NUCLEAR MATTERS CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW

Transcription

1 NUCLEAR MATTERS CAMPAIGN OVERVIEW THURSDAY, JUNE 5 David Wright, Nuclear Matters Leadership Council

2 What is Nuclear Matters? Nuclear Matters is a bipartisan campaign to engage and inform policymakers and the public about the need to preserve existing nuclear energy plants due to their critical role in America s energy mix. 2

3 Our Co-Chairs Sen. Judd Gregg (R-NH) U.S. Senator (NH) from Chairman of Sen. Budget Committee Governor of New Hampshire from U.S. Representative from Sen. Evan Bayh (D-IN) U.S. Senator (IN) from Governor of Indiana from Secretary of State in Indiana from

4 Our Leadership Council Spencer Abraham Secretary of Energy U.S. Senator (MI) from NRC Co-Chairman Bill Daley White House Chief of Staff Secretary of Commerce Vicky Bailey Assistant Secretary of Policy and International Affairs, Department of Energy FERC Commissioner Blanche Lincoln U.S. Senator (AR) from U.S. Representative (AR-1) from Carol Browner Director of White House Office of Energy and Climate Change Policy EPA Administrator David Wright President of NARUC 2011 Present Chairman of the South Carolina Public Service Commission

5 Why Nuclear Matters America s existing nuclear energy plants are the backbone of our nation s energy portfolio and provide tremendous benefits. o Reliable o Carbon Free o Economic Engines Despite these significant benefits, existing merchant nuclear plants face a perfect storm of economic challenges that threaten their continued operation. Our energy policies must ensure that existing nuclear energy plants are preserved though different solutions may be called for in different parts of the country. 5

6 The Clear Benefits of Nuclear Energy 6

7 Clear Benefits Reliable 7

8 Clear Benefits Carbon-Free 8

9 Clear Benefits Economic Engines 9

10 Economic Challenges to Nuclear Energy 10

11 What the Experts Say It is increasingly likely that the United States could see a significant percentage of its nuclear power plants close, thanks to low natural gas prices and ongoing subsidies for renewable energy If you care about climate change this is very bad news. Shutting Down U.S. Nuclear Plants is Still Bad News for Environmentalists (3/2014) We see the combination of state-by-state renewables mandates and energy efficiency initiatives as inevitably leading to a supply/demand imbalance that will put further pressure on base load coal and nuclear retirements (11/15/2013) Complex market policy factors and the abundance of natural gas have made operating nuclear power plants uneconomical in some parts of the country, resulting in shutdowns of four nuclear reactors, with another planned for next year. Peter Lyons, Assistant Sec. for Nuclear Energy, House Appropriations Hearing (3/25/2014) We are concerned about the economic viability of the existing nuclear fleet in our region due to pricing pressure from all of these exogenous events. Letter from PJM President and CEO to EPA Administrator Regina McCarthy (1/30/2014) 11

12 Taking Action National Campaign Digital Advocacy & Comms. Media Relations /NuclearMatters Events/ Spokespeople Positioning Paid Localized Engagement Voter ID & Mobilization Coalition Building 12

13 Taking Action State Campaign Media Relations Paid Advertising Coalition Building Voter Identification & Mobilization Event & Spokespeople Positioning Localized Engagement Digital Advocacy 13

14 Solutions Nuclear Matters doesn t prescribe any particular solution, but rather encourages policymakers and stakeholders to take steps that will enable the continued operation of U.S. nuclear energy plants. Different solutions may be called for in different parts of the country, such as: Policies that recognize the zero-carbon-emissions value of nuclear energy plants Policies that recognize the reliability of nuclear plants Efforts to enable rapid development of transmission capacity to link nuclear energy plants to different markets Policies (federal and/or state) to curtail government subsidization of some electric generation fuel sources at the expense of others Other policy initiatives that help improve the economic viability of today s nuclear energy plants 14

15 Questions? 15