Amory Lovins: Expanding Nuclear Power Makes Climate Change Worse : Indybay

There’s one issue that President Bush and presidential hopefuls John McCain and Barack Obama all agree on–expanding the use of nuclear power. Bush addressed nuclear power at a press conference Tuesday and hailed it as a way to reduce American dependence on oil and protect the environment.

The debate over nuclear power is back in the news with the admission of Energy Department official Ward Sproat Tuesday that it would cost taxpayers $90 billion to open and operate the nation’s first nuclear waste dump. Speaking after a congressional hearing Sproat added that the dump in Yucca Mountain, Nevada, would open only in 2020. It was originally estimated to cost $58 billion and open in 1998.

Our next guest has been described as “one of the Western world’s most influential energy thinkers.” He’s also a leading opponent of nuclear power. Amory Lovins is the co-founder, chairman, and chief scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado. He is a consultant physicist, MacArthur Fellow, and recipient of numerous awards including the Right Livelihood award. Lovins has advised the energy and other industries in countries around the world including here in the United States. He invented the hybrid Hypercar in 1991 and has written twenty-nine books including “Soft Energy Paths,” “Natural Capitalism,” “Small is Profitable,” and “Winning the Oil Endgame.” Amory Lovins joins me now here in the firehouse studio.

Amory Lovins, co-founder, chairman, and chief scientist of Rocky Mountain Institute in Colorado.

Amory Lovins: Expanding Nuclear Power Makes Climate Change Worse

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