Marv Fertel Letter to President Obama

Earlier today, NEI's CEO Marv Fertel sent the following letter to the White House concerning the President's recent Executive Branch order concerning use of renewable energy. Full text follows.

December 12, 2013
President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20500

Dear Mr. President:

On behalf of the U.S. nuclear energy industry, I am writing to express our concern about your recent order to all Executive Branch agencies requiring them to obtain 20 percent of their electricity from renewable energy sources by 2020. This order was a component of your Administration’s Climate Action Plan, published last June, and is intended to reduce America’s carbon emissions.

We understand your Climate Action Plan to be a broad-based commitment to reduce carbon emissions – taking advantage of all energy sources – not just a mandate to promote only renewable energy. As you and others in your Administration have often said, nuclear energy can, and must, play a major role in any credible national plan to reduce carbon emissions and we believe it should be included in any Presidential mandate to federal agencies on procurement of carbon-free electricity.

America’s 100 nuclear power plants represent 64 percent of the carbon-free electricity produced in the United States and dwarf the emissions prevented by all other energy sources. These plants are the only source of low-carbon electricity that can operate reliably around the clock. Relative to the sources of electricity that would have been used in their absence, America’s nuclear power plants in 2012 prevented the emission of 570 million metric tons of CO2, equivalent to taking 110 million cars off the road. In the absence of nuclear energy, the U.S. electric sector’s carbon footprint would have been 26 percent larger. All credible analyses of this issue – by the Environmental Protection Agency, the Energy Information Administration and independent international institutions like the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the International Energy Agency – have demonstrated unequivocally that the United States and the world cannot achieve meaningful reductions in carbon emissions without preservation of our existing nuclear energy assets and large-scale construction of new nuclear power plants.

Given these facts, it is extremely disappointing that the mandate to federal agencies did not include instructions to procure electricity from nuclear power plants as part of the federal government’s initiative to reduce carbon emissions. While renewable energy sources should be part of the mix of low-carbon sources, intermittent energy resources must always be backed up, typically by natural gas-fired electric generating capacity.

Your Administration has recognized the strategic importance of U.S. leadership globally to meet our non-proliferation, safety and environmental goals, and is advocating the export of U.S. nuclear technology, services and operational expertise. The Administration has also supported the public-private partnership to develop small modular reactors, and has worked with U.S. industry to conduct the necessary R&D to extend the life of our nation’s 100 operating reactors. You have also recognized the critical role of our independent regulator, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, and have nominated highly qualified, objective and experienced individuals to serve as commissioners. Given this record, we believe failure to include nuclear energy in your mandate for procurement of carbon-free electricity by federal facilities is a missed leadership opportunity, and one that would be embraced by consumers. Eight-five percent of Americans believe that nuclear energy should play a similar or expanded role in America’s electricity portfolio in the next 10 years.

The companies that operate America’s 100 nuclear power plants are part of a larger electric power sector that embraces and practices an energy policy based on diversity of technology and fuel supply. We regard this approach as one of the core strengths of the U.S. electricity supply system. All resources – natural gas, advanced nuclear, renewables, efficiency, hydro and advanced coal – can and must play a role in meeting America’s electricity needs. You have expressed similar views in your public statements, which is why we expected this philosophy would be reflected broadly in the Administration’s policies.
Thank you in advance for considering these comments. I would be pleased to discuss these matters further with your staff.

Sincerely,

Marvin S. Fertel