? The United States hasn't built B O D M A
N : The United r e d u c i n g household energy a new nuclear plant in more
c o s t s by 10 percent over the States has an obligation to clean than 30
years. Among the rea- n e x t decade. Under President up the legacy left
by 50 years of sons why are high construction Secretar y Bodman center B u
s h's leadership, we have weapons production during the costs and political
opposition. underscores his plan to address developed new technologies and
Cold War, and we have set our The high costs are largely due the nation's
energy needs dur- w e will continue to invest b u d g e t priorities to
meet this t o regulations put into place ing a meeting with ACEC Chair-
PHOTO BY RON AIRA money in finding ways to help obligation. In 2006, the
depart- over the years that make build- man Ed Mulcahy left and h o m e s
and buildings become ment requested approximately i n g these
multibillion-dollar ACEC President Dave Raymond more energy efficient. $ 6
. 5 billion for the Office of p l a n t s much more expensive in the
Secretary's office. S e p t e m b e r l October 2005 ENGINEERING INC. 1 3
Engineering Inc. - September/October 2005

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