Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), left, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R), right, could be rivals for the presidency in 2008. They are on opposite sides of the nuclear power issue. Giuliani supports nuclear power and Indian Point nuclear power plant in New York. Clinton does not support nuclear power and cited it as one of her objections to voting for the final Conference Committee Report for the Energy Policy Act of 2005, which was heavily pro nuclear. She voted for the Energy Policy Act of 2005 initially but voted against the final conference report(she voted for it before she voted against it). She does not call for the shutdown of Indian Point but does not support it either. She will probably oppose relicensing the plant. Clinton wants the NRC to conduct an independent safety assessment of Indian Point and she promotes upgraded emergency and evacuation plans for the facility.
Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), another potential presidential contender, co-sponsored a bill with Clinton in 2006 requiring plant owners to notify the NRC and local governments whenever a leak is discovered.
Update: Here is what Hillary Clinton says about nuclear power in her new climate change plan published in Nov 2007:
Hillary believes that energy efficiency and renewables are better options for addressing global warming and meeting our future power needs, because of significant unresolved concerns about the cost of producing nuclear power, the safety of operating plants, waste disposal, and nuclear proliferation. Hillary opposes new subsidies for nuclear power, but believes that we need to take additional steps to deal with the problems facing nuclear power. She would strengthen the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and direct it to improve safety and security at nuclear power plants; terminate work at the flawed Yucca Mountain site and convene a panel of scientific experts to explore alternatives for disposing of nuclear waste; and continue research, with a focus on lower costs and improving safety.
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