Washington, D.C. - In an Environment and Climate Change Subcommittee hearing with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), Subcommittee on the Environment and Climate Change Republican Leader David B. McKinley (R-WV) questioned the Left’s motives when it comes to nuclear energy.
Excerpts and highlights from his prepared remarks:
WHAT IS THE LEFT’S GOAL?
“Is the left trying to address climate change by reducing emissions or is it using climate change to eliminate nuclear and fossil fuels?
“If the left wants to address climate change, then it should embrace nuclear power and carbon capture.
“On nuclear energy, Bernie Sanders calls it a ‘false solution.’ In 2019, Elizabeth Warren said that she hopes to phase out nuclear power by 2035.
“The Sierra Club is ‘unequivocally opposed’ to nuclear energy. Greenpeace calls nuclear ‘dirty, dangerous, and expensive.’
“Even Biden’s handpicked Environmental Justice Council is opposed to nuclear energy.
“It’s clear the left wants to eliminate nuclear power and replace it with wind and solar."
THE RUSH TO GREEN WITH 100 PERCENT RENEWABLES
“But what are the consequences of transitioning to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030, 2035?
“To replace a typical 1000 MW nuclear plant with wind and battery backup because the wind is only reliable 35 percent of the time, 1,430 windmills would need to be installed.
“According to the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, a 2 MW windmill requires two-tenths of a square mile of land."
IT’S NOT FEASIBLE
“This is simply not feasible and on top of this massive land grab, if the U.S. did transition to renewables by 2030, 2035, utility prices would surge, thousands of jobs would disappear, CO2 levels will still be at dangerous levels, above 350 PPM according to John Kerry, and we would still experience extreme weather events like hurricanes, wildfires, droughts, and flooding.
“If the objective is to reduce carbon emissions, we need to promote nuclear energy and invest in carbon capture.
“But in order to have a serious conversation about climate change, the left needs to be honest with the American people about its true motive: reducing carbon emissions or eliminating nuclear and fossil fuels."
