Energy Secretary Federico PeÃ’a Resignation
WASHINGTON, D.C., April 6, 1998--The following is a statement from Joe F. Colvin, NEI president and chief executive officer in response to Department of Energy Secretary Federico PeÃ’a's resignation announcement.
"We applaud Secretary PeÃ’a for his recognition during his term as Secretary of Energy of the vital role nuclear power must play in meeting clean air and climate change goals. We are also pleased that the Secretary has supported preserving nuclear power as a key component of the U.S. energy portfolio through continued R&D funding.
"The industry is facing a number of issues that must be resolved, foremost of which is how to achieve legislation that will allow the Energy Department to meet its 16-year-old legal obligation to manage used nuclear fuel. Congress has addressed all of the concerns expressed by the Administration so continued opposition to a legislative solution by the Administration is counterproductive and could expose the U.S. taxpayer to up to $56 billion in liabilities resulting from DOE's failure to do its job on time.
"Nuclear energy is the nation's largest source of clean, emission-free electricity. Therefore, we look forward to working with the new Secretary of Energy and hope that, like Secretary PeÃ’a, his successor will recognize nuclear power's significant environmental benefits and its role in enhancing energy security for our country."
For more information, contact NEI's Media Relations staff at 202/739-8000 during business hours or 703/644-8805 after hours and weekends.
The Nuclear Energy Institute is the nuclear energy industry's Washington-based policy organization.
This news release and additional information about nuclear energy are available on NEI's Internet site at http://www.nei.org
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