Introduction
Good morning. I’m pleased to be here today, and have the opportunity to address you, as we work together to advance our agenda with the 109th Congress.

As I see my responsibilities from 50,000 feet, they are two:

• to increase the recognition of the value of today’s plants
• and to establish the conditions for new plants.

I believe we are on the cusp of a unique moment in the history of our industry—a moment where, after several decades of hard work, all the stars are beginning to align in our favor:

• strong support/recognition from the Bush administration
• strong bipartisan support in Congress
• strong public support, as Americans are fed up with unstable foreign sources of energy, and they are beginning to recognize the environmental benefits of nuclear energy.

So What Is This Summit About?
Supporting these two 50,000-foot goals are three areas of legislative focus identified by the Government Affairs Advisory Committee as crucial to our success:

• On the comprehensive energy bill:
  

• incentives for new plant investment
• renewal of the Price-Anderson Act
• continued funding for nuclear R&D
• uranium sales provisions
• decommissioning tax provisions
  

• We need to continue to pursue strategy to support regulatory stability across the industry:
  

•  security
•  emergency preparedness
•  NRC oversight
•  NRC fees
  

• Resolution of spent fuel issue:
  

• nuclear waste fund reclassification
• EPA standard
• constructive engagement with Nevada
  

Everyone has equity in these areas, some more than others. This is what I see that we need to do together—then I’m going to ask you to grade my paper. I need you to think very hard about this list, because by the end of the day, I’m going to be asking each of your companies whether or not I’m going to be able to count on your support to get these things done.

Now, I now that many of us here today have divergent interests, and that we may not agree on each and every item that we’ll be discussing today. However, I know that if we execute our plan successfully, we can have a profound effect on the political, economic and national security for decades to come. But we need to work together as a team to make it happen.

In the past, our industry has proved that it can work as a team in moments of great crisis. There have been noteworthy times when we’ve put aside our differences and succeeded. We’ve come together for the good of the industry, our customers and the country at large. We worked together to accomplish a wholly new and efficient regulatory process. We worked together three years ago to produce a congressional vote for Yucca Mountain.

Now, we’re coming together in a time of opportunity—in an environment few of us have ever witnessed. That demands a new focus—new strategies and tactics, and a new commitment to cooperation from everyone in this room. And please keep this in mind: I find past failures interesting, and perhaps instructive, but not compelling.

Still, what I need from you before we leave is an ironclad commitment on exactly where and when I can count on your support. In the nuclear business, it’s commonplace for us to shoot for 100 percent when it comes to performance, safety and security. But I know we may not get there when it comes to our agenda for this session of Congress. You may only find 90 percent equity in some of these elements, but I’m asking for 100 percent of your help in making them happen.

Plan of the Day
We do have one change to the agenda: Late Friday, our utility CEOs were invited to the White House to meet with the vice president. But while we’re gone, Neal Cohen from APCO will walk us through a number of examples of how other industries have come together to craft a national strategy and what lessons we can apply to pressing our own agenda.

When Neil is finished, pollster Frank Luntz is going to tell us exactly how we can craft our messages to increase the breadth and depth of that support even further.

After a short break, Tony Earley from DTE will talk about exactly how we can put our industry alignment into action out in the field, and make sure we’re all pulling in the same direction. Remember, these are the issues that our government affairs committee has determined are vital for our success in the 109th Congress.

And in our final and most critical session, we’re going to break into groups based on company and region in order to work through the NEI agenda, and broker some agreement on exactly where we’re going to go next.

At the end of the day, I’d like to be able to point to a common agenda that we’ve all contributed to—a blueprint for industry alignment on every critical issue and on every level of the political process. I need your commitment on a clear set of goals, and the muscle to press those priorities at the local, state and federal level. And with anything less than a total effort, we run the risk of not getting the job done.

Conclusion: Holding Each Other Accountable
To sum up, I’m excited by the opportunities that are before us today. And make no mistake, we’ve earned them. We’ve earned it by demonstrating that nuclear energy can play a vital role in securing both the economic and national security of our nation. We’ve demonstrated it to the public. We’ve demonstrated it to leaders in business. We’ve demonstrated it to Washington.

But to make sure that we can secure that future, we need to execute right now. Otherwise, the rules of the game might change, and we’ll be forced to play from behind again. We can’t let that happen. I won’t let that happen. It’s about accountability. Above all, my accountability to you in terms of my performance. And your accountability to NEI when it comes to pursuing an agenda for the good of the entire nuclear energy sector.

Thank you. Now let’s get to work.