Senator Jim Webb, one of several Democrats supporting nuclear power as clean energy. (image: jamblichus.wordpress.com)

As we’ve reported previously, Senate Democrats have been willing to trade nuclear power for cap and trade. Key Republican senators have been pushing for more support for nuclear power, such as:

• A commitment to construct new nuclear plants.

• Loan guarantees for the nuclear industry.

• Solutions for nuclear waste storage and recycling.

• Giving nuclear power tax credits.

This support is quid pro quo for support for carbon caps. However, as the Associated Press reported Sunday, nuclear power is becoming even hotter as a possible keystone of bipartisan support for climate change legislation. Democratic supporters of the bill were able to force it through the Environment and Public Works Committee over Republican opposition, but to ensure passage of the bill in the full Senate in the face of challenges from influential members of their own party, Democratic leaders are willing to bargain for support from a critical mass of Republicans.

Newfound Democratic flexibility is nowhere more evident than in the growing support for the nuclear industry. For example, climate bill co-sponsor John Kerry co-authored a New York Times editorial saying in no uncertain terms that “nuclear power needs to be a core component of electricity generation if we are to meet our emission reduction targets.” Democrat Jim Webb will join Republican Lamar Alexander in presenting a plan to “promote further research and development of the nation’s clean energy technologies,” including nuclear power. And showing the chain reaction is gaining strength, the administration is going nuclear, too, in a bid to win support for the climate bill, with Energy Secretary Steven Chu speaking in support of nuclear power at a conference organized by the American Nuclear Society.

Nuclear power does not emit carbon or contribute to global warming. It’s touted as something which can help lead to “increasing demand for skilled labor at all levels,” bringing jobs into the equation. France, which generates 80 percent of its electricity from nuclear energy, is held up as a positive example. If this keeps up, the nuclear industry may find itself facing a bright future.