Delegates uphold committee's do-not-pass on opposition to new nuclear reactors

Delegates debated a resolution opposing construction of new nuclear power reactors in Washington, hearing arguments about accident risk, waste storage and economic feasibility.

Sharon Abreu, an environmental educator, warned longstanding problems with nuclear energy persist and said repackaged technologies do not remove the risks of radiation or millennia-scale waste storage. Tom Countryman, a former U.S. diplomat who worked on nonproliferation, emphasized the economics and deployment speed of renewables compared with reactors; Kendall Kastner, who has construction experience in energy and data centers, acknowledged job and energy impacts but raised technical points about backup diesel generation at some facilities. The resolutions committee had recommended do not pass; delegates upheld that recommendation in the ballot.

The debate highlighted that while some delegates see nuclear as a false solution for climate change, others urged nuance and consideration of technologies like small modular reactors. Delegates did not adopt the resolution opposing new reactors.