Bush pitches nuclear power for ‘oil freedom’

President George W Bush has said he would discuss a civilian nuclear power programme for India during his visit to the country early next mo...

President George W Bush has said he would discuss a civilian nuclear power programme for India during his visit to the country early next month. “I’m going to India at the beginning of next month, march 1st. I’m going to talk about a civilian nuclear power programme for India,” Bush said in Milwaukee, on Tuesday.

He also pitched for building nuclear plants in the US as an alternative energy resource to end the country from being “held hostage” by foreign oil. “Some of the nations we rely on for oil have unstable governments or have fundamental differences with the US. These countries know we need their oil and that reduces influence. It creates a national security issue when we’re held hostage for energy by other nations that may not like us,” he said without naming any country.

“America hasn’t ordered a nuclear plant since the 1970s, and that’s the result of litigation and complex regulations,” he said. “I think we ought to start building nuclear power plants again, it makes sense to do so.”

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Bush also pointed out that France has built 58 nuclear plants since the 1970s and was getting nearly 80 per cent of their electricity from nuclear power. “I know it came as a shock to some to hear a Texan stand up in front of the country and say that we’ve got a real problem. America is addicted to oil,” Bush said, in a reference to his home state of Texas which is home to many oil firms. “But I meant it because it’s a fact and we’ve got to do something about it now,”the President remarked.

The White House has taken a bad hit with rising gasoline prices and is worried about the impact of high gasoline and energy bills at the time of the November congressional elections.

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