U.S. Stimulus Bill Removes Nuclear 'Pork'

" Congress eliminated billions of dollars for nuclear weapons and nuclear energy from the economic stimulus bill "

Of the billions struck from the plan, $1 billion had been set aside for nuclear weapons and $50 billion was reserved for loan guarantees for new nuclear power plants, said the arms control group Nuclear Age Peace Foundation (NAPF).

In addition to posing a serious threat to humanity, nuclear weapons constitute a significant drain on the United States' financial and scientific resources, writes NAPF in its 10 Reasons to Abolish Nuclear Weapons.

Moreover, the "2008 nuclear security budget exceeds all anticipated spending on international diplomacy and foreign assistance ($39.5 billion) and natural resources and the environment ($33 billion)," wrote nuclear analysts Stephen I. Schwartz and Deepti Choubey in the Los Angeles Times.

The $50 billion of loan guarantees for nuclear power plants could have led to the construction of a new generation of nuclear power plants at a time when other sources of energy are growing much faster, said environmental groups.

"There's no reason for the United States taxpayers to get stuck with another $50 billion tab for building new reactors that Wall Street won't fund," argued longtime anti-nuclear activist Harvey Wasserman in an interview with Democracy Now!'s Amy Goodman last week. "Nuclear power has failed utterly in the marketplace, and it's back at the taxpayer trough trying to get more money."

Environmental analyst and long-time leader in the U.S. environmental movement Lester Brown agrees that nuclear power is a risky source of energy that comes with many hidden costs.