Non-Subscriber Extract
USAF considers nuclear power facility within base
By Caitlin Harrington
17 December 2007
Senior US Air Force (USAF) officials are considering the possibility of building a 'small-package' nuclear facility, about one tenth the size of those typically found in the United States, on a domestic US military base.
William Anderson, USAF assistant secretary for Installations, Environment and Logistics, said on 12 December that the service was seriously considering a nuclear power project after receiving letters from two Republican lawmakers who sit on the Senate Energy and Commerce Committee: Senators Pete Domenici and Larry Craig.
Anderson told reporters at a Pentagon press briefing that the USAF is open to using its air bases to "host new ground-breaking technology to move the market" towards the development of alternatives to oil-based fuel.
Anderson said the USAF will engage in talks with companies that build and operate nuclear facilities. He expects to know more about whether the USAF will commit to allowing a nuclear facility on a base in March or April 2008.
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not yet licensed 'small-package' nuclear facilities, Anderson said.