Markey speaks at a press conference in April. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images
Sen. Ed Markey isn't sold on nuclear energy's bipartisan love-fest.
Why it matters: The co-lead on the Green New Deal remains influential among younger, left-leaning voters who care about climate change.
Axios chatted with Markey before the Senate recess week. Here's an abridged version of the conversation:
What do you think of Congress increasingly backing nuclear energy growth?
The economics of nuclear power don't seem to be working out very well right now. The Vogtle nuclear power plant is now being completed. It's going to produce 2400 megawatts of power, but its now estimated to cost $34 billion.…
You can only imagine what would happen if Georgia Power would've invested $34 billion in solar and storage in sunny Georgia.
I'm hopeful that nuclear fusion by the mid-2030s might be able to make a meaningful contribution … but meanwhile, in 2023, it's estimated wind and solar alone are going to deploy 40,000 new megawatts.
And the same thing will happen next year, except the number will be larger, and then the next year it will be larger again and larger again.
We're seeing proposals advance on nuclear licensing, permitting. Do you think Congress will try to tackle nuclear waste?
Everyone should continue to talk about nuclear waste. Not talking about nuclear waste while pushing for new plants is like pitching zero-calorie hot fudge sundaes. You're missing information for consumers. They deserve to know what the side effects are going to be as well.
How can Democrats continue to use climate to motivate younger voters?
We saw historically high voting amongst 18- to 34-year-olds in the 2020 presidential race. In my Senate race, we doubled the turnout from 10% of the primary vote to 20% of the primary vote, which every expert said was impossible, and a lot of it was built around climate change and the Green New Deal.
We'll have to be intentional, strategic and persistent in our messaging on the green revolution which has been unleashed by the Biden administration.
