Dr. Robert Hargraves has some substantial improvements on the Thorium Energy Security Act of 2010 and I encourage everyone to read his suggested changes to the bill:
(3) the growth of nuclear power in the United States and many foreign countries has faced barriers from concerns related to—
(A) the proliferation of weapons-useable material; and
(B) the proper disposal of spent nuclear fuel; AND
(C) THE COST OF NUCLEAR POWER
(4) nuclear power plants operating on an advanced thorium fuel cycle to generate nuclear energy—
(A) would not produce weapons-useable material in spent fuel; and
(B) would produce less long-term waste as compared to other nuclear power plants; AND
(C) WOULD PRODUCE POWER LESS EXPENSIVELY THAN FROM BURNING FOSSIL FUELS
(8) it is in the national security and foreign policy interest of the United States that foreign countries seeking to establish or expand generation and use of nuclear power should be provided—
(C) access to a secure domestic supply of thorium; AND ACCESS TO INEXPENSIVE ENERGY TO DISSUADE ALL NATIONS FROM BURNING FOSSIL FUELS.
“(d) DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in consultation with industry experts, non-industry experts, and National Laboratories, shall carry out demonstration projects for thorium-based nuclear power generation; AND SHALL DIRECT THAT THE THORIUM-DERIVED URANIUM-233 STORED AT NATIONAL LABORATORIES AND NOW SLATED FOR DESTRUCTION AT A COST OF $477 MILLION BE USED INSTEAD FOR RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THORIUM FUEL CYCLE NUCLEAR POWER GENERATION.
(B’) PRIORITIZE RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE LIQUID FLUORIDE THORIUM REACTOR AND THE PEBBLE BED ADVANCED HIGH TEMPERATURE REACTOR FOR CLIMATE, ENVIRONMENTAL, AND COST BENEFITS;
(1) strengthening international partnerships WITH INSTITUTIONS IN CANADA, FRANCE, INDIA, JAPAN, CZECH REPUBLIC, AND RUSSIA WHERE THORIUM ENERGY RESEARCH IS ONGOING to advance nuclear nonproliferation through the design and deployment of thorium fuel cycle nuclear power generation; and
