Boucher Says No to Clean Energy Power

Opposes Including Nuclear, Biomass and New Hydro-Electric Power as Renewable Energy Sources

“Rick Boucher is hardly watching out for Virginia’s best interests knowing that so many families and businesses in Virginia rely so heavily on clean energy sources for jobs and electricity,” said NRCC Communications Director Ken Spain.  “If Rick Boucher is seriously concerned about climate change, why wouldn’t he support the cleanest forms of energy known to man?”

The amendment that Boucher voted against would have allowed clean nuclear power, biomass and new hydro-electric power to be counted as renewable energy sources.  Under the Democrats’ climate bill, these renewables, which are among the cleanest energy sources on the planet, wouldn’t be eligible to be counted under the renewable energy standard.  The amendment would have changed the bill to include any source of energy as clean as or cleaner than the current renewables listed in the bill. 

Currently, this bill requires companies to have a certain amount of their energy be produced by renewable energy sources, but without this amendment that Boucher voted to kill, nuclear, biomass and hydro-electric energy sources wouldn’t be eligible.  Without this amendment, it will be even more difficult for U.S. Companies to qualify for the stringent renewable energy standards established by the Democrats’ climate bill. 

Virginia Relies Heavily on Renewable Energy for Power:
Virginia generated 3,833,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy in 2006 alone
(Nuclear Energy Institute, State Renewable Electricity Profiles, http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/solar.renewables/page/state_profiles/r_profiles_sum.html)

Nuclear energy is an emission-free source that prevents the emission of greenhouse gases;
Nuclear energy makes up 34.7% of Virginia’s electricity;
There are 4 nuclear power plants in Virginia, which operate at an average 91.9% capacity;
The nuclear utility generation by Virginia in the past year was 4,892,685 megawatt hours
(Nuclear Energy Institute, State Nuclear Facts, http://www.nei.org/publicpolicy/stateactivities/statenuclearfacts/; Energy Information Administration, Capacity-EIA Survey from 860, “Annual Electric Generator Report; Generation-EIA Survey Form 906, “Power Plant Report,”  http://www.eia.doe.gov/cneaf/nuclear/page/nuc_generation/gensum.html)

President Obama Said We Must Harness Nuclear Energy:
“We must harness the power of nuclear energy on behalf of our efforts to combat climate change, and to advance peace and opportunity for all people.”
(President Barack Obama to the people of Prague, Czech Republic, April 7, 2009)

View the text of the amendment here: http://energycommerce.house.gov/Press_111/20090521/hr2454_I_upton_2.pdf