[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.