Interview with AIF President Carl Walske on nuclear energy and the Carter Administration
Walske states that the U.S. needs to have a breeder reactor capability by the end of this century and should continue working on research and demonstration, particularly waste disposal, programs. In his opinion, the Ford Foundation study group had too many members identified with arms control and proliferation, and this contributed to the conclusion to stop fuel reprocessing. He also faults the administration for not consulting with the nuclear industry when it was formulating the position to continue only conventional nuclear plants. With other countries continuing their breeder programs, the U.S. will be at a disadvantage. The U.S. military is involved in operating reprocessing plants, which is unfair to the civilian sector. Walske anticipates that industrial personnel will have no problem accepting safeguards measures. As a member of the administration's review committee for the liquid metal fast breeder reactor, he is concerned that the committee is not addressing the government's nonproliferation policy or the share of total power that should be nuclear. He views nuclear energy as basic rather than a ''gap filler'' in the country's energy mix. The public will have to become aroused before environmental standards will be eased enough to facilitate energy development. Capital raising is not as much a disincentive for the nuclear industry as the lack of a stable policy for licensing and reprocessing. (DCK)
- OSTI ID:
- 7314076
- Journal Information:
- Public Util. Fortn.; (United States), Journal Name: Public Util. Fortn.; (United States) Vol. 99:8; ISSN PUFNA
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
210500 -- Power Reactors
Breeding
210701 -- Nuclear Power Plants-- Regulation & Licensing-- Power Reactor Docket Information
29 ENERGY PLANNING, POLICY, AND ECONOMY
290600* -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Nuclear Energy
293000 -- Energy Planning & Policy-- Policy
Legislation
& Regulation
BREEDER REACTORS
ECONOMICS
ENERGY
ENERGY DEMAND
ENERGY POLICY
EPITHERMAL REACTORS
FAST REACTORS
FBR TYPE REACTORS
FOREIGN POLICY
FUEL CYCLE
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INDUSTRY
LAWS
LIQUID METAL COOLED REACTORS
LMFBR TYPE REACTORS
NUCLEAR ENERGY
NUCLEAR FACILITIES
NUCLEAR INDUSTRY
NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
NUCLEAR WEAPONS
POLLUTION LAWS
POWER PLANTS
RADIOACTIVE MATERIALS
RADIOACTIVE WASTES
REACTORS
REPROCESSING
SAFEGUARDS
SECURITY
SEPARATION PROCESSES
STANDARDS
THERMAL POWER PLANTS
WASTES
WEAPONS