NEWS RELEASE

Industry Executive To Discuss Necessity of Nuclear Energy Toward Meeting Clean Air, Climate Change I

WASHINGTON—With the 25th anniversary of the oil embargo and the Buenos Aires climate change convention only days away, on Thursday, October 22, Joe F. Colvin, president and chief executive officer of the Nuclear Energy Institute, will provide a national perspective on nuclear energy's value and its future prospects as part of the National Press Club's Morning Newsmaker's program.

The October 25th oil embargo anniversary coincides with an alignment of a number of key events—deregulation of the nation's electric utility industry, EPA's new tougher air quality standards and the November 2-13 United Nation's Climate Change Convention in Buenos Aires—that speak powerfully, just as the oil shocks did, to the value of nuclear energy. One of the significant outcomes of the oil embargo was the deliberate decision by the United States to turn to domestic electricity sources, such as nuclear energy.

Since 1973, nuclear energy has met 40 percent of the increased demand for electricity in the United States and accounted for 90 percent of all carbon dioxide emissions reductions by U.S. electric utilities. Although nuclear energy's ability to generate electricity without producing emissions has long been recognized, current initiatives and environmental policy provide no mechanism for crediting nuclear energy's role in avoiding or off-setting emissions created by other sources. A new study of the federal government's acid rain program concluded that nuclear energy's role in allowing states to meet targets has been underestimated, and that generation from nuclear plants will become increasingly important as compliance with other air pollution requirements, such as those to be discussed next month in Buenos Aires, emerge.

Date/Time: Thursday, October 22, 10 a.m.
Location: National Press Club, Zenger Room
                529 14th St., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20045
Speaker: Joe F. Colvin
                President and Chief Executive Officer
                Nuclear Energy Institute


The Nuclear Energy Institute is the nuclear energy industry’s policy organization. This news release and additional information about nuclear energy are available on NEI’s Internet site at http://www.nei.org.