BI-PARTISAN THINK TANK ANNOUNCES NEW NUCLEAR WASTE PROJECT

Jeremy L. Dillon
RW Monitor
1/10/2014

The Bi-partisan Policy Center announced this week that it is undertaking a new campaign, headed by Tim Frazier, former executive director of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, aimed at finding a workable implementation strategy to dealing with the nation’s nuclear waste. The campaign will conduct events, workshops, issue briefs, educational materials, and policy options in an attempt to expand the national and regional conversation on nuclear waste issues. “Despite efforts by the executive branch, Congress, industry, citizens groups and others, along with the expenditure of billions of taxpayers’ and electricity consumers’ dollars, the U.S. remains conflicted about solving its nuclear waste challenges," said Jason Grumet, president of BPC, in a release.   "We are confident Tim can lead a thoughtful, bipartisan discussion of this crucial issue and chart a path forward."

The project, entitled “America’s Nuclear Future: Taking Action to Address Nuclear Waste,” seems to invoke the findings of the BRC as a foundation to this campaign due to the similarities in personnel and titles. “I wouldn’t say that the Blue Ribbon Commission is the basis of the work,” BPC spokesman Rosemarie Calabro Tully said.  “I think we are looking more broadly at nuclear waste issues. Tim has had some experience on the BRC obviously. I think that that process in terms of its openness and transparency is something we would like to model, but I think we are looking broadly at a whole range of issues. There are some people who think the BRC is the best thing to happen to nuclear waste in a while, and others find quite the opposite. We are trying to look at a broader look to make sure all the different viewpoints are heard and represented,” she said.