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Andrew Moore

With a nuclear reactor tower as his backdrop, U.S. Congressman Gresham Barrett, R-Westminster, spoke Monday at Duke World of Energy. Barrett officially announced his intentions to introduce legislation to promote development of additional nuclear energy facilities.

SALEM — U.S. Congressman Gresham Barrett, R-Westminster, held a press conference Monday at Duke World of Energy to announce his intentions of introducing legislation to streamline nuclear energy development in South Carolina.

One of the main problems the nation currently faces is the need for energy independence and stability, Barrett said. One main solution is efficiently constructing more nuclear power plants, he said.

Bryan Dolan, Duke Energy’s vice president of nuclear plant development, agreed. “All of us as energy producers are seeing rising costs. That underpins the importance of nuclear.”

The legislation will seek to resolve what Barrett called “hindrances” to nuclear development by amending several national energy policies to help with nuclear plant construction, nuclear work force education and the management of spent nuclear fuel. The idea is derived from former South Carolina governor and Secretary of Energy Jim Edwards’ plans to provide more nuclear energy.

“We are far behind the world in terms of using nuclear power for an energy source,” Barrett said. “Until recently, it had been decades since any progress has been made toward expanding the usage of nuclear power.”

Part of the legislation calls for loan guarantees for technologies that reduce emissions. Regarding construction hindrances, Barrett’s legislation would seek to streamline the licensing process by eliminating mandatory hearings required by the Atomic Energy Act for uncontested issues on every Combined Operating License or Early Site Permit. It would also provide an investment tax credit for new nuclear plant construction and establish a joint Congressional committee on nuclear energy.

“This legislation seeks to address how we can continue to streamline this nuclear renaissance through loan guarantees, through educating our work force and how we can address the reprocessing or recycling of nuclear waste,” Barrett said.

The latter issue will be dealt with in another portion of the legislation, which will call for the creation of a quasi-independent corporation to construct and operate a waste repository.

“You can’t talk about nuclear power generation unless you talk about some type of recycling,” Barrett said.

Charles Dalton, vice president and chief executive officer of the Blue Ridge Electrical Co-Op, was at the press conference Monday to voice his support of the legislation.

“We think the American electric power industry has reached a stage where there is very little capacity for generating base load electricity,” Dalton said. “Growing demand for electricity requires generation that is brought online as quickly as possible in quantities that will accommodate the rising demand. I don’t think any of us want to contemplate the consequences of us not meeting this challenge.”