Nixon, Tilley together on nuclear power
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Missouri’s top constitutional leaders are standing by plans to bring more nuclear energy to the state, as the nation and the state question its safety following the tragedy in Japan.
Speaker of the Missouri House Stephen Tilley, a Republican from Perry, said the problem in Japan does not effect his support of building another nuclear power plan in the state.
“We’ve had this discussion on the early sight permit the year before, and none of the discussion has been on the safety of nuclear power. It’s all been on the funding mechanism and how it is funded, and how it is passed on to the rate payers,” Tilley said, in an interview with PoliticMo last week.
“So, for them, the people who are opposed to this, to try to drag in the safety issue just to take advantage of a tragedy is dishonest and disingenuous,” Tilley said.
Governor Jay Nixon, Democrat, said what is happening in Japan is an opportunity to learn more about nuclear safety for the entire world
“Every technology carries with it a degree of risk. The way we have set up our efforts this year… was to say that if we were going to move forward, we would do so on an early sight permit process,” Nixon said. “During that process, making sure that there were adequate safeguards for whatever may come in the future.”
Their comments come after the emergency in Japan, where an earthquake and tsunami eliminated the power source that operates the nuclear reactor’s cooling system. Without adequate cooling, the nuclear rods will melt down, causing an explosive release of dangerous radioactive steam into the environment.
Currently, Missouri has one nuclear power plant, Callaway, which built in 1984 and located in Fulton, Missouri, two hours west of St. Louis, which is the New Madrid fault.
Nixon says Ameren Corporation, the owner of Callaway, in comfortable with the siting of the plant’s ability to stand up to an earthquake.
“I think most people that analyze the Callaway site are impressed by where it is, the rock its on, the distance it is away from things. We will be remaining in close contact with them as we continue to be briefed on what safety precautions they have in place,” Nixon said.
Regarding safety, Tilley said any plant around the New Madrid fault line in eastern Missouri should be built to sustain an earthquake, and said he wouldn’t mind having a nuclear plant in his town.
“I wouldn’t have a problem with it at all,” he said. “I’d love to see a nine billion dollar investment in Perry County.”
U.S. Senator Roy Blunt, Republican, said the problem in Japan would likely not be a problem in Missouri, and called for more American energy of all kinds.
“More American energy is particularly good for the middle of the country,” Blunt said in a news conference call Thursday. “Nuclear continues to have a place in that future.”
-Eli Yokley
