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WASHINGTON, March 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Reacting to ongoing controversy regarding the role of nuclear power in the U.S., the American Association of Blacks in Energy issued a statement reaffirming its position on the use of nuclear energy.

In response to the Administration's call last fall for expansion of nuclear energy in the United States as a major component of our national energy policy, AABE issued the following position:

AABE supports environmentally sound development and re-licensing of nuclear facilities. The organization particularly supports making a decision on a deep geologic repository for nuclear waste. There will always be uncertainties and, hence a need for carefully monitoring, but protection of public health can better be accomplished in one site instead of continuing the current practice of onsite storage.

"Nuclear energy is the second largest source of U.S. electricity generation, supplying the needs of one of every five homes and businesses. It has proven over the past couple of decades to be safe, reliable, low in cost and environmentally friendly," said Robert Hill, AABE's executive director. "Our quality of life depends upon electricity that is reliable and affordable -- and nuclear is an important part of the mix."

The American Association of Blacks in Energy is an organization of energy professionals dedicated to ensuring the input of African Americans and other minorities into the development of energy policy. It endorses nuclear energy as an essential policy consideration and one obvious solution to electricity supply and price problems.

According to some recent surveys, the majority of Americans express support for the construction of new nuclear power plants, and two-thirds of the public believe nuclear energy should continue as a primary component of the nation's energy mix. AABE feels the loss of nuclear energy would mean enormous costs for the American public -- both economically and environmentally -- through loss of jobs and more expensive, polluting replacement sources. Given the prospect of rolling blackouts, price volatility and environmental repercussions associated with fossil fuels, nuclear energy is imperative to a rational U.S. energy policy for the twenty-first century.

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