Yeah, Virginians know a thing or two about nuclear power. Here, a nuclear aircraft carrier is disassembled in Newport News.
Governor Bob McDonnell has made ten appointments to a new nonprofit group, the Virginia Nuclear Energy Consortium Authority, which has the mission of serving as an interdisciplinary study, research and information resource for Virginia on nuclear energy issues. Another seven positions, all state employees, round out the 17-person board.
Non-state appointees come from industry and academia, including Babcock and Wilcox, Areva Inc., Dominion Resources, Newport News Shipbuilding, Mitsubisi Nuclear Energy Systems and others.
The creation of such an entity is long overdue. I called for something similar about five years ago. With several of the major players in the U.S. nuclear industry located here, Virginia has the makings of a powerful North American nuclear power industry and research cluster. Admittedly, the economics and politics of nuclear power look a little dicey right now, as PeterG has noted on this blog, but innovations like small-scale nuclear reactors could change the outlook. The potential for the nuclear power industry to provide a big boost to university research and economic development can’t be ignored.
While the creation of the VNECA is a positive development, there is one disturbing aspect to the entity. The consortium will not be subject to Virginia’s Freedom of Information Act. Given the extraordinary sensitivity of anything relating to nuclear power, the controversy over uranium mining in Pittsylvania County, and the presence of seven state officials in the consortium, there is no justifying a lack of transparency except in cases when proprietary technology is being discussed. The General Assembly should remedy that defect in January.
— JAB
