Holdren Petition

Joe Shuster signatory on petition letter to Dr. John Holdren, Science Advisor to the President.

John A. Shanahan, Corresponding Author
To Dr. John P. Holdren, Director, Office of Science & Technology Policy, Executive Office of the President

Dear Dr. Holdren:

Peace on earth and preservation of the marvels of nature will not be achieved without a sound energy policy. This must include well-managed and well-governed thermal- and fast-neutron nuclear power, recycling spent fuels and depleted uranium. This was the goal of the founding scientists in the late 1940s and still is the best way to a reliable and secure energy future.

This letter is about American policy in a world that counts on American leadership. Although that leadership is vital if there is to be an orderly global deployment of nuclear technology, the United States has for a decade and a half left the evolution of nuclear-power technology largely to others, and consequently is being left behind. At present, 58 new nuclear plants (including two fast reactors, one in Russia and one in India) are under construction in 14 countries. Of these, 20 are in China, 9 in Russia, 6 each in India and South Korea. Only one is in North America, and that is resumption of work on a plant that was mothballed in 1988 when it was 80% finished. France has just announced a $7 billion commitment for a “sustainable development” program that includes promotion of fourth-generation nuclear reactors, three of which are fast-neutron reactors—a technology in which the United States was once the world leader.

America needs to proceed quickly—not twenty or fifty years from now—while the people who pioneered this science and engineering can still provide guidance to a new generation of scientists and engineers. There is no political, economic or technical justification for delaying the benefits that nuclear power will bring to the United States and that U.S. leadership can bring to the world. read full petition & see signatories

Response from Dr. Holdren

Dear Dr. Shanahan and colleagues:

Thank you for your letter and your interest in the important topic of nuclear energy policy. President Obama has said on many occasions that expanding our capacity to generate clean energy is crucial to our ability to combat climate change, enhance energy security, and increase economic prosperity. And in this connection he has directed his Administration to take steps to expand the safe, secure, and responsible user of nuclear energy.

You and your colleagues raised three issues in your letter. Read full reply