U.S. to learn lessons from Japan disaster in building new nuke plants
Mar. 31, 2011
President Barack Obama said Wednesday the United States will ensure the safety of its nuclear plants at home and learn lessons from the disaster in Japan in building new plants in the future.
Noting that he has called for a comprehensive safety review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make sure all nuclear facilities in the country are safe, Obama said in a speech in Washington, ''We'll incorporate those conclusions and lessons from Japan in designing and building the next generation of plants.''
Obama also suggested that his policy of boosting the use of ''clean energy,'' which includes nuclear power, will remain unchanged.
''America gets one-fifth of our electricity from nuclear energy,'' he said in the speech delivered at Georgetown University. ''It has important potential for increasing our electricity without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.''
The ongoing nuclear crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami has prompted policymakers around the world to review or defend their energy policy of pursuing nuclear power as a key component.
Obama said Washington will take the lead in global discussions toward a new international framework in which all countries operate their nuclear plants without spreading dangerous nuclear materials and technology.
In the face of surging crude oil prices, Obama also said his administration will aim to cut U.S. oil imports by one-third over a decade or so as part of efforts to its enhance energy security and diversify energy sources.
''When I was elected to this office, America imported 11 million barrels of oil a day. By a little more than a decade from now, we will have cut that by one-third,'' Obama said.
Calling the new goal as ''reasonable, achievable and necessary,'' he said the United States cannot afford to bet its long-term prosperity and security any more on a resource that will eventually run out.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on March 30, 2011)
Noting that he has called for a comprehensive safety review by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to make sure all nuclear facilities in the country are safe, Obama said in a speech in Washington, ''We'll incorporate those conclusions and lessons from Japan in designing and building the next generation of plants.''
Obama also suggested that his policy of boosting the use of ''clean energy,'' which includes nuclear power, will remain unchanged.
''America gets one-fifth of our electricity from nuclear energy,'' he said in the speech delivered at Georgetown University. ''It has important potential for increasing our electricity without adding carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.''
The ongoing nuclear crisis at Tokyo Electric Power Co.'s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in northeastern Japan following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami has prompted policymakers around the world to review or defend their energy policy of pursuing nuclear power as a key component.
Obama said Washington will take the lead in global discussions toward a new international framework in which all countries operate their nuclear plants without spreading dangerous nuclear materials and technology.
In the face of surging crude oil prices, Obama also said his administration will aim to cut U.S. oil imports by one-third over a decade or so as part of efforts to its enhance energy security and diversify energy sources.
''When I was elected to this office, America imported 11 million barrels of oil a day. By a little more than a decade from now, we will have cut that by one-third,'' Obama said.
Calling the new goal as ''reasonable, achievable and necessary,'' he said the United States cannot afford to bet its long-term prosperity and security any more on a resource that will eventually run out.
(Distributed by Kyodo News on March 30, 2011)
