[R-G] [BillTottenWeblog] That Obama Glow

[Bill Totten]

The Nuclear Industry's Golden Child

by Joshua Frank

Counterpunch (February 22 2008)

Barack Obama, hoping to shore up major victories in the delegate rich
states of Texas and Ohio early next month, is going after Hillary
Clinton's ever-dwindling base of working class voters. The Illinois
Senator is hoping to stimulate their passion for his campaign by
proposing to stimulate the weak economy by spending $210 billion on new
jobs. Obama says his government sponsored employment program would
allocate $150 billion over ten years to create five million jobs in
environmental industries.

Sounds Keynesian enough. Obama would couple his lavish government
spending with investments from the private sector to produce work for
many of America's underemployed. The number of jobs he seeks to create
is significant to be sure, but the real question is in what
"environmental" capacity would these so-called "green collar" jobs be
created? Many critics argue that Obama's plan doesn't exactly create
jobs, but only redistributes money from one part of the economy to
another. Even so, there may be far more sinister tenets to Obama's
economic plan.

Unfortunately the Obama campaign is light on the details of his stimulus
program, only referring to these government gigs as working to develop
more environmentally friendly energy sources. At face value this may all
sound like a noble venture - one greens and others concerned with the
environment might consider getting behind. But given Obama's track
record, voters can't be too certain his plan is all that "green". In
fact it may be just the opposite, for the senator's ties to the nuclear
industry are stronger than any other candidate in the hunt for the White
House this year.

In 2006 Obama took up the cause of Illinois residents who were angry
with Exelon, the nation's largest nuclear power plant operator, for not
having disclosed a leak at one of their nuclear plants in the state.
Obama responded by quickly introducing a bill that would require nuclear
facilities to immediately notify state and federal agencies of all
leaks, large or small.

At first it seemed Obama was intent on making a change in the reporting
protocol, even demonizing Exelon's inaction in the press. But Obama
could only go so far, as Exelon executives, including Chairman John W
Rowe who serves as a key lobbyist for the Nuclear Energy Lobby, have
long been campaign backers, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars
dating back to Obama's days in the Illinois State Legislature.

Despite his initial push to advance the legislation, Obama's office
eventually rewrote the bill, producing a version that was palatable to
Exelon and the rest of the nuclear industry. "Senator Obama's staff was
sending us copies of the bill to review, we could see it weakening with
each successive draft", said Joe Cosgrove, a park district director in
Will County, Illinois, where the nuclear leaks had polluted local ground
water. "The teeth were just taken out of it".

Inevitably the bill died a slow death in the Senate. And like an
experienced political operative, Obama came out of the battle as a
martyr for both sides of the cause. His constituents back in Illinois
thought he fought a good fight while industry insiders knew the Obama
machine was worth investing in.

Obama's campaign wallet, while rich with millions from small online
donations, is also bulging from $227,000 in contributions given by
employees of Exelon. Two of Obama's largest campaign fundraisers include
Frank M Clark and John W Rogers Jr, both top Exelon officials. Even
Obama's chief strategist, David Axelrod, has done consulting work for
the company.

During a Senate Committee on Environment & Public Works hearing in 2005,
Obama, who serves on the committee, asserted that since Congress was
debating the negative impact of carbon dioxide emissions "on the global
ecosystem, it is reasonable - and realistic - for nuclear power to
remain on the table for consideration". Shortly thereafter, Nuclear
Notes, the industry's top trade publication, praised the senator. "Back
during his campaign for the US Senate in 2004, [Obama] said that he
rejected both liberal and conservative labels in favor of 'common sense
solutions'. And when it comes to nuclear energy, it seems like the
Senator is keeping an open mind."

The rising star of the Democratic Party's ties to the nuclear industry
run deep indeed, but Obama may not only be loyal to Exelon and friends.
The Senator is also cozy with Big Coal.

Last year Obama pushed to get a FutureGen "clean coal" plant built in
Illinois. The company is a public-private partnership that is intent on
building "zero-emission" coal plants. FutureGen's energy production is
less than a zero-sum game, however, as the company doesn't count the
energy used prior to or after the coal is burned, not to mention
tallying up the disastrous consequences of coal extraction.

In 2005 Obama also voted in favor of Bush's Energy Plan which included
many favors for Bush's oil cartel connections. To top it off Obama even
opposed a House bill that would have radically altered the disastrous
1872 Mining Law that continues to allow companies to mine our public
lands while they skate the costs of cleaning up their environmental
wreckage.

Barack Obama's "job creation" plan may well be code for building
taxpayer-sponsored nuclear and coal plants across the country. While
Obama's industry pals may profit from his shady deal, it is safe to say
the environment won't.

_____

Joshua Frank is the co-editor of DissidentVoice.org, and author of Left
Out! How Liberals Helped Reelect George W Bush, and along with Jeffrey
St. Clair, the editor of the forthcoming Red State Rebels, to be
published by AK Press in June 2008.

http://www.counterpunch.com/frank02222008.html


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