| Federal lawmakers patted themselves on the | | | | provides energy.The major issue in the western |
| back, last Friday, in a joint bi-partisan news | | | | United States, about nuclear waste, is "please |
| release issued by three New Mexico politicians: U.S. | | | | don't put it in our backyard." Several western |
| Senators Pete Domenici and Jeff Bingaman, and | | | | states have been approached, and even the |
| U.S. Congressman Steve Pearce. Their celebratory | | | | Carlsbad area was once discussed. Through the |
| remarks were meant to remind voters why the | | | | ABR technology, it may be possible to minimize |
| politicians were in Washington - to bring their state | | | | the amount of this waste to make it a less |
| new jobs for at least some of New Mexico's | | | | undesirable disposal problem. A look at local New |
| voters. While the chorus of praise revolved | | | | Mexico politics may provide an insight as to where |
| around creating new jobs and bringing millions of | | | | the two U.S. senators may be heading with |
| dollars into the state's economy, is there more | | | | regards to a nuclear power plant for New |
| behind this story, which has not yet been told?For | | | | Mexico.New Mexico's Enrichment Facility: |
| Senator Domenici, this was another major victory | | | | Prelude to a Nuclear Power Plant?If Federal |
| as the longest serving U.S. Senator in New | | | | lawmakers are happy about the proposed |
| Mexico's history. The Republican Senator heads | | | | uranium enrichment facility, some of New Mexico's |
| the Senate Energy and Natural Resources | | | | state politicians were still floating on clouds when |
| Committee. Domenici made his views on nuclear | | | | we talked to them yesterday. New Mexico |
| energy quite clear in his book "A Brighter | | | | legislator John A. Heaton, the Democratic |
| Tomorrow: Fulfilling the Promise of Nuclear | | | | representative serving Carlsbad, waxed |
| Energy" (Rowman & Littlefield, 2004). He began | | | | enthusiastic about the enrichment facility, "It's the |
| pursuing Louisiana Energy Services to move to | | | | first step in converting this country to nuclear |
| New Mexico in February 2003, after it became | | | | energy."Mainly the four state senators and |
| apparent Hartsville, Tennessee didn't want uranium | | | | representatives, whom we interviewed, echoed |
| being enriched in their backyard.And again, it was | | | | each other's praise about Urenco's proposed |
| Domenici, whose last minute negotiations with | | | | enrichment facility. "I could not be more pleased," |
| Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, led to the | | | | Senator Carroll H. Leavell told us. "It will have a |
| adoption of the Part 810 Waiver. The waiver | | | | major, very positive impact on the economy." At |
| allowed Louisiana Energy Services (LES) to | | | | the peak of construction, as many as 1200 |
| contact foreign-owned Urenco Ltd about | | | | workers may be employed. Later, when the |
| transferring high technology data (the gas | | | | facility is operational, about 300 workers will |
| centrifuge technology) to LES so the uranium | | | | remain. All four were pleasantly surprised that |
| enrichment technology could be utilized at the new | | | | town hall hearings for the proposed facility were |
| facility. U.S. laws ordinarily prohibit such nuclear | | | | overwhelmingly positive, and the local citizens |
| technology transfers, but Domenici's intervention | | | | would be delighted to have this facility in built in |
| brought the project to the NRC approval stage. | | | | southeastern New Mexico. Senator Leavell said |
| LES had been on the drawing boards since 1989, | | | | with disgust, "Most of the (anti-nuclear) protests |
| having derived its name from the state of | | | | have come from outside our area, places like San |
| Louisiana. The LES partnership was initially formed | | | | Francisco, DC and Santa Fe."Senators Leavell and |
| with the intent of building its centrifuge enrichment | | | | Gay G. Kernan, the state senator from Hobbs, |
| plant in Homer, Louisiana.Senator Domenici's | | | | were invited by Urenco Ltd. to tour an enrichment |
| impact upon the nuclear resurgence in the United | | | | technology plant in Almelo, Netherlands and left |
| States is evident to the entire industry and most | | | | impressed with the company, its honesty and |
| politicians. He announced last year, "In 1997, I | | | | especially the management's attitude of looking at |
| predicted the resurgence of nuclear energy in the | | | | both sides of the issues. Both state senators also |
| United States. For the last eight years, I have | | | | observed the surrounding community failed to be |
| worked to help make that renaissance a reality." | | | | negatively impacted by the enrichment |
| Is there, perhaps, one more achievement Senator | | | | facility.Looking for deeper insights into what the |
| Domenici would like to add on behalf of the | | | | future might hold, we asked all four about the |
| nuclear industry, before giving up his Senate seat? | | | | possibility of a nuclear power plant in New Mexico. |
| In his book, "A Brighter Tomorrow," Domenici | | | | All four agreed it would be desirable. Additional |
| bemoans and condemns nuclear fuel reprocessing. | | | | comments by the four state politicians led us to |
| With the advent of the Global Nuclear Energy | | | | believe there might be a second step, following |
| Partnership (GNEP), Domenici may bring a nuclear | | | | Heaton's remark about the enrichment facility |
| power plant to New Mexico before he | | | | being the first step.Donald L. Whitaker, the |
| retires.Domenici's Democratic counterpart, Senator | | | | Democratic legislator from Eunice, the closest |
| Jeff Bingaman, is the ranking Democrat on the | | | | town to the proposed enrichment facility, told us, |
| Senate Energy and Natural Resource Committee. | | | | "I would like to see a nuclear reactor in New |
| We suspect Bingaman may play an integral role in | | | | Mexico." Whitaker has toured a nuclear facility, and |
| helping Senator Domenici fulfill that dream. | | | | believes one would be great for the state's |
| Ironically, Senator Bingaman, who last November | | | | economy. "They employ about one thousand and |
| was invited to a Santa Fe anti-nuclear | | | | bring high-paying jobs," he said. Representative |
| environmentalist fundraiser, and which highlighted | | | | Whitaker was not the lone voice among his fellow |
| television mogul Ted Turner, was effusive in | | | | eastern New Mexican legislators."Yes, we want a |
| saying about the LES enrichment facility, "This will | | | | nuclear reactor in New Mexico," Representative |
| be one of the largest construction projects our | | | | Heaton said. Heaton is the legislature's Vice |
| state has ever seen. And the economic impact in | | | | Chairman of the Radioactive and Hazardous |
| southeastern New Mexico will be tremendous." | | | | Materials committee and a member of the Energy |
| Does Bingaman appear to be playing both sides of | | | | & Natural Resources Committee. He discussed the |
| the nuclear chessboard?No, the former attorney, | | | | ABR technology and GNEP, explaining how this |
| who reportedly once provided legal advice to | | | | would solve the waste disposal problem of nuclear |
| uranium mining powerhouse, Kerr McGee, is deftly | | | | reactors and sway public opinion on nuclear |
| maneuvering between being a good Democrat | | | | energy.Senator Leavell took a more cautious |
| and providing what he may honestly believe is | | | | approach, explaining how nuclear reactors need |
| best for his state. While Bingaman has curried | | | | tremendous amounts of water. "I don't think New |
| favor among the environmentalists, in May of this | | | | Mexico could have a nuclear reactor, not with the |
| year, he accepted, along with Domenici and | | | | current technology." But, he still agreed it would be |
| others, the William S. Lee Award for Leadership | | | | a good idea if new technologies were developed, |
| at the Nuclear Energy Institute's (NEI) annual | | | | which used less water.Senator Gay Kernan told |
| conference, saying, "I share a belief that nuclear | | | | us, "I don't know if I should be talking about this, |
| power can make a meaningful contribution to | | | | but we are one of the candidates for the GNEP |
| controlling the growth of greenhouse gases, while | | | | program." Having heard a rumor that General |
| still allowing our economy to expand." It was his | | | | Atomics may propose building a nuclear power |
| subsequent remark directed at the NEI, which | | | | plant in eastern New Mexico, Senator Kernan |
| leads us to believe he may be among the first to | | | | confirmed such a plant may be on the drawing |
| support additional nuclear growth in New Mexico. | | | | boards, and telling us West Texas is likely to be |
| He told the NEI, "I am hoping that you will do your | | | | developed as an "alternative energy corridor." She |
| part to use those tools that Congress has put in | | | | told us, "It would stretch from Carlsbad, New |
| place to ensure that nuclear power achieves its | | | | Mexico to the Odessa-Midland, Texas area." |
| potential as part of our future energy mix."The | | | | Senator Kernan would also like New Mexico to |
| Global Nuclear Energy PartnershipIn March 2006, | | | | have a nuclear plant, "I don't have a problem with |
| Senator Domenici pledged his support to President | | | | that."The third politician, joining Senators Domenici |
| Bush's Global Nuclear Energy Partnership | | | | and Bingaman, in praising the NRC approval of a |
| (GNEP),"With GNEP, we begin to close the cycle | | | | draft license for LES and Urenco Ltd, was U.S. |
| on nuclear waste in ways that prevent | | | | Congressman Steve Pearce. Comments, issued |
| proliferation and reduce both the volume and | | | | by his press secretary on Friday and praising the |
| toxicity of waste. By recycling spent nuclear fuel, | | | | LES announcement, may foreshadow New |
| we can reuse the uranium, which is 96 percent of | | | | Mexico's next step, "Today's announcement |
| spent fuel, and separate the most toxic | | | | marks a major milestone in our efforts to |
| radioactive material to be burned in an advanced | | | | cement our state's leadership role in the |
| burner reactor. By reusing uranium fuel and | | | | development of alternative energy." What greater |
| burning the transuranic material in a new | | | | leadership by a state than in introducing the new |
| generation of modern reactors, we can reduce | | | | GNEP ABR technology in New Mexico? After all, |
| the amount of waste placed in Yucca Mountain by | | | | the state of New Mexico remains the founding |
| a factor of 100."One of the key technologies in | | | | home to nuclear technology, where the world's |
| the GNEP program in is the Advanced Burner | | | | first atomic technology was designed at Los |
| Reactor (ABR). Deriving its technology from fast | | | | Alamos.In a related development, David Watts, |
| reactors, which were used to make nuclear | | | | President of the University of Texas of the |
| weapons, the concept of the ABR is to minimize | | | | Permian Basin, recently met with Congressman |
| the amount of nuclear waste, produced by the | | | | Pearce about developing a helium-cooled nuclear |
| nuclear industry's power plants, to a tiny fraction | | | | reactor facility, which would be built underground |
| of content. The concept behind the ABR is to | | | | in either Lea County, New Mexico or Andrews |
| "burn" the transuranic elements, such as plutonium | | | | County, Texas. General Atomics of San Diego has |
| and other long-living radioactive material. In this | | | | funded the pre-conceptual design, which is |
| case, burning the radioactive waste is translated | | | | underway and scheduled for completion in August. |
| as: destroying the transuranics, by converting | | | | Waste Control Specialists has a low-level |
| them into shorter-lived isotopes. When the | | | | radioactive waste storage site in Andrews |
| transuranic elements are consumed by the ABR, | | | | County. Realistically, a nuclear reactor in New |
| a large amount of energy is released and then | | | | Mexico is not out of the question. The legislators |
| converted into electricity.Instead of burying | | | | may get what they want. We believe Senator |
| several football fields of nuclear waste in Yucca | | | | Domenici will ultimately set into motion the plans |
| Mountain (or elsewhere) for one million years, the | | | | to bring New Mexico its first nuclear power plant. |
| toxic waste would be recycled as energy to be | | | | It would become his crowning achievement in |
| immediately used to power homes and industry. | | | | helping the nuclear renaissance blossom in this |
| Part of the GNEP plan is to combine the current, | | | | country and in his state.James Finch contributes to |
| or advanced, light water reactors with the ABR. | | | | and other publications. Visit to download your free |
| As the light water nuclear reactors produce | | | | copy of "Investing in the Great Uranium Bull |
| transuranics, the ABRs consume those highly | | | | Market: A Practical Investor's Guide to Uranium |
| radioactive elements. This leaves less nuclear | | | | Stocks. |
| waste for future disposal, and immediately | | | | |