Nuclear Energy Industry: Sooo 20th Century

She's cute, she's wholesome, she's All-American. With scooter, headphones and helmet, she's wired and sooo contemporary. And this highly likeable kid is saying, into her cell phone, that nuclear power is "so important to America's energy future."

Our Summer Greenwash Award goes to the Nuclear Energy Institute, for the ad "Clean Air is Sooo 21st Century."

For choosing an adolescent girl -- someone more susceptible than average to the harmful effects of radiation (and advertising) -- to represent the renewed aspirations of the nuclear energy industry, the Nuclear Energy Institute (NEI) wins the CorpWatch Summer (Blackout) Greenwash Award.

NEI is no newcomer to greenwash. In 1991, the organization, then known as the US Council for Energy Awareness, ran an ad saying, "Trees aren't the only plants that are good for the atmosphere." That ad pictures a lovely lake, trees and blue skies, co-existing harmoniously with the characteristic dome of a nuke. The copy includes blanket statements like nuclear plants "don't pollute the air," " reduce certain airborne pollutants more 19,000 tons every day," and "produce no greenhouse gases."

In 1999, Public Citizen and Nuclear Information Research Service filed a petition (http://www.citizen.org/cmep/restructuring/ftc.pdf) to the Federal Trade Commission alleging that NEI environmental ads with similar claims were false and misleading. The FTC agreed that the ad was inaccurate, but also ruled that it was political, not commercial speech, and therefore protected.

The 2001 version (21st Century nuclear greenwash) brings in the human factor in the form of the modern girl. It assumes we all agree, including the nuclear industry of course, that clean air is a must. And that plenty of energy is likewise a must. And then comes the great news for the girl: there need be no trade-off between environment and consumerism. Nukes can see to that.

The attempt to rehabilitate the image of nuclear power is understandable, since not a single nuke has been ordered in the US since 1973. To overcome opposition, the industry will have to overcome not only economic obstacles but its own reputation as the quintessentially scary technology. Several recent events have given the industry what they see as an opportunity to make a comeback.

First, the energy shortage in California is causing a certain amount of panic among electricity consumers. The San Francisco Chronicle recently reported that 59% of Californians now favor additional nuclear power capacity. The previous poll showed Californians opposed nukes 2 to 1. Nuclear's popularity is rising even though the energy shortage is a short-term problem due in large part to price-gouging by energy corporations. Meanwhile, any nuclear plants would take so many years to come on line they would not solve the current problems.

Second, concern about global warming has become more widespread (although it hasn't reached the Bush White House). The production of nuclear power does not produce carbon dioxide, it is true. And certainly, we at the CorpWatch Greenwash Awards are as concerned as anyone about reducing CO2 emissions. But nuclear power is not the most efficient way to do it, and may not help at all.

Energy efficiency and renewables, such as solar and wind, are cheaper than nukes. Each cent spent on a nuclear kilowatt could have bought two kilowatts worth of efficiency. Because of that kind of lost opportunity cost, according to the Rocky Mountain Institute, buying nuclear power will actually make climate change worse than if the cheapest renewable options were bought instead. In addition, when you include CO2 generated in the production of nuclear fuel, during mining of uranium for example, nukes emit about 4 times as much as renewable energy sources.