Good afternoon, and thank you all for joining us today.

I can say with all confidence that the preceding presentations have charted an impressive and encouraging future for our industry.

You heard about industry efforts to maintain and maximize asset value of nuclear power plants. How the industry is reinventing the business of nuclear energy as we transition to a competitive marketplace.

You were also brought up to date on industry efforts to hold the government true to its obligation to begin moving used nuclear fuel from plant sites to a temporary storage facility.

You also heard of the rediscovery of nuclear energy in Congress, and elsewhere in the federal government, especially the Department of Energy.

Lawmakers and policymakers are recognizing that energy security and clean air needs cannot be met without nuclear power.

And you heard Commissioner McGaffigan explain how the NRC is striving to redefine the philosophical basis of the regulatory system—a daunting task for which Chairman Jackson, the commissioners and the NRC staff deserve an enormous amount of credit.

Today, I want to discuss an often neglected side of our business: What you as individuals and as corporate representatives, can do to help change how the public perceives our industry.

Last summer when I spoke to this group, I detailed the results of NEI-sponsored public opinion polls of college graduates who are registered to vote.

You may recall, we asked this influential group some key questions about nuclear energy.

Nearly nine out of ten agreed that the U.S. should renew the licenses of nuclear plants that continue to meet safety standards.

Three out of four agreed that we should keep our existing nuclear plants and that we should keep open the option to build more nuclear power plants in the future.

Nevertheless, the survey also showed that people do not know enough about what the nuclear industry does and how we do it.

Members of the public are also surprised to learn that there are more than 100 nuclear units generating 20 percent of U.S. electricity.

Most would guess fewer than 10 plants are in operation.

Nor does the public understand the science of nuclear energy, or the lengths to which the industry goes to provide safe, reliable and economical electricity.

And the public is just beginning to understand the beneficial environmental impact of nuclear energy.

If the public thinks there are fewer than 10 operating plants, doesn't understand how we make electricity, and is only now beginning to appreciate the environmental benefits of our emission-free nature—can we expect them to be proponents of our industry?

I don't think so.

Nuclear energy and technologies are a major part of everyday life, but an image problem persists even among the most informed members of the public.

Not surprisingly, a finding common to the surveys was that favorable attitudes about nuclear energy increased when respondents were provided accurate and positive information about nuclear energy—for example, its clean air benefits.

There is a valuable lesson here: No one benefits when the industry fails to convey good news.

The industry will miss an extraordinary opportunity to make a positive impact on public opinion if we just remain quietly on the sidelines, bemoaning the alleged lack of support for this vital, emission-free energy source.

For too long, we have been content to rely solely on our good performance record to make our case before the public.

It is time to abandon the passive "no news is good news" approach to communication.

It is time to aggressively get the word out about our true value and our real achievements.

It is also time to stop allowing the small but vocal anti-nuclear interest groups to define the public debate and unduly influence public energy policy.

At the very least, we must do no harm.

Consider the following two statements:

"Global warming and the problems of clean air are going to give a boost to the nuclear energy industry." And, "Nuclear power is dead, has been dead for a long time, and the public doesn't realize it…"

Common sense would suggest that the first statement was authored by a nuclear energy industry veteran, and the second by an anti-nuclear energy activist.

The truth of the matter is, the roles were reversed.

With apologies to Mr. Twain, it was a 27-year veteran of nuclear energy who grossly exaggerated the death of our industry.

And it was an anti-nuclear energy activist who—probably grudgingly—noted that nuclear energy doesn't pollute the air.

The industry cannot tolerate such, misleading and self-destructive voices from within.

We have a lot of great news to share, and we need not be apologetic about that.

For example, Congress is increasingly aware of nuclear energy's critical role as a reliable, economical and virtually inexhaustible source of electricity.

Members are also increasingly aware of nuclear energy's part in reducing air pollution and limiting the possibility of global warming.

Consequently, Congress has become much more involved in regulatory reform so that the industry will not be crippled by a burdensome and subjective regulatory process in a competitive marketplace.

In the past year, two plants have been purchased, and five units have submitted license renewal applications.

Another, Entergy's Arkansas Nuclear One, last week told the NRC that it intended to file license renewal application in December.

All of the renewal submissions were met with pronounced local and community support.

Even the Energy Department's Energy Information Agency asserted in October that nuclear energy must continue to play a substantial or increased role in U.S. electricity generation if our nation has any hope of meeting the carbon emission reductions envisioned in the Kyoto Protocol.

Most recently, a group of Wall Street financial analysts met with NEI and industry executives in New York City.

And like NEI, they were extremely bullish on the industry's financial future. They realize the inherent asset value of well operated nuclear plants.

Moreover, they recognize that future asset value will be substantially enhanced as the hidden value of nuclear energy's emission-free nature is monetized.

These events and opportunities didn't just happen.

The industry is ready to meet the future because we never stopped preparing for it.

The problem is, our various constituencies don't know that because we haven't been very good at keeping them abreast of all our hard work.

The industry—and I mean all aspects of the industry—needs to disseminate this good news aggressively.

One of NEI's most vital missions is to build public understanding of nuclear energy's benefits.

It is also my whole-hearted belief that it is a vital mission of every individual in the nuclear energy community.

We must have the nuclear energy message going out locally from the companies and individuals that collectively constitute the nuclear power community.

In particular, our research suggests that such outreach is essential in helping to shape how the public perceives our industry.

For example, two-thirds of those polled in 1998 said they favored the use of nuclear energy, but only one-fifth felt that the majority of their neighbors were favorable to nuclear power.

Two-thirds were favorable toward nuclear energy, but only one-fifth felt that a majority of their neighbors were also supportive.

NEI conducted two focus groups to see if we could bridge this so-called "perception gap."

The results suggest that people form impressions of public opinion based on what they see and hear-such as negative news images—as well as on what they do not see and hear—namely, positive information about nuclear energy.

Their comments emphasized what research has shown for years—that support for nuclear energy is driven primarily by perceptions of the need for nuclear energy and its benefits.

The participants knew the benefits, but believed most people did not. They said that if they saw more information in the media and in their communities about the benefits of nuclear energy, they would be more inclined to believe that other Americans shared their point of view.

That would help narrow the perception gap. And that's exactly what NEI hopes to see happen as a result of our focused efforts to communicate the benefits of nuclear technologies.

The perception gap must be closed because policymaker and community support of our business are essential. The industry has the support for nuclear energy it needs in the United States. It simply needs for it to be brought out into the open and recognized.

We all have a role to play in making that happen.

By skillfully using communications resources, we can redefine the public debate on more favorable terms, but it will require hard work and personal dedication.

You can weigh in by helping your employees understand more fully the basics of nuclear energy.

Sponsor discussions and information sessions so they feel more informed and better connected to their work.

Get involved in local, state and federal legislative initiatives that impact your business.

Emphasize the relationship between fuel supply companies and other vital sectors of the nuclear energy family.

Invite the public to come and learn what you do and why. Show them the many beneficial faces of nuclear energy.

Also encourage your employees to get out into their communities—their schools, churches and civic associations—to help their neighbors understand the important work they do.

In short, make it personal.

And rest assured that NEI will assist you in any way we can.

Through our enAct program, we will help you devise an outreach strategy most suited to your needs.

When needed, we can provide training and advice in grassroots development, organization and practices.

We will also help provide informative material with which to make your case—in your company, with your friends, and in your community.

Already, our member and public websites are a rich store of useful information—take the time to visit them and let us know how they can be made more useful.

With renewed awareness, increased involvement and more positive attitudes, we will increase public and policymaker support for nuclear energy.

We will also achieve much-needed recognition of that support.

And we will help that majority of supporters feel secure and positive about why they favor the continued use of nuclear energy.

All are essential achievements if the benefits of nuclear energy are to be fully enjoyed by future generations.

But we must start the process.

Write letters to your local and state newspapers. Let them know how you feel on the issues affecting our industry.

Our research shows that the American public trusts the opinions of engineers, scientists, and plant employees when it comes to issues of nuclear energy.

Capitalize on that credibility.

Also capitalize on that credibility with your elected officials. Write them and share your point of view on matters pertaining to our industry.

Don't overwhelm them with details, just tell them what you believe and follow-up your letter with a phone call.

You might be surprised by the results of such a simple strategy. Remember, all politics is local!

Also remember that we have both truth and science on our side.

But we must all work harder to let the truth appear—and NEI will work alongside you every step of the way.

Thank you.