Victory! Fifty billion dollars for toxic nuclear pork cut from stimulus bill! One billion dollars for nuclear weapons also axed!

Congressional negotiators in the House of Representatives and the Senate agreed late February 11 on a $789 billion stimulus bill but killed an attempt to squander $50 billion on new nuclear reactors. The agreement, made in the conference committee, axed a proposal from Sen. Robert Bennett (R-Utah) to include $50 billion in pork barrel federal loan guarantees for the nuclear industry. The Congressional Budget Office stated earlier this year that nuclear utilities would default on more than 50% of the loans, leaving taxpayers and ratepayers to foot the bill. A one billion dollar allocation to the National Nuclear Security Administration for unspecified nuclear "weapons activities" was also removed from the bill.

For more background on opposition to the $50 billion for new nuclear reactors, read the Taxpayers for Common Sense letter to U.S. Senate.

View the environmental group coalition letter to U.S. Senate opposing $50 billion in federal taxpayer backed loan guarantees for new atomic reactors and coal to liquids (CTL) facilities, Feb. 2, 2009.