| This vote was on an amendment, offered by Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), to strike subsidies to the nuclear industry for new nuclear power plants as part of the Senate energy bill (S. 14). This amendment was narrowly defeated, but the entire energy bill was replaced with the 2002 Senate version of the energy bill, which did not contain nuclear subsidies. These nuclear subsidies would have made taxpayers liable for up to half the costs of constructing new nuclear reactors through government loan guarantees and power purchase agreements, resulting in a taxpayer liability of $14-16 billion. Failed: 48 Yea to 50 Nay. |