NAM Board Backs Nuclear Energy

The National Association of Manufacturers' (NAM) board of directors has endorsed nuclear energy as part of a policy revision, the first completed by the association in decades.

In supporting the continued use and development of nuclear energy in the United States, the NAM favors construction and operation of facilities covering all parts of the fuel cycle and nuclear energy generation. This includes power plants, fuel enrichment facilities, fuel fabrication plants, low- and high-level waste handling, and disposal operations and other related facilities critical to supporting and expanding the nuclear energy industry.

The business association supports policies "that allow the federal government to fulfill its legal obligation to remove used fuel from commercial nuclear power plants and manage its long-term disposal." The NAM also backs efforts to close the fuel cycle while a permanent disposal facility, which is needed even if the fuel cycle is successfully closed, is developed.

"Nuclear energy helps stabilize the price of electricity while maintaining a diversity of domestic fuel sources," the policy said. "As the demand for electricity in the United States continues to grow, the NAM supports the construction of additional nuclear power plants that have been approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to maintain a diverse portfolio of generating resources."

The new policies are available on NAM's Web site at www.nam.org/policypositions.