I've been working on ending California's ban on the construction of new, safe, and clean nuclear power plants since December 2006.  Since that time, I've found supporters and allies all over the California - just not very many in the state Capitol.  In Fresno a wide spectrum of labor and business wants to build a reactor to provide clean and reliable energy.  California's construction trade unions want nuclear power - it means jobs and affordable electricity.  The California Republican Party unanimously endorsed nuclear power at their convention in September 2007.

Now, however, we may be getting the traction we need to convince the voting public that nuclear power needs another look in California: Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger just came out and supported nuclear power while speaking to the Wall Street Journal.  Gov. Schwarzenegger said, "I think nuclear power has a great future, and we should look at it again."  He further said that while he understands some people might still be afraid of the nuclear option, most Three Mile Island analogies are "environmentalist scare tactics. The technology has advanced so much," he said.

Yes, it has.

I have introduced two more bills on nuclear power this year - my third and fourth bill on the subject in a little over a year's time.  AB 1776 (a good number for a bill that would increase our energy independence) would entirely lift California's nuclear ban with added seismic and environmental protections.  AB 2788 would lift California's nuclear ban to allow the construction on one nuclear reactor that could provide as much as 5 percent of the state's power needs.

I'm delighted to see Gov. Schwarzenegger now out front on this vital issue.  California cannot meet its global greenhouse gas reduction targets nor meet it's growing need for clean energy without modern nuclear power.

All the best,

Chuck DeVore
State Assemblyman, 70th District
www.ChuckDeVore.com