ADVANCE Act on nuclear sends us backwards
The US Senate has passed the ADVANCE Act as a component of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), sending America backwards on climate mitigation by wasting needless funds and precious time chasing after elusive nuclear fantasies.
The ADVANCE acronym stands for everything that nuclear power is not — Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy. However, this did not stop a bi-partisan group of senators advancing these myths, proclaiming instead that the Act “reasserts America’s position as the undisputed international leader for nuclear energy technologies.”
By the time any of the plans funded by the ADVANCE Act materialize, the climate crisis will need to have been addressed and its devastating effects minimized by technologies and strategies available now, including cheaper, faster and safer renewables along with energy efficiency.
A quick read of the Act’s “small print” of course reveals the nuclear industry-influenced agenda to reduce and minimize regulatory oversight and requirements, smoothing the path to the implementation of an inherently dangerous technology with minimal safeguards.
Interestingly, one of the lead advocates of the ADVANCE Act, New Jersey Democrat, Cory Booker, was one of the 11 ‘no” votes on NDAA. Without mentioning the ADVANCE Act, Booker stated of his vote: “There is a better way to support our troops and protect our national security than continuing a pattern of annually increasing the Pentagon’s budget beyond what the Department of Defense requests and without completing a comprehensive audit to reduce existing levels of financial waste and mismanagement.”
Support Beyond Nuclear
Help to ensure a safer, greener and more just world for all
