Dems Open to Nuclear to Win GOP Support for Climate Bill

 By Darren Samuelsohn, ClimateWire, October 7, 2009. "Key Senate Democrats signaled Tuesday they are willing to negotiate with Republicans on nuclear power and expanded domestic oil and gas development if it helps in nailing down the 60 votes necessary for floor passage on a comprehensive global warming and energy bill. 'Every idea is on the table,' said Foreign Relations Chairman John Kerry (D-Mass.), the lead sponsor of Senate climate legislation. 'We're going to work in a bona fide way with everybody to see how to bridge a gap here. We've got to get a 60-vote margin. That means you've got to legislate, which means you have to compromise.' Several moderate Senate Republicans, including John McCain of Arizona and Lindsey Graham of South Carolina, said they are in talks with Kerry and Sen. Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.) on the nuclear language, as well as other key issues. 'A guy like Senator Kerry is looking for coalitions,' Graham said. 'If you had a bill that would allow for responsible offshore drilling, a robust nuclear power title, I think you could get some Republican votes for a cap-and-trade system.' The 821-page climate bill from Kerry and Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) includes a preliminary section on nuclear power that provides greater incentives for worker training and research, as well as funding for a Nuclear Regulatory Commission program to study the feasibility and reliability of expanding commercial reactors use beyond their current 40-year operating licenses, and into the 60- and 80-year operating periods.