There are 434 active nuclear reactors in the world and 62 under construction. No permits to build a U.S. nuclear plants have granted since 1975, Cheney said. The 1979 Three Mile Island nuclear incident put a long-term chill on the industry. Opponents cite the risk for accidental radiation releases and the problem of what to do with radioactive waste as dangers of greater reliance on nuclear power. That panel is also considering the controversial move of allowing exploratory oil drilling in Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge as one way to reduce dependence on foreign oil.
Environmentalists oppose the move.
Cheney's group is working amid increasing worry about how America will meet its future energy needs, not to mention short-term problems in California. A panel of experts told a Senate committee Wednesday that the nation's consumers should expect higher oil prices this summer, and that could increase prospects for inflation. Greenhouse gasses like carbon dioxide are believed to be accumulating in the earth's atmosphere and trapping heat. However, the theory of global warming is not universally accepted in the scientific community. Last week, British scientists reported that a comparison of satellite data from 1970 and 1997 yielded what could be the first direct evidence that greenhouse gases are building up in Earth's atmosphere and allowing less heat to escape into space.