NEWS RELEASE

Energy Secretary Federico Pena Announces Resignation

WASHINGTON—The following is a statement from Joe F. Colvin, NEI president and chief executive officer in response to Department of Energy Secretary Federico Peña’s resignation announcement.

"We applaud Secretary Peña for his recognition during his term as Secretary of Energy of the vital role nuclear power must play in meeting clean air and climate change goals. We are also pleased that the Secretary has supported preserving nuclear power as a key component of the U.S. energy portfolio through continued R&D funding.

"The industry is facing a number of issues that must be resolved, foremost of which is how to achieve legislation that will allow the Energy Department to meet its 16-year-old legal obligation to manage used nuclear fuel. Congress has addressed all of the concerns expressed by the Administration so continued opposition to a legislative solution by the Administration is counterproductive and could expose the U.S. taxpayer to up to $56 billion in liabilities resulting from DOE’s failure to do its job on time.

"Nuclear energy is the nation’s largest source of clean, emission-free electricity. Therefore, we look forward to working with the new Secretary of Energy and hope that, like Secretary Peña, his successor will recognize nuclear power’s significant environmental benefits and its role in enhancing energy security for our country."


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.