{"id":590230,"date":"2023-09-07T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-09-07T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/baran-confirmation-threatens-biden-administration-climate-targets\/"},"modified":"2023-09-07T21:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-09-07T18:00:00","slug":"baran-confirmation-threatens-biden-administration-climate-targets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/baran-confirmation-threatens-biden-administration-climate-targets\/","title":{"rendered":"#Baran confirmation threatens Biden administration climate targets"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/AP309991574127-e1685132233774.jpg?w=900\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Harry Reid, the former Democratic Senate majority leader passed away in 2021. But his ghost still looms over efforts to commercialize a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors and now threatens to undermine the Biden administration\u2019s climate targets, which will\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/business\/cop\/cop27-nuclear-power-industry-vies-role-decarbonizing-planet-2022-11-09\/\">depend<\/a>\u00a0upon these new reactors to complement wind, solar and other low carbon technologies in the coming decades.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Reid was an avowed opponent of nuclear energy and the <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ktnv.com\/news\/harry-reids-legacy-a-staunch-opponent-of-yucca-mountain-nuclear-waste-disposal-site\">Yucca Mountain Nuclear Repository<\/a> and used his position as majority leader to install a <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> of anti-nuclear commissioners on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. Now, his last hand picked <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ointee to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, Commissioner Jeff Baran, has inexplicably been <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.huffpost.com\/entry\/nrc-jeff-baran_n_649b2042e4b0cd6f7df05bf9\">nominated to a third term<\/a> on the Commission by the Biden administration.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr1_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>The Baran confirmation marks a crucible for Senate Democrats. Over two five-year terms on the Commission, Baran has been a reliable obstructionist, consistently opposing reasonable measures to modernize regulation of nuclear energy to value its benefits as a clean and reliable source of carbon-free energy. Over the same period, congressional Democrats have largely reversed their long-standing skepticism about nuclear energy,\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/116th-congress\/senate-bill\/903#:~:text=Among%20other%20things%2C%20the%20bill,of%20Nuclear%20Energy%3B%20(4)\">committing billions<\/a>\u00a0to commercialize a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors that promise to be smaller, safer, and less costly than today\u2019s behemoth conventional reactors and\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.congress.gov\/bill\/115th-congress\/senate-bill\/512\">directing<\/a>\u00a0the NRC to modernize its regulations to accommodate these new reactor technologies, which are far different from the large water-cooled reactors that comprise the entirety of today\u2019s nuclear fleet.<\/p>\n<p>But without new leadership on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the promise of new nuclear <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a> is unlikely to be realized. The NRC has repeatedly failed to meet its own timeline for developing a new framework for licensing advanced reactors. The draft framework that the NRC staff finally sent to the Commission this spring mostly\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thebreakthrough.imgix.net\/Whitepaper-Review-of-draft-Part-53-package-Dec-2022-v2.pdf\">cut and pasted<\/a>\u00a0the old rules for large conventional reactors into the new framework, despite virtually unanimous\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov\/webSearch2\/main.jsp?AccessionNumber=ML22130A523\">feedback<\/a>\u00a0from advanced reactor developers that the proposed framework is so unwieldy and burdensome that it can not be used. With the first wave of those advanced reactor technologies now seeking licenses from the NRC, something will have to give.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Baran, unfortunately, is not the man for this job. Instead, he follows in the tradition of other Reid appointees such as Gregory Jaczko, a former Reid aide who was ultimately removed as chair of the Commission by Congress after he attempted, illegally, to\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ans.org\/news\/article-886\/jaczko-fiasco\/\">unilaterally invoke emergency powers<\/a>\u00a0and shut down the entire U.S. nuclear reactor fleet in the weeks after the Fukushima accident. After Jaczko\u2019s removal, Reid then installed <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/rollcall.com\/2012\/06\/06\/new-nuclear-waste-sites-at-issue-for-nrc-pick\/\">Allison Macfarlane, a geologist<\/a> with no expertise in either nuclear engineering or radiological health, who Reid had appointed to the Commission a few years earlier because she had authored a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Uncertainty-Underground-Mountain-Nations-High-Level\/dp\/0262633329\">book<\/a>\u00a0calling into question the geology of the Yucca Mountain site.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Baran has served on the Commission in a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.epw.senate.gov\/public\/_cache\/files\/b\/b\/bb5750e1-5360-40c3-b989-c6a0bd38dcb3\/4E4CECA2B1A69AF4C1B839F5B953AF95.06-14-2023-baran-renomination-letter.pdf\">similar capacity<\/a>. He was the sole vote against changes to NRC siting rules that would allow small advanced reactors to be deployed at retiring coal plants. He voted for a proposal to require emergency planning for nuclear accidents that the commission deems so rare that it has dubbed them \u201cbeyond design basis,\u201d meaning that they have a probability of occurring less than once every 10 million operating years. He was the sole vote against allowing the preparation of generic environmental impact statements for advanced reactors that are manufactured modularly and have little land or water use impact. And he has publicly supported the NRC staff\u2019s unworkable 1200-page draft proposal to modernize licensing of advanced reactors.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Faced with growing concern from both Democrats and Republicans over his renomination, Baran has made something of a deathbed conversion, refashioning himself as an advanced nuclear enthusiast. As the Senate prepared to take up his confirmation, Baran sent a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nrc.gov\/docs\/ML2316\/ML23160A213.pdf\">public memo<\/a>\u00a0to other commissioners offering vague proposals about how the NRC could improve its efficiency, an endeavor that Baran in the past has argued, without evidence, would compromise nuclear safety.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>But just days before publicizing that memo, Baran submitted a\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/adamswebsearch2.nrc.gov\/webSearch2\/main.jsp?AccessionNumber=ML23223A169\">vote<\/a>\u00a0against a proposal, over six years in the making, to determine the size of emergency planning zones for small modular reactors based on their size and technological characteristics. Baran instead argued that the NRC should continue to apply emergency planning requirements developed for large light water reactors that are often 10, or even 100, times larger than the small modular reactors that are now submitting license applications.\u00a0<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr2_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p>Ultimately, Senate Democrats who recognize the need for a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors will need to decide whether they are going to pretend to believe Baran\u2019s implausible conversion to nuclear advocate or insist that the Biden administration go back to the drawing board. A new generation of advanced reactors are urgently needed in order to deeply cut U.S. carbon emissions and reduce exposure to air pollutants that still kill hundreds of thousands of Americans every year. Democrats who recognize the critical role that nuclear must play should insist that the Biden administration nominate a commissioner who shares that commitment.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the meantime, a four member commission, comprised of two Republicans and two Democrats, is entirely capable of moving nuclear modernization efforts forward while the Biden administration takes the time to identify a better nominee. Indeed, less than six weeks after Baran\u2019s term expired at the end of June, the Commission finally\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/thebreakthrough.org\/blog\/moving-forward-on-emergency-preparedness\">approved<\/a>\u00a0the emergency planning rule that Baran had submitted his vote against, after it had languished before the Commission for almost two years without a vote.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Next up is Part 53, the new framework for licensing advanced reactors mandated by Congress. Commissioner Annie Caputo, a Republican, has proposed a far simpler\u00a0<a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nrc.gov\/docs\/ML2319\/ML23199A289.pdf\">alternative<\/a>\u00a0to the staff proposal, based upon extensive feedback provided by stakeholders. In the same bipartisan spirit that led Congress to pass the law directing the NRC to develop a modernized framework for advanced reactors, Democratic Chair Chris Hanson would do well to work with Caputo to move that proposal forward. But for that to happen, Senate Democrats will likely need to oppose the Baran confirmation and send a clear message that delay and obstruction at the NRC are no longer acceptable. Harry Reid was a Democratic lion, justly celebrated for his many efforts to protect the environment. But his views about nuclear energy, and the commissioners he appointed, came from a bygone era. It is long past time for Democrats to move on.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"ad-unit ad-unit--mr3_ab\"><\/aside>\n<p><em>Ted Nordhaus is the founder and executive director of the Breakthrough Institute, a global research center dedicated to promoting technological solutions to environmental problems.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Copyright 2023 Nexstar <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Media<\/a> Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News<\/a> articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/news\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">News category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/opinion\/congress-blog\/4192189-baran-confirmation-threatens-biden-administration-climate-targets\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Harry Reid, the former Democratic Senate majority leader passed away in 2021. But his ghost still looms over efforts to commercialize a new generation of advanced nuclear reactors and now threatens to undermine the Biden administration\u2019s climate targets, which will\u00a0depend\u00a0upon these new reactors to complement wind, solar and other low carbon technologies in the coming&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":590231,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/thehill.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/05\/AP309991574127-e1685132233774.jpg?w=1280","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[70897],"tags":[134343,70363,134418,73798,10574,134814,991,107920,76151,70289,134345],"class_list":["post-590230","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-campaign","tag-civil-rights","tag-congress-blog","tag-defense","tag-education","tag-harry-reid","tag-joe-biden","tag-nrc","tag-nuclear-power","tag-senate","tag-state-watch"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590230","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=590230"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/590230\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/590231"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=590230"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=590230"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=590230"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}