This bill comes at a time when France and Finland are starting on next generation nuclear reactors on their home soil.

The GOP bill fails to address concerns about funding for the new reactors, how they will be insured, how the fuel will created for them, where the protection for the reactors will come from or where the waste will be stored once the reactors are online. If recent projections are in the ball park the bill calls for spending of more than a trillion dollars to enact the 100 reactors. Recent projections are using $10 billion for each reactor to cover the costs, insurance, fuel, waste storage and security. The GOP appears to be using the nuclear energy approach to solving the countries energy needs and climate changes.

The GOP appeared to be unconcerned by the ancillary environmental impacts of nuclear energy. Opponents of nuclear energy maintain that nuclear energy production comes at an environmental cost that is too high. They site examples of mining operations for the uranium, milling of the uranium fule, the enrichment process, the waste produced production, water temperature issues from cooling the reactor and more. The GOP did not address or discuss any of these topics in their energy sessions this week.

One of the core issues concerning bringing 100 reactors online is the underwriting of the insurance to cover a nuclear disaster. Presently, the underwriter is the federal treasury and has been since 1957. In 2005 President Bush renewed that approach. 100 new reactors would mean a substantial increase in risk and financial obligation. The GOP has left several other key issues out of the bill as well. One key criticism of the bill is that it does not address how the reactors will be fueled. The Democratic opposition will have plenty of opportunity to bring up the bill's shortcomings in the next several sessions.