    [Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: George W. Bush (2006, Book I)]
    [February 18, 2006]
    [Pages 289-290]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]

    The President's Radio Address
    February 18, 2006

        Good morning. This coming week, I will visit Wisconsin, Michigan,
    and Colorado to discuss our strategy to ensure that America has
    affordable, reliable, and secure sources of energy. The best way to meet
    our growing energy needs is through advances in technology. So in my
    State of the Union Address, I announced the Advanced Energy Initiative.
    We will pursue promising technologies that will transform how we power
    our vehicles, businesses, and homes so we can reduce our Nation's
    dependence on foreign sources of energy.
        This morning I want to speak to you about one part of this
    initiative: our plans to expand the use of safe and clean nuclear power.
    Nuclear power generates large amounts of low-cost electricity without
    emitting air pollution or greenhouse gases. Yet nuclear power now
    produces only about 20 percent of America's electricity. It has the
    potential to play an even greater role. For example, over the past three
    decades, France has built 58 nuclear powerplants and now gets more than
    78 percent of its electricity from nuclear power. Yet here in America,
    we have not ordered a new nuclear powerplant since the 1970s. So last
    summer, I signed energy legislation that offered incentives to encourage
    the building of new nuclear plants in America. Our goal is to start the
    construction of new nuclear powerplants by the end of this decade.
        As America and other nations build more nuclear powerplants, we must
    work together to address two challenges: We must dispose of nuclear
    waste safely, and we must keep nuclear technology and material out of
    the hands of terrorist networks and terrorist states.
        To meet these challenges, my administration has announced a bold new
    proposal called the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership. Under this
    partnership, America will work with nations that have advanced civilian
    nuclear energy programs, such as France, Japan, and Russia. Together, we
    will develop and deploy innovative, advanced reactors and new methods to
    recycle spent nuclear fuel. This will allow us to produce more energy
    while dramatically reducing the amount of nuclear waste and eliminating
    the nuclear byproducts that unstable regimes or terrorists could use to
    make weapons.
        As these technologies are developed, we will work with our partners
    to help developing countries meet their growing energy needs by
    providing them with small-scale reactors that will be secure and cost-
    effective. We will also ensure that these developing nations have a
    reliable nuclear fuel supply. In exchange, these countries would agree
    to use nuclear power only for civilian purposes and forego uranium
    enrichment and reprocessing activities that can be used to develop
    nuclear weapons. My new budget includes $250 million to launch this
    initiative. By working with other nations under the Global Nuclear
    Energy Partnership, we can provide the cheap, safe, and clean energy
    that growing economies need while reducing the risk of nuclear
    proliferation.
        As we expand our use of nuclear power, we're also pursuing a broader
    strategy to meet our energy needs. We're investing in technologies like
    solar and wind power and clean coal to power our homes and businesses.
    We're also investing in new car technologies like plug-in hybrid cars
    and in alternative fuels for automobiles like ethanol and biodiesel.
        Transforming our energy supply will demand creativity and
    determination, and America has these qualities in abundance. Our Nation
    will continue to lead the world in innovation and technology. And by
    building a global partnership to spread the benefits of nuclear power,
    we'll create a safer,

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    cleaner, and more prosperous world for future generations.
        Thank you for listening.

    Note: The address was recorded at 7:37 a.m. on February 17 in the
    Cabinet Room at the White House for broadcast at 10:06 a.m. on February
    18. The transcript was made available by the Office of the Press
    Secretary on February 17 but was embargoed for release until the
    broadcast. The Office of the Press Secretary also released a Spanish
    language transcript of this address.