When you get outside of the Beltway and outside of the moneyed interests, there certainly remain concerns about nuclear waste, catastrophic accidents and proliferation of nuclear weapons material from this technology, he said. Resurrection of the nuclear industry, the aim of a bill introduced in March by Sen. Pete Domenici, R-New Mexico, constitutes a resurgence in proliferation of nuclear weapons material, said Gunter. What this poses is the threat of proliferation in terms of the number of holders of the basic building blocks of nuclear weapons. Storage of nuclear waste is another issue of major concern. The Department of Energy has long studied the Yucca Mountain site in Nevada but hasn't decided if the location is suitable.
Environmentalists point to the areas volcanic and seismic activity as evidence against the site.
As electricity costs soar, consumers are looking to solar energy as an efficient alternative. The Solar Patriot, a solar home, will be erected on the grounds of the U.S. Capitol during Earth Week to demonstrate that solar power can help solve environmental problems as large as global climate change. Unlike other sources, solar energy is infinitely available, essentially free and non-polluting. The Solar Patriot is a cornerstone of the event. Forum 2001 integrates the annual conferences of the American Solar Energy Society, the 26th National Passive Solar Conference, the American Institute of Architects Committee on the Environment Symposium, American Society of Mechanical Engineers International Solar Energy Conference and Soltech 2001.