Tournament: USC | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
The United States federal government should diminish Nuclear Regulatory Commission staffing, manufacturing licensing, emergency planning zone, and safety regulations for Small Modular Reactors to be consistent with the unique attributes of Small Modular Reactors.
Advantage One is Prolif

Global development of nuclear power is inevitable even under conservative estimates
WNN, 9-26
World Nuclear News, "Nuclear growth slowing not stalling," September 26th 2012, http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Nuclear_growth_slowing_not_stalling-2609127.html-http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Nuclear_growth_slowing_not_stalling-2609127.html~~
Growth rates may have slowed but world nuclear energy capacity will nevertheless continue to increase
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capacity playing an important role in the energy mix in the longer term."  

Mismanaged transition to nuclear power will fuel a massive wave of proliferation
Macalister, Guardian Energy Editor, ’09
Terry Macalister, Energy Editor of The Guardian, Recipient of The Energy of Word Award, International Media Award organized by The Global Energy Prize, "New generation of nuclear power stations ’risk terrorist anarchy’," March 16th 2009, http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/16/nuclearpower-nuclear-waste-http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2009/mar/16/nuclearpower-nuclear-waste~~
The new generation of atomic power stations planned for Britain, China and many other
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low-carbon energy and a stable nuclear weapons environment," he said.

New proliferators will develop offensive postures that increase the risk of conventional and nuclear conflict
Horowitz, professor of poli sci, 9 —Professor of Political Science at University of Pennsylvania (Michael Horowitz, "The Spread of Nuclear Weapons and International Conflict: Does Experience Matter?" Journal of Conflict Resolution, Volume 53 Number 2, April 2009 pg. 234-257)
This section focuses on how acquiring nuclear weapons influences both the new nuclear state and
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to be effective, increasing the probability that an adversary will not reciprocate.

Proliferation sparks wars that escalate to great power nuclear conflict
Below 08
Tim D.Q., Wing Commander, RAF; MA in Defence Studies, King’s College London; "Options for US nuclear disarmament: exemplary leadership or extraordinary lunacy?," June 2008, Thesis for School of Advanced Air and Space Studies, Air University Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama
Proliferation. Roger Molander, of RAND Corporation, asserts that "in the near
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which is subsequently escalated into nuclear warfare by its allies or their opponents.

Specifically – The Middle East in is developing new plants
Williams, Utilities Management Consultant, 8-17
Glenn Williams, Management Consultant for Regulated Utilities and Energy Service Organization, 30 years of expereinece in startup and operation of large-scale power projects including coal plants, natural gas facilities and half of the nation’s nuclear power facilities, Masters in Technology Management from the University of Maryland, "The Nuclear Renaissance Has Arrived," August 17th 2012, http://realmoney.thestreet.com/articles/08/17/2012/nuclear-renaissance-has-arrived~~
If you thought the U.S. would see a nuclear renaissance, you
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the nuclear renaissance arrived. Unfortunately, it’s over there and not here. 

Middle East civilian nuclear power programs will be turned into military nuclear weapons programs
Russell, National Security Prof @ NDU, August ’12
Richard L. Russell, Professor of National Security Affairs at the National Defense University’s Near East and South Asia Center for Strategic Studies, Special Advisor to the U.S. Central Command, the U.S. Special Operations Command, and the Joint Special Operations University, Former Adjunct Professor of Security Studies at Georgetown, Former Political-Military Analyst for the Central Intelligence Agency, "CHAPTER 6: THE MIDDLE EAST’S NUCLEAR FUTURE," The Next Arms Race, August 2012
The great danger is that the United States is "cutting off its nose to
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determined to keep pace—even though the Emirates got a late start.

Middle East proliferation ensures nuclear exchange
Edelman %26 Krepinevich, Former Undersecretary for Defense, ’11
Eric Edelman, Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, Former Undersecretary for Defense, Andrew Krepinevich, President of the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessment, Evan Montgomery, Research Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments, "The dangers of a nuclear Iran," http://www.csbaonline.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2010.12.27-The-Dangers-of-a-Nuclear-Iran.pdf~~
During the Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union only needed to
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a single intelligence compromise could leave their weapons vulnerable to attack or theft. 

Most likely scenario for global escalation – Middle East instability draws in major powers
Russell, National Security Professor Naval Postgraduate School, ’09
James Russell, Associate Professor of National Security at the Naval Postgraduate School, "Strategic Stability Reconsidered: Prospects for Escalation and Nuclear War in the Middle East," Security Studies Center Proliferation Papers, http://www.analyst-network.com/articles/141/StrategicStabilityReconsideredProspectsforEscalationandNuclearWarintheMiddleEast.pdf~~
Strategic stability in the region is thus undermined by various factors: (1)
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the peoples of the region, with substantial risk for the entire world.

An SMR lead revival of the industry restores US nuclear leadership which controls proliferation risks
Loudermilk, Senior Energy Associate @ NDU, ’11
Micah J. Loudermilk, Senior Associate for the Energy %26 Environmental Security Policy program with The Institute for National Strategic Studies at National Defense University, "Small Nuclear Reactors and US Energy Security: Concepts, Capabilities, and Costs," Journal of Energy Security, May 2011, http://www.ensec.org/index.php?option=com_content%26view=article%26id=314:small-nuclear-reactors-and-us-energy-security-concepts-capabilities-and-costs%26catid=116:content0411%26Itemid=375-http://www.ensec.org/index.php?option=com_content%26view=article%26id=314:small-nuclear-reactors-and-us-energy-security-concepts-capabilities-and-costs%26catid=116:content0411%26Itemid=375~~
Combating proliferation with US leadership: Reactor safety itself notwithstanding, many argue that the
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reactors are mitigated and concerns over the widespread distribution of nuclear fuel allayed.

SMR’s are key to negotiation pressure for nonproliferation - they are more desirable than other nuclear systems
Sanders, Associate Director Savannah National Lab, ’12
Tom Sanders, Associate Laboratory Director for Clean Energy Initiatives at the Savannah River National Laboratory, Department of Energy, Former President of the American Nuclear Society, "Tom Sanders: Great expectations for small modular reactors," Nuclear News, July 2012, pg. 48-49
That’s a good question. One of the things that concerned me most in the
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with a large plant doesn’t make any sense if you can’t afford it.

Advantage Two is Natural Gas

Cheap and plentiful natural gas is creating an overdependence for electricity generation that will cause future price volatility and shortages – SMR development solves
Perry, Professor of Economics at UM – Flint, 9-26
Mark J. Perry, "Natural gas and nuclear power need to share the lead in power generation for the future," September 26th 2012, www.aei.org/article/energy-and-the-environment/conventional-energy/natural-gas-and-nuclear-power-need-to-share-the-lead-in-power-generation-for-the-future/
Recent advances in drilling technologies have unleashed a boom in domestic natural gas production.
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replaced, and fostering their use is in our national and economic interest.

Long term price stability is impossible without NRC regulatory reform to promote fuel diversity
Spencer, Nuclear Research Fellow @ Thomas Roe Institute, 12
Jack Spencer, Research Fellow in Nuclear Energy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, "More to the Story on Nuclear Power and Cheap Natural Gas," March 16th 2012, http://blog.heritage.org/2012/03/16/more-to-the-story-on-nuclear-power-and-cheap-natural-gas/-http://blog.heritage.org/2012/03/16/more-to-the-story-on-nuclear-power-and-cheap-natural-gas/~~
Two major financial news publications, the Economist and The Wall Street Journal, published
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markets to more abundant, more affordable, and even safer nuclear energy. 

The plan allows for SMR investment as a hedge against price spikes
Rosner %26 Goldberg, Physics Prof @ U Chicago, ’11
Robert Rosner, William E. Wrather, Distinguished Service Professor, Departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics, and Physics at The University of Chicago, Director, Energy Policy Institute, Harris School of Public Policy, Stephen Goldberg, Professor of Law Emeritus at Northwestern Law,  "Small Modular Reactors – Key to Future Nuclear Power Generation in the U.S.," Energy Policy Institute at The University of Chicago, November 2011
In both the 2004 Chicago Study and the current work, the future behavior of
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the investment requirements are comparable – SMRs could potentially "fit the bill."

Only SMRs can solve
McNelis, Director at the Institute for the Environment at UNC-Chapel Hill, 11
(6/24, Safer power from smaller reactors, www.newsobserver.com/2011/06/24/1295895/safer-power-from-smaller-reactors.html)
Efforts to promote energy efficiency, encourage sustainable lifestyle changes and exploit renewable energy sources
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require back-up power in the event the weather is not cooperating.

Natural gas price volatility kills the economy – nuclear hedge key
Bezdek, Founder and President of Management Information Services, 04
(Public Utilities Fortnightly, The Case Against Gas Dependence, www.misi-net.com/publications/Case_Against_Gas_Dependence.pdf)
Over the past two decades, the United States has, by default, come
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sector, and not to accept demand destruction in the nation’s industrial sector.

Natural gas prices outweigh alt causes – price stability ensures growth
Dratler, Professor of Intellectual Property at The University of Akron School of Law, 10-8
(How Near-Term Energy Policy Could Make or Break Us, jaydiatribe.blogspot.com/2012/10/how-near-term-energy-policy-could-make.html)
The new horizontal drilling technology known as "fracking" has brought us a "
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a bigger supply of natural-gas for space heating at higher prices.

US economic collapse emboldens adversaries – ensures global warfare
Lieberthal %26 O’Hanlon, Director of the China center and Director of research at Brookings, 12
(7/10, The Real National Security Threat: America’s Debt, www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2012/07/10-economy-foreign-policy-lieberthal-ohanlon)
Lastly, American economic weakness undercuts U.S. leadership abroad. Other countries
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really possible if that fundamental prerequisite to effective foreign policy is not reestablished.

Affordable natural gas in the US is key to the global economy – makes up for shortfalls from Europe and China
Perry, Professor of Economics at UM – Flint, 12
Mark J. Perry, "U.S. Emerges As A Main Engine of Global Growth," mjperry.blogspot.com/2012/04/us-emerging-as-main-engine-of-global.html
"The U.S. once again may be emerging as a main engine
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current pickup in growth is clearly being led by the U.S."

Global economic collapse ensures great power conflict and accesses every impact possible
Green %26 Schrage, IR Prof @ Georgetown, ’09
Michael Green, Senior Advisor %26 Japan Chair @ The Center for Strategic and International Studies %26 Associate Professor @ The Walsh School of Foreign Service,  Steven Schrage, CSIS Scholl Chair in International Business, Former Senior official with the U.S. Trade Representative’s Office, State Department and Ways %26 Means Committee, "It’s not just the economy," March 26th 2009, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Asian_Economy/KC26Dk01.html-http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Asian_Economy/KC26Dk01.html~~
Facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, analysts at the World Bank
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demonstration effect of liberal norms we are urging China to embrace at home.  

Solvency

NRC regulations are an absolute barrier to SMR commercialization – providing an easier path to licensing ensures widespread adoption
Spencer %26 Loris, Nuclear Research Fellow @ Thomas Roe Institute, ’11
Jack Spencer, Research Fellow in Nuclear Energy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, Nicolas D. Loris is a Research Associate in the Roe Institute at The Heritage Foundation, "A Big Future for Small Nuclear Reactors?," February 2nd 2011, http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/02/a-big-future-for-small-nuclear-reactors~~
If SMRs Are So Great, Where Is the Construction? While some designs are
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for nuclear power and should implement the necessary reforms to make this happen.

Staffing, Security, and Safety regulations are the primary obstacles
Marston, CTO Electric Power Research Institute, ’12
Dr. Theodore U. Marston, Former Chief Technology Officer of the Electric Power Research Institute, PhD Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, "Status of Small Modular Light Water Reactors in the US," The Nuclear Decarbonization Option: Profiles of Selected Advanced Reactor Technologies, March 2012
l Staffing – Current control room staffing requirements are based on large reactors with fully
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in the assumption that they can be licensed, built and commissioned quickly. 

Our solvency is reverse causal – a strong SMR nuclear renaissance will follow reduction of NRC regulations
Wheeler, Power Engineering Editor, ’11
Brian Wheeler, Associate Editor, Power Engineering, "Small Modular Reactors are ’Hot’," February 1st 2011, http://www.power-eng.com/articles/print/volume-115/issue-2/departments/nuclear-reactions/small-modular-reactors-are-hot.html~~
One of the "hottest" topics being discussed in the U.S.
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, which could in return lead to more clean energy on the grid.

Funding for SMR commercialization exists now – reducing NRC barriers ensures fast development
Cunningham, Policy Analyst for Energy and Climate at the American Security Project, October, ’12
Small Modular Reactors: A Possible Path Forward for Nuclear Power. americansecurityproject.org/ASP%20Reports/Ref%200087%20-%20Small%20Modular%20Reactors.pdf
Finally, the rapid increase in demand for electricity around the world over the next
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the time and cost for design licensing will accelerate the development of SMRs. 

Tournament: USC | Round: 5 | Opponent: Harvard | Judge: Nick Miller
Manufacturing licenses solves export restrictions – creates interagency export standards
Campagna, Hyperion Chief Nuclear Officer, ’10
Mark S. Campagna, Chief Operations Officer/Chief Nuclear Officer at Hyperion, “UTILIZATION OF NRC MANUFACTURING LICENSE FOR SMALL MODULAR REACTORS,” INTERIM REPORT OF THE ANS PRESIDENT’S SPECIAL COMMITTEE ON SMR GENERIC LICENSING ISSUES, July 2010
Outside the United States, the ML appears to offer an excellent vehicle to enable
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the U.S. Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and State.
That resolves any export competition problems – this is the bottom of the report all of your evidence cites
Glasgow et al., Partner @ Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, October ’12
James A. Glasgow, Elina Teplinsky, Stephen L. Markus, Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, “Nuclear Export Controls: A Comparative Analysis of National Regimes for the Control of Nuclear Materials, Components and Technology,” October 2012
Apart from needed changes to U.S. export law and regulations, a
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field” for U.S. exporters in the near-term.
Coordination solves
Domenici and Miller, Former U.S. Senator/Bipartisan Policy Center Senior Fellow and Former Department of Energy Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, 12
(September, Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Global Nuclear Energy Markets, bipartisanpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Nuclear%20Report.PDF)
However, domestic exporters of U.S. nuclear technology, fuels, and
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.S. companies to compete more effectively in the global nuclear marketplace.

Tournament: USC | Round: 5 | Opponent: Harvard | Judge: Nick Miller
We meet – We eliminate NRC regulations to a level that makes SMR licensing cost effective
C/I – Reduce means to lower to an inferior condition, not eliminate
CJS, Corpus Juris Secundum - legal encyclopedia, 52
(Vol. 76, p. 178)
It has been said that in its ordinary signification “reduce” does not mean
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to lower; to degrade or impair; to replace; to restore.
Restriction means policy limitation – including regulation
PLD 12
(People’s Law Dictionary – site last updated 2012, http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=1835-http://dictionary.law.com/Default.aspx?selected=1835)
restriction n. …. and property which are recorded and incorporated into the title of each owner.
We are a reduction in the main barrier to SMR commercialization
Hopf, Senior Nuclear Engineer, ’11
Jim Hopf, Senior Nuclear Engineer, Member of the American Nuclear Society’s Public Information Committee, “Roadblock in Congress for SMR Development,” October 25th 2011, http://ansnuclearcafe.org/2011/10/25/congress-smr/
As many have observed, the main barrier to the deployment of SMRs may not
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requiring the NRC to complete reviews within some fixed, reasonable time period.

Tournament: USC | Round: 2 | Opponent: Emory | Judge:
Absent these questions shifts in knowledge production are useless – governments’ obey institutional logics that exist independently of individuals and constrain decisionmaking
Wight – Professor of IR @ University of Sydney – 6
(Colin, Agents, Structures and International Relations: Politics as Ontology, pgs. 48-50 

One important aspect of this relational ontology is that these relations constitute our identity as
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upon it, upon its specific characteristics, its constants and its variables’.
The alt doesn’t solve the links – technocratic management isn’t resolved through discussing our consumption practices – even if people decide to consume less, the elite are still in charge of the energy establishment
Submitting nuclear policy to public deliberation collapses military effectiveness and ensures extinction
Doxtader ’97
(Erik, Prof. of Rhetoric @ U of South Carolina, Total War and Public Life: A Critical Theory of American Nuclear Deterrence Policy, pgs. 3-4)

Second, public disinterest in the nuclear age may stem from a sense that the
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of total war, the public makes military policy at its own peril.
Technocracy and scientific expertise are good and turn the K – they direct consumers towards most efficient outcomes and eliminate unnecessary production
Chai 5
(Andreas, Evolutionary Economics Unit, Max Planck Institute for Research into Economic Systems, “Menger’s theory of ‘imaginary goods’ and the
historical emergence of British medical experts”, http://www.tagung05.uni-bonn.de/Papers/Chai.pdf)

For Menger, all things are subject to the laws of cause and effect (
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supply and demand (Langlois and Cosgel, 1998;Scitovsky, 1976).

Tournament: USC | Round: 2 | Opponent: Emory | Judge:
Declaratory policy doesn’t matter
Martin et al – Policy Analysis Program Officer, Stanley Foundation – ‘9
Matt, A New Look at No First Use, http://www.stanleyfoundation.org/resources.cfm?id=334

Some participants were not sure that NFU would measurably reduce the salience of nuclear weapons
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while remaining more realistic and honest about possible nuclear use in extenuating circumstances.

Doesn’t strengthen norms or the taboo
Glaser, Professor and Deputy Dean, Graduate School of Public Policy Studies at the University of Chicago, and Steve Fetter, Professor and Dean of the School of Public Policy  University of Maryland – ‘5
Counterforce Revisited, International Security, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Fall 2005), pp. 84–126
This leaves open the possibility that the nuclear taboo would be strengthened by doctrinal changes
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doctrinal shifts alone are unlikely to strengthen or weaken the taboo significantly.66

Solvency deficit and turn—NFU fails because of suspicion from other countries, vulnerability at home, and restriction of capabilities to defend ourselves.
Tertrais, ’09
Bruno Tertrais, Senior Research Fellow at the Fondation pour la recherche stratégique in Paris, expert in conflicts, US strategy, transatlantic relations, and nuclear proliferation. “The Trouble with No First Use” Forum: The Case for No First Use: An Exchange” October 5, 2009 http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~content=a915329759~db=all

At first glance, it sounds like a great and simple idea. Any nuclear
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costs, if any, because it would not change the doctrine itself.

Tournament: USC | Round: 5 | Opponent: Harvard | Judge: Nick Miller
Absent these questions shifts in knowledge production are useless – governments’ obey institutional logics that exist independently of individuals and constrain decisionmaking
Wight – Professor of IR @ University of Sydney – 6
(Colin, Agents, Structures and International Relations: Politics as Ontology, pgs. 48-50 

One important aspect of this relational ontology is that these relations constitute our identity as
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upon it, upon its specific characteristics, its constants and its variables’.
Uniquely true in the context of energy – society won’t voluntarily abandon growth
Douglas – Peer-reviewed climate scholar – ’10
Richard Douglas, published essays on the philosophy and politics of climate change denial, Future Ethics, pg. 206
In the case of environmentalism the need for a readymade replacement paradigm to be available
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ideas it offers are not adequate for the job they have to do.
Economic rationality is ethical – solves war and environmental collapse – self-interest motivates individuals to sacrifice some autonomy to produce security and protect the rights of others
Aasland ‘9
(Dag, Prof. of Economics @ U of Agder, Norway, Ethics and Economy: After Levinas, pgs. 65-66)
Business ethics, in the sense of ethics for business, illustrates this: its
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laws and regulations set up by society (Burggraeve, 2003: 77).
Technocracy and scientific expertise are good and turn the K – they direct consumers towards most efficient outcomes and eliminate unnecessary production
Chai 5
(Andreas, Evolutionary Economics Unit, Max Planck Institute for Research into Economic Systems, “Menger’s theory of ‘imaginary goods’ and the
historical emergence of British medical experts”, http://www.tagung05.uni-bonn.de/Papers/Chai.pdf)

For Menger, all things are subject to the laws of cause and effect (
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supply and demand (Langlois and Cosgel, 1998;Scitovsky, 1976).
Their psychological method is flawed – can’t measure individual emotional reactions, individual data can’t be generalized to groups, and political applications create an incentive for dishonesty
Saurette ‘6
(Paul, Associate Prof. of Political Studies @ University of Ottawa, “You dissin me? Humiliation and post 9/11 global politics”, Review of International Studies (2006), 32, 495–522)
Investigating the role of humiliation in global politics is not, however, an easy
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even if they were able to correctly analyse them in a group setting.

Tournament: USC | Round: 5 | Opponent: Harvard | Judge: Nick Miller
Not in competition – different models
Edward Levy, MSc. – Nuclear Energy Insider – 2/1/12, Small Modular Reactors: What’s on the Horizon for 2012?, http://analysis.nuclearenergyinsider.com/small-modular-reactors/small-modular-reactors-what%E2%80%99s-horizon-2012
Even though recent studies show that SMRs would be economically competitive in many settings and
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-modular plants with underground containment is led by the Americans and Japanese.
Domestic demand is enough – the economy drives Russia’s nuke power industry, not the other way around
Ben Aris, RIR – 3/23/11, Unfazed, Russia high on nuclear power, http://indrus.in/articles/2011/03/23/unfazed_russia_high_on_nuclear_power_12317.html

The unfolding catastrophe at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi power station has provoked a rethink in Europe
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," Putin said at a meeting of the Eurasian Economic Community's intergovernmental council.

Oil and gas exports, not nuclear, key to Russian econ
US EIA – 9/18/12, Russia, http://www.eia.gov/countries/cab.cfm?fips=RS

Russia is a major producer and exporter of oil and natural gas and its economy
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as the top crude oil producer in four out of the six months.
Not zero-sum – US and Russia will cooperate
RT – 6/17/11, “Russia may create advanced nuclear power system”, http://rt.com/news/russia-nuclear-power-system/
Russia has every opportunity to create a unique nuclear power system which will produce energy for the entire world as soon as in five years, says President of the Science Council for Global Initiatives Tom Blees.
Speaking with RT at the St. Petersburg Economic International Forum, he said that
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now creating its own Skolkovo technology hub, already dubbed Russia’s Silicon Valley.

Tournament: USC | Round: 5 | Opponent: Harvard | Judge: Nick Miller
EPA regulations kill coal’s competitiveness – producers are switching away
Yeatman 10/9/12 (William, “Yes, Coal Is Dying, and Yes, EPA Is the Main Culprit” http://www.globalwarming.org/2012/10/09/yes-coal-is-dying-and-yes-epa-is-the-main-culprit/)

Roberts is plainly confused when he writes that “it’s not happening because of EPA
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Coal” campaign. Because a war on coal is great for gas!

Coal is dying even without EPA regulations– can’t compete economically
CSM 2012 (“'War on coal'? Why Obama might not be industry's worst enemy.” http://www.csmonitor.com/Environment/2012/0926/War-on-coal-Why-Obama-might-not-be-industry-s-worst-enemy/(page)/1)

That's bad news for coal mine owners. Alpha Natural Resources, based in Bristol
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regulations – this is purely an economic decision," Ms. Barrie says.
Coal is terrible
Hansen, Director of Nasa's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, 09
(Coal-fired power stations are death factories. Close them, www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2009/feb/15/james-hansen-power-plants-coal
A year ago, I wrote to Gordon Brown asking him to place a moratorium
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number that would be committed to extinction if carbon dioxide rose another 100 ppm
REE recycling solves the impact
Recycling Today 10/3/12 (“Solvay Opens Rare Earth Metals Recycling Plants in France” http://www.recyclingtoday.com/solvay-rare-earth-recycling-plants-france.aspx)

Solvay Group, a chemical group headquartered in Brussels, has officially opened two rare
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, and we aim to become the benchmark European player in this area.”

Tournament: USC | Round: 5 | Opponent: Harvard | Judge: Nick Miller
Already overstretched – deterrence still holds
Global Security Newswire – 9/13/12, DOE, NNSA Management Faults Bolster Nuclear Risks, Auditors Warn, http://www.nti.org/gsn/article/nnsa-management-faults-bolster-risks-auditors-say/

Nuclear arms operations in the United States face greater defensive vulnerabilities and a higher potential
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to which older rules had interfered with activities, the GAO officials said.
We solve worker shortages
Kammen 7 (Daniel, Professor in Public Policy Specializing in Energy and Resources – University of California, Berkeley, and Gregory F. Nemet, Professor of Public Policy – University of California, Berkeley, “Energy Myth Eleven – Energy RandD Investment Takes Decades To Reach The Market”, Energy and American Society – Thirteen Myths, Ed. Sovacool and Brown, p. 304-305)

We also examined the thesis that these large programs “crowd out” other research
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sector RandD and RandD in other federal programs.12
Structural issues prevent NNSA hiring – plan is key to increase science grads
Walker 2012 (May 1, Molly Bernhart, “NNSA could soon face workforce gaps but struggles to monitor them” http://www.fiercegovernment.com/story/nnsa-could-soon-face-workforce-gaps-struggles-monitor-them/2012-05-01)

The National Nuclear Security Administration and the contractors who operate the national lab sites for
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. citizens and would be unable to obtain security clearances, says GAO.

Tournament: Northwestern | Round: 1 | Opponent: New York DE | Judge: Richard Gardner
NRC SMR Aff, Natural Gas and Environmental Leadership, See Attached 1AC's below

Advantage two is environmental leadership
Obama’s climate legitimacy is dead – only changes to domestic energy policy can reinvigorate leadership
Herz, Senior International Climate Attorney with the Sierra Club, 12-17
12/17, Dithering In Doha: We Need To Re-Frame The Politics Of Climate, thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/12/17/1343391/dithering-in-doha-we-need-to-re-frame-the-politics-of-climate/?mobile=nc
Just as disappointing as the outcome in Doha was the role of the United States
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more successful in the second Obama Administration than it was in the first.
Reversing Obama’s go slow approach on new nuclear technology is necessary to establish presidential leadership on climate
Hansen, Director NASA Goddard Institute, ’11
(NASA’s Hansen Presses Obama for a Carbon Cost and Nuclear Push, dotearth.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/01/24/nasas-hansen-presses-obama-for-a-carbon-cost-and-nuclear-push/?partner=rssandemc=rss)
It would have made good sense to give energy/climate a high priority right
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prey to Democratic politics on this, rather than being a responsible leader.
Only support for nuclear power can resolve perceptions of international law illegality constraining US foreign policy
Hickey, Law Professor at Hofstra, 07
REVIVING THE NUCLEAR POWER OPTION IN THE UNITED STATES: USING DOMESTIC ENERGY LAW TO CURE TWO PERCEPTIONS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW ILLEGALITY, lawarchive.hofstra.edu/pdf/Academics/Journals/LawReview/lrv_issues_v35n02_i03.pdf
Two perceptions, right or wrong, of international law illegality on the part of
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persist to the detriment of U.S. foreign policy for decades.
Presidential leadership to address international climate concerns key to global environmental cooperation
Shepard, Natural Resources/Water Resources University Laboratory Teacher, 10
U.S. Environmental Policy and Leadership, http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/39623.aspx?p=2
The Bush administration’s failure to see the big picture in reference to global environmental change
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the beacon it needs to be with a strong message from our lawmakers.
US environmental leadership key internal link to effective environmental governance
Esty and Ivanova, Director Yale Center Environmental Policy, 08
Daniel C. Esty, Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale
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Number 2, Summer-Fall 2008, pp. 57-75
The Bush Administration’s “go-it-alone” strategy in security issues has
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international entanglements and international organizations—even those related to protecting the planet.
US environmental leadership prevents extinction – Biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and soil erosion
Khosla, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 09
(A new President for the United States: We have a dream, www.iucn.org/news_homepage/news_by_date/2009_news/january_2009/?2595/new-President-for-the-United-States-We-have-a-dream)
A rejuvenated America, with a renewed purpose, commitment and energy to make its
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-- and now it has become essential, an issue of planetary survival.
Global ecosystems are on the brink of collapse – we are reaching the “tipping point” of environmental degradation
Knight, ’10
Matthew, Cites the GBO and CBD: The GBO-3 is a landmark study in what is the U.N.'s International Year of Biodiversity and will play a key role in guiding the negotiations between world governments at the U.N. Biodiversity Summit in Nagoya, Japan in October 2010.  The CBD -- an international treaty designed to sustain diversity of life on Earth -- was set up at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, May 10, “U.N. report: Eco-systems at 'tipping point'”, http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/05/10/biodiversity.loss.report/index.html?eref=igoogle_cnn
The world's eco-systems are at risk of "rapid degradation and collapse"
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natural capital of around andeuro95 trillion ($121 trillion)," he said.
Outweighs any other impact
Chen, 2K
Jim, Prof of law U of Minnesota, Now Dean of Law School at Louisville “Globalization and Its Losers”, 9 Minn. J. Global Trade 157’ HeinOnline
The spread of Homo sapiens around the earth have brought about mass extinctions and related
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by Homo sapiens - in ten million years, perhaps a hundred million.

Tournament: Northwestern | Round: 4 | Opponent: Illinois State | Judge: Patrick Kennedy
We meet – we reduce restrictions on the operating of SMRs – evacuation, security and staffing requirements are all operational license restrictions

C/I – Restrictions are government regulations that limit production
Reade, District Court Judge, ’08
LINDA R. READE, District Court Judge, Opinion in UNITED STATES OF
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a facility.” Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary 1006 (9th ed. 1991).
Prefer our interpretation – their definitions conclude anything that limits production is topical which is what the plan changes
NRC Licensing process is the main barrier to SMR energy production
Hopf, Senior Nuclear Engineer, ’11
Jim Hopf, Senior Nuclear Engineer, Member of the American Nuclear Society’s Public Information Committee, “Roadblock in Congress for SMR Development,” October 25th 2011, http://ansnuclearcafe.org/2011/10/25/congress-smr/
As many have observed, the main barrier to the deployment of SMRs may not
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requiring the NRC to complete reviews within some fixed, reasonable time period.
NRC approval is a pre-requisite to building and operating plants – their T violation doesn’t make sense in the context of nuclear restrictions
NRC 5
(Nuclear Regulatory Commission, "Backgrounder on Nuclear Power Plant Licensing Process," July 2005, http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/licensing-process-bg.html-http://www.nrc.gov/reading-rm/doc-collections/fact-sheets/licensing-process-bg.html)
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is responsible for licensing and regulating the operation
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health and safety, the common defense and security, and the environment.
They overlimit – no NRC licensing affs means the restrictions side of nuclear power is eliminated – Nuclear is the biggest aff on the topic – cutting out half of our solvency kills aff innovation
No ground loss – we defend an increase in nuclear power production from SMRs – they get all their DA’s and CP’s to doing that
Default to Reasonability – competing interpretations causes a race to the bottom – over-incentivizes going for T to arbitrarily limit out the aff
Nuclear energy production includes construction
Shoutblogger, ’11
Shoutblogger, “4 Myths About Nuclear Energy,” March 23rd 2011, http://shoutbloger.blogspot.com/2011/03/4-myths-about-nuclear-energy.html
Today, nuclear power is far more expensive than coal or gas fired electricity, especially because nuclear materials are very expensive to build. Estimated cost of these materials reached $ 5 billion. An MIT study in 2009 estimated that the cost of nuclear energy production (including construction, maintenance and fuel) is about 30 percent higher than coal or gas.
Licensing is a barrier to SMR production
DOE, ’12
U.S. Department of Energy, Nuclear Energy, Subcommittee on Small Modular Reactors, "A Strategic Framework for SMR Deployment," 2-24,http://www.ne.doe.gov/smrsubcommittee/documents/SMR%20Strategic%20Framework.pdf-http://www.ne.doe.gov/smrsubcommittee/documents/SMR Strategic Framework.pdf
The potential barrier that licensing could pose to the commercial development of SMRs puts it at the forefront of strategic issues. Phase 1 of the strategic framework is focused directly on this challenge. Assuming this can be overcome, the next issue is to understand the potential for SMRs to compete in the marketplace. To assess this challenge, a quick review of the basic SMR business model may be useful.
Absolutely no impact
Conca, Forbes Energy Contributor, ’12
James Conca, Forbes Energy Contributor, “Nuclear Waste Confidence -- NRC Ruling No Big Deal,” August 11th 2012, http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesconca/2012/08/11/nuclear-waste-confidence-nrc-ruling-no-big-deal/
There has been some fist-bumping this week in the anti-nuclear sector
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, plagued with runaway costs and competition with far less expensive energy alternatives.

Tournament: Northwestern | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
Gun control push will undermine immigration reform --- whether he succeeds or not
Rauch, 1/20 --- Scholar @ Brookings (1/20/2013, Jonathan, “Tackle immigration first, Mr. President,” http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/tackle-immigration-mr-president-article-1.1242944?localLinksEnabled=false))
Asked a few years ago whether George W. Bush had made any consequential mistakes
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by conservatives who had no interest in any reform that Democrats might accept.
Won’t pass --- several recent failed efforts prove
Navarrette, 1/30 --- Washington Post columnist (Ruben, 1/30/2013, “Ruben Navarrette: Skepticism on Obama, Senate immigration reform,” http://www.mercurynews.com/opinion/ci_22480898/ruben-navarrette-skepticism-obama-senate-immigration-reform))
SAN DIEGO -- Something is not right in Washington. Suddenly a lot of powerful
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faith on this issue for more than a decade. Why start now?
No internal link --- Obama and congress can multitask and Obama’s capital is not enough to ensure passage
Soto, 1/4 --- Senior Analyst for Latino Decisions and Fellow at the Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, at Austin (Dr. Victoria M. DeFrancesco Soto, 1/4/2013, “Opinion: Immigration reform will not be easy, but it’s not impossible,” http://nbclatino.com/2013/01/04/opinion-immigration-reform-will-not-be-easy-but-its-not-impossible/)
Sure there’s the drama of the fiscal cliff, but that issue has become more
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of the electorate. However, those voices are few and far between.
Biden solves --- he can negotiate deals for the administration
Fifield, 1/5 (Anna, 1/5/2013, The Irish Times, “Down-to-earth Biden rising to challenge on Capitol Hill,” Factiva)
The vice-president will become a more important player in the second term When
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74 by then, he is in good shape and works out regularly.
The nuclear industry has congress in its pocket – funding, speeches
Union of Concerned Scientists, ’10 (February 1, “Nuclear Industry Spent Hundreds of Millions of Dollars Over the Last Decade to Sell Public, Congress on New Reactors, New Investigation Finds” http://www.ucsusa.org/news/media_alerts/nuclear-industry-spent-millions-to-sell-congress-on-new-reactors-0343.html)
The nuclear industry claims that there is increased public support for nuclear power as a
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, mention that the NEI created the coalition and is its sole funder.
Forcing controversial fights key to Obama’s agenda --- prevents gridlock
Dickerson, 1/18 (John, 1/18/2013, “Go for the Throat! Why if he wants to transform American politics, Obama must declare war on the Republican Party,” http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/politics/2013/01/barack_obama_s_second_inaugural_address_the_president_should_declare_war.single.html)
On Monday, President Obama will preside over the grand reopening of his administration.
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the party that will leave it, at least temporarily, in disarray. 

Tournament: Districts | Round: 1 | Opponent: SFSU | Judge:
Current 1AC
Plan
The United States federal government should diminish Nuclear Regulatory Commission staffing, manufacturing licensing, emergency planning zone, and safety restrictions for Small Modular Reactors to be consistent with the unique attributes of Small Modular Reactors.
Environmental Leadership
The advantage is environmental leadership
Obama’s climate legitimacy is dead – only changes to domestic energy policy can reinvigorate leadership
Herz, Senior International Climate Attorney with the Sierra Club, 12-17
12/17, Dithering In Doha: We Need To Re-Frame The Politics Of Climate, thinkprogress.org/climate/2012/12/17/1343391/dithering-in-doha-we-need-to-re-frame-the-politics-of-climate/?mobile=nc
Just as disappointing as the outcome in Doha was the role of the United States
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more successful in the second Obama Administration than it was in the first.
Only support for nuclear power can resolve perceptions of international law illegality constraining US foreign policy – renewables are insufficient
Hickey, Law Professor at Hofstra, 07
REVIVING THE NUCLEAR POWER OPTION IN THE UNITED STATES: USING DOMESTIC ENERGY LAW TO CURE TWO PERCEPTIONS OF INTERNATIONAL LAW ILLEGALITY, lawarchive.hofstra.edu/pdf/Academics/Journals/LawReview/lrv_issues_v35n02_i03.pdf
Two perceptions, right or wrong, of international law illegality on the part of
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persist to the detriment of U.S. foreign policy for decades.
Presidential leadership to address international climate concerns key to global environmental cooperation
Shepard, Natural Resources/Water Resources University Laboratory Teacher, 10
U.S. Environmental Policy and Leadership, http://www.brighthub.com/environment/science-environmental/articles/39623.aspx?p=2
The Bush administration’s failure to see the big picture in reference to global environmental change
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the beacon it needs to be with a strong message from our lawmakers.
US environmental leadership key internal link to effective environmental governance
Esty and Ivanova, Director Yale Center Environmental Policy, 08
Daniel C. Esty, Hillhouse Professor of Environmental Law and Policy at Yale
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Number 2, Summer-Fall 2008, pp. 57-75
The Bush Administration’s “go-it-alone” strategy in security issues has
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international entanglements and international organizations—even those related to protecting the planet.
US environmental leadership prevents extinction – Biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and soil erosion
Khosla, President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, 09
(A new President for the United States: We have a dream, www.iucn.org/news_homepage/news_by_date/2009_news/january_2009/?2595/new-President-for-the-United-States-We-have-a-dream)
A rejuvenated America, with a renewed purpose, commitment and energy to make its
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-- and now it has become essential, an issue of planetary survival.
Outweighs any other impact
Chen, 2K
Jim, Prof of law U of Minnesota, Now Dean of Law School at Louisville “Globalization and Its Losers”, 9 Minn. J. Global Trade 157’ HeinOnline
The spread of Homo sapiens around the earth have brought about mass extinctions and related
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by Homo sapiens - in ten million years, perhaps a hundred million.
Overfishing causes extinction
Jackson et al, Professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography at the University of California San Diego, ’1 (Jeremy, July 27, “Historical Overfishing and the Recent Collapse of Coastal Ecosystems” Science, Vol 293 No 5530, p 629-637)
Ecological extinction caused by overfishing precedes all other pervasive human disturbance to coastal ecosystems,
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not even be contemplated based on the limited perspective of recent observations alone.
Soil erosion causes extinction
Allemang ‘7 – feature writer for The Globe and Mail (John, 5/12/07, “Planet Earth has a dirty little secret,” Journal: Globe and Mail, p. 4)
Dirt is disappearing, and when it goes, we go. It's a simple
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places on the planet that can produce agricultural surpluses and feed the world."
Plan key to solve global emissions
Miao, Yale Climate Institute Fellow, 12-16-12
William Miao, Yale Climate and Energy Institute COP Fellow, Doha Talks Reporter, MEM Candidate @ The Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, “OBAMA’S SECOND TERM – THE WORLD AWAITS MUCH NEEDED LEADERSHIP ON CLIMATE CHANGE,” December 16th 2012, http://environment.yale.edu/blog/2012/12/obamas-second-term-the-world-awaits-much-needed-leadership-on-climate-change/
“We want our children to live in an America that … isn’t threatened by
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given to the envoys, and no new commitment was seen in Doha.
Climate change and environmental destruction disproportionately hurt womyn
Whitty, ’07
Julia Whitty, Motherjones Reporter, “Climate Change Will Affect Women More Severely Than Men,” March 8th 2007, http://www.motherjones.com/blue-marble/2007/03/climate-change-will-affect-women-more-severely-men
Though the IUCN (World Conservation Union) has celebrated by releasing a disturbing report
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critically, discussions and decisions about adaptation and mitigation. From the report:
For example, the 20,000 people who died in France during the extreme
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and therefore their capacity to access income-generating jobs) is diminished.
The report notes examples from other sources, including this:
An Oxfam Report (March 2005) on the impact of the 2004 Asia Tsunami
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. These woes, however, are largely neglected in the media coverage.
And this:
In a study executed on behalf of ACTIONAID in 1993-1994 in the Himalayan
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school were failing as the environmental and social conditions of the families deteriorated.
Environmental governance creates a new global community grounded in “foresight intelligence” – that reverses evolutionary biases towards short-term threats and organizes policy responses towards long-term, global threats – only environmental governance creates a narrative concerned for future generations
Ehrlich and Ehrlich 13
(Paul, Professor of Biology and President of the Center for Conservation Biology at Stanford University, and Adjunct Professor at the University of Technology, Sydney, Anne, Senior Research Scientist in Biology at Stanford, “Can a collapse of global civilization be avoided?”, January 9, 2013, Proceedings of the Royal Society of Biological Sciences)
Until very recently, our ancestors had no reason to
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agencies that deal with them will need strengthening, and new institutions will need to be formed.
Only fostering a future-oriented approach within students solves social inequality and avoids a violent, reactive approach towards conflicts
Kurasawa‘4,
(Fuyuki, Assistant Prof. of Sociology @ York University, Cautionary Tales, Constellations Vol. 11, No. 4, Blackwell Synergy)
In the previous section, I described how the capacity to produce, disseminate,
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the basis of which civic associations can enact the work of preventive foresight.
Environmental sustainability framing fails – it produces backlash and is too all-encompassing to create effective public engagement – their lack of a blueprint for the alt uniquely dooms solvency
Fahey, ’10
(Anna, Senior Communications Strategist, MA in political comm from U Washington, “Who me? An environmentalist?”, May 1, http://daily.sightline.org/2010/05/01/earthjusticeflashcard/)
Environmental Sainthood. Somewhat revered by the most eco-minded Americans, environmentalists are
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of what can be done, problems can seem overwhelming and solutions inadequate.
Changing production is a pre-requisite to changing consumption – corporations can use more direct and radical messaging and avoid public backlash
Roberts, ’13
(David, Energy and Politics writer for Grist, “Super Bowl ad brawl: SodaStream does what Sierra Club can’t”, http://grist.org/business-technology/super-bowl-ad-brawl-sodastream-does-what-sierra-club-cant/)
That is some powerful language. It’s not just about cutting down on waste at
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de-materializing and de-fossilizing message. Weirder things have happened.
Solvency
NRC regulations are an absolute barrier to SMR commercialization – providing an easier path to licensing ensures widespread adoption
Spencer and Loris, Nuclear Research Fellow @ Thomas Roe Institute, ’11
Jack Spencer, Research Fellow in Nuclear Energy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, Nicolas D. Loris is a Research Associate in the Roe Institute at The Heritage Foundation, “A Big Future for Small Nuclear Reactors?,” February 2nd 2011, http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/02/a-big-future-for-small-nuclear-reactors
If SMRs Are So Great, Where Is the Construction? While some designs are
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for nuclear power and should implement the necessary reforms to make this happen.
Staffing, Security, and Safety regulations are the primary obstacles
Marston, CTO Electric Power Research Institute, ’12
Dr. Theodore U. Marston, Former Chief Technology Officer of the Electric Power Research Institute, PhD Mechanical Engineering from the University of Michigan, Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, “Status of Small Modular Light Water Reactors in the US,” The Nuclear Decarbonization Option: Profiles of Selected Advanced Reactor Technologies, March 2012
l Staffing – Current control room staffing requirements are based on large reactors with fully
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in the assumption that they can be licensed, built and commissioned quickly.
Our solvency is reverse causal – a strong SMR nuclear renaissance will follow reduction of NRC regulations
Wheeler, Power Engineering Editor, ’11
Brian Wheeler, Associate Editor, Power Engineering, “Small Modular Reactors are ‘Hot’,” February 1st 2011, http://www.power-eng.com/articles/print/volume-115/issue-2/departments/nuclear-reactions/small-modular-reactors-are-hot.html
One of the “hottest” topics being discussed in the U.S.
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, which could in return lead to more clean energy on the grid.
Funding for SMR commercialization exists now – reducing NRC barriers ensures fast development
Cunningham, Policy Analyst for Energy and Climate at the American Security Project, October, ’12
Small Modular Reactors: A Possible Path Forward for Nuclear Power. americansecurityproject.org/ASP%20Reports/Ref%200087%20-%20Small%20Modular%20Reactors.pdf
Finally, the rapid increase in demand for electricity around the world over the next
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the time and cost for design licensing will accelerate the development of SMRs.
Debating the aff is key to solve it – imaginative familiarity with nuclear power creates trust and overcomes public misunderstanding – creates tipping point for new facilities
Butler, Parkhill, and Pidgeon 11
(Catherine, Research Fellow at Cardiff University, Karen, Research Fellow at Cardiff University, Nicholas, Professor of Environmental Psychology at Cardiff University, “Nuclear Power After Japan: The Social Dimensions”, November-December 2011, http://www.environmentmagazine.org/Archives/Back%20Issues/2011/November-December%202011/Nuclear-full.html)
Nuclear power has, beyond its beginnings where “glamorous reactors” were anticipated with
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plants (and trust in plant operators) rather than undermining it.29
Imagining the plan specifically is key – public opposition is grounded in misunderstanding and ignorance about new tech like SMRs – reversing that trend is key to solve multiple scenarios for extinction that only nuclear solves
Kotler 11
(Stephen, Journalist covering the collision between science and culture, “Meltdown or Mother Lode: Is Nuclear Energy Safe?”, 19 March 2011, http://ecohearth.com/eco-zine/green-issues/391-meltdown-or-mother-lode-the-new-truth-about-nuclear-power.html)
In the past four decades, there’s been a nuclear revolution brewing. Most likely
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, the better question might be: What do we mean by safe?
Nuclear power inevitable globally – not in the US
WNN, 9-26
World Nuclear News, “Nuclear growth slowing not stalling,” September 26th 2012, http://www.world-nuclear-news.org/NP-Nuclear_growth_slowing_not_stalling-2609127.html
Growth rates may have slowed but world nuclear energy capacity will nevertheless continue to increase
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capacity playing an important role in the energy mix in the longer term."  
Nuclear byproducts have no serious short-term or long-term effects on health – even large-scale meltdowns don’t cause major spikes in disease rates
Lynas and Goodall, ’11
Mark, Visiting Research Associate at Oxford University’s School of Geography and the Environment, Chris, environmental contributor to the Guardian and financial analyst, “The dangers of nuclear power in light of Fukushima”, http://www.marklynas.org/2011/03/the-dangers-of-nuclear-power-in-light-of-fukushima/
Overall the average UK person ets approximately 0.2% of his or her
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coal power is a far more legitimate target of environmental protest than nuclear.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 1 | Opponent: Baylor BB | Judge: Warden, Jonathan Paul, Brad Hall
Plan
The United States Federal Government should remove Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety restrictions on nuclear energy production in areas also regulated by state governments in the United States.
1AC Advantage One
Advantage one is safety:
NRC regulatory ineptitude makes a nuclear accident inevitable – there is a near miss more than once a month
Lochbaum, Director of the Nuclear Safety Project at the Union of Concerned Scientists with more than seventeen years of experience in commercial nuclear power plant operation as a Senior Engineer, March, ’13
(The NRC and Nuclear Power Plant Safety in 2012, www.ucsusa.org/assets/documents/nuclear_power/NRC-nuclear-safety-2012-report.pdf)
The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) is tolerating the intolerable
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them. NRC managers cannot fix problems they do not believe to exist.
Aging reactors are a unique accident risk – the NRC is weakening or failing to enforce safety regulations in order to extend the life of existing reactors
Dunn, AP National Investigative Team, 11
(PART I: AP IMPACT: US nuke regulators weaken safety rules, www.ap.org/company/awards/part-i-aging-nukes)
Federal regulators have been working closely with the nuclear power industry to keep the nation's
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safety limits, regulators and reactor operators have loosened or bent the rules.
The consequences of a nuclear accident should be evaluated on par with nuclear warfare – fallout will be massive and global
Drell, Professor emeritus of theoretical physics at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and Science Advisory Committee, 12
(THE NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE High-Consequence Accidents: How to Enhance Safety and Minimize Risks in Nuclear Weapons and Reactors, pg. 1-3)
We live in dangerous times for many reasons. Prominent among them is the existence
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the public by providing information on how to respond to such an event.
Negative evidence that accidents are unlikely and won’t be severe is steeped in institutional bias and ignores the newest and best data – accidents should be evaluated as extinction level events
Busby, Scientific Secretary European Committee on Radiation Risk, ’11
(Chris, Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk. He is visiting Professor at the University of Ulster and also Guest Researcher at the Julius Kuehn Institute of the German Federal Agricultural Institute in Braunschweig, Germany. He was a member of the UK Committee Examining Radiation Risk on Internal Emitters CERRIE and the UK MoD Depleted Uranium Oversight Board. He was Science and Policy Interface leader of the Policy Information network on Child Health and Environment based in the Netherlands. He was Science and Technology Speaker for the Green Party of England and Wales. He has conducted fundamental research on the health effects of internal radiation both at the theoretical and epidemiological level, including recently on the genotoxic effects of the element uranium, “Deconstructing Nuclear Experts”, March 28, 2011, http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/03/28/deconstructing-nuclear-experts/)
Now I turn to the health effects. Wade trots out most of the usual
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history, and the facts that they ignore. Mind the Gap indeed.
Independent of accidents lax NRC enforcement promotes mass destruction of ocean ecosystems causing extinction
Gunter, Director of the Reactor Oversight Project at NIRS, ’01
(Licensed to Kill: How the nuclear power industry destroys endangered marine wildlife and ocean habitat to save money, www.nirs.org/reactorwatch/licensedtokill/LiscencedtoKill.pdf)
The NRC, the federal authority charged with enforcing compliance with take limits, mitigation
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only the creatures themselves but the ability of humans to prosper and survive.
Damage done by nuclear power plants overwhelms ocean adaptation
Gunter, Director of the Reactor Oversight Project at NIRS, 01
(Licensed to Kill: How the nuclear power industry destroys endangered marine wildlife and ocean habitat to save money, www.nirs.org/reactorwatch/licensedtokill/LiscencedtoKill.pdf)
Fish, fish larvae, and fish eggs are harmed and destroyed upon entering the
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this way, entire marine communities can lose their capacity to sustain themselves.
Inadequate regulation allows leaks and spills which contaminate groundwater and undermine agriculture
Gunter, Director of the Reactor Oversight Project at NIRS, 10
(Leak First, Fix Later: Uncontrolled and Unmonitored Radioactive Releases from Nuclear Power Plants, www.beyondnuclear.org/storage/documents/LeakFirst_FixLater_BeyondNuclear_April182010_FINAL.pdf)
Water is necessary to sustain all life. Water is a natural cycle of vapor
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serves as a marker for many other radionuclides that escape into the environment.
Prevents global starvation
Stulp, ’09 – Agriculture Commissioner in Colorado (John, “America’s economy needs farmers,” Journal-Advocate, 3/20/2009, http://www.journal-advocate.com/news/2009/mar/20/americas-economy-needs-farmers/, JMP)
This week we commemorate American agriculture and the benefits it brings to our society,
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continue to undergird the economy with products that touch every American every day.
States are taking action to effectively regulate nuclear power but they are preempted by NRC restrictions
Garvey, Legislative Attorney, 11
(State Authority to Regulate Nuclear Power: Federal Preemption Under the Atomic Energy Act, https://www.hsdl.org/?viewanddid=718958)
A number of states have recently sought to take action to assure that nuclear power
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falls within the field exclusively occupied by the NRC and is therefore preempted.
The aff solves preemption by eliminating an overlapping regulatory regime and demonstrating congressional intent
Garvey, Legislative Attorney, 11
(State Authority to Regulate Nuclear Power: Federal Preemption Under the Atomic Energy Act, https://www.hsdl.org/?viewanddid=718958)
A state law, however, need not be utterly incompatible with federal law in
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,” as any “inquiry into legislative motive is often an unsatisfactory venture.”
Decentralization is key to effective nuclear regulation – Reagan era NRC changes prove
Whitford, Assistant Professor of Polic Sci at Kansas, 02
(Decentralization and Political Control of the Bureaucracy, Journal of Theoretical Politics, 14(2): 167-193, jtp.sagepub.com/content/14/2/167.full.pdf+html)
Unequivocally, Regions with more nuclear operations produced more actions after decentralization. The NRC
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of bureaucrats to the task environment actually increased governmental activism by the NRC.
1AC Advantage Two
Advantage two is Japan:
Japan’s attempt to revamp its nuclear safety regulation post-Fukushima have failed to solve regulatory capture by the nuclear industry and reassure public safety concerns
WSJ 13 Wall Street Journal
(1/31, Japan Overhauls Nuclear-Safety Rules, online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324156204578275690031511384.html
Japan's revamped nuclear-safety regulator issued its first proposed safety guidelines, telling utilities
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reactors. "During the process, the requirements can be watered down."
Japans regulatory problems mirror the NRC’s – their nuclear shutdown will continue until regulatory confidence is restored
Dorfman, Professor of Law at Pace, 12
(Fall, Pace Environmental Law Review, The Changing Perspectives of U.S and Japanese Nuclear Energy Policies in the Aftermath of the Fukushima Daiichi Disaster, digitalcommons.pace.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1711andcontext=pelr)
Japan’s Nuclear Safety Commission, similar to the United States’ NRC, labels itself an
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to be re-established, a difficult task considering the damage done.
Japan models US safety Regulation
Von Hippel, Nuclear Physicist and Professor of Public and International affairs at Princeton and Co-chairman of the International Panel on Fissile Materials, 11
(It Could Happen Here, www.nytimes.com/2011/03/24/opinion/24Von-Hippel.html?pagewanted=alland_r=0)
IT will be years before we know the full consequences of the disaster at the
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vents, they would likely have been required worldwide, including in Japan.
Decentralization key to solve regulatory capture
Fiocco, Professor of Business and Economics at Humboldt University Berlin , 11
(The Regulation of Interdependent Markets. ideas.repec.org/p/hum/wpaper/sfb649dp2011-046.html
Along these lines, Lamont and Martimort (1999) consider the problem of monitoring
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capture. Section 6 concludes. All proofs are provided in the Appendix.
US leadership on safety and local approval key to restarts
Nye et al., Former Deputy Secretary of State, ’12
Joseph S. Nye, Professor @ The John F. Kennedy School of Government @ Harvard University, Former Deputy Secretary of State, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, Richard L. Armitage, Former Deputy Secretary of State, “The U.S.-Japan Alliance Anchoring Stability in Asia,” 2012, http://csis.org/files/publication/120810_Armitage_USJapanAlliance_Web.pdf
The tragedies of March 11, 2011, are fresh in our minds, and
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U.S.-Japan cooperation on nuclear research and development is essential.
Failure to restart nuclear reactors wrecks the Japanese and Global economy
Spencer, Nuclear Research Fellow @ Thomas Roe Institute, ’11
Jack Spencer, Research Fellow in Nuclear Energy in the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, “Japan’s Nuclear Withdrawal: Bad for Japan, Bad for the U.S., Bad for the World,” November 7th 2011, http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2011/11/japans-nuclear-withdrawal-bad-for-japan-bad-for-the-us-bad-for-the-world
Once the Japanese establish that their reactors can operate safely, they must consider the
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increase costs. Japan’s cars will cost more, making them less competitive.
Global economic collapse ensures great power conflict and accesses every possible impact
Green and Schrage, IR Prof @ Georgetown, ’09
Michael Green, Senior Advisor and Japan Chair @ The Center for Strategic and International Studies and Associate Professor @ The Walsh School of Foreign Service,  Steven Schrage, CSIS Scholl Chair in International Business, Former Senior official with the U.S. Trade Representative's Office, State Department and Ways and Means Committee, “It's not just the economy,” March 26th 2009, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Asian_Economy/KC26Dk01.html
Facing the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, analysts at the World Bank
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demonstration effect of liberal norms we are urging China to embrace at home.  
Japanese economic decline triggers Asian instability and hurts the alliance
Envail, IR Postdoctoral Fellow @ ANU, ’10
David Envall, Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of International Relations at the ANU, Working on the MacArthur Foundation Asian Security Initiative, “Implications for Asia in Japan’s economic decline,” August 11th 2010, http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2010/08/11/implications-for-asia-in-japans-economic-decline/
What makes Japan’s economic woes a regional security challenge is the important role of the
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or multilateralise the region’s bilateral security architecture in case there is further misfortune.
Most likely scenario for nuclear war
Nye et al., Former Deputy Secretary of State, 2K
Joseph S. Nye, Professor @ The John F. Kennedy School of Government @ Harvard University, Former Deputy Secretary of State, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, Richard L. Armitage, Former Deputy Secretary of State, Michael J. Green, Advisor and Japan Chair @ The Center for Strategic and International Studies, Associate Professor @ The Walsh School of Foreign Service, Kurt M. Campbell, Fellow @ The Center for Strategic and International Studies, Frank Jannuzi, Minority Staff Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Edward J. Lincoln, Fellow @ The Brookings Institution, “The United States and Japan: Advancing Toward a Mature Partnership,” The Institute for National Strategic Studies, October 11th 2000, http://homepage2.nifty.com/moru/lib/nichibei-anpo/pdf/INSS%20Special%20Report.pdf
Asia, in the throes of historic change, should carry major weight in the
AND
. to affect the security environment from the Pacific to the Persian Gulf.
Restarting nuclear reactors key to broadening the US-Japan alliance
Itoh, Senior Analyst in the Strategy Research Unit at the The Institute of Energy Economics, March, ’13
Shoichi Itoh, Energy Security in Northeast Asia: A Pivotal Moment for the U.S.-Japan Alliance, March 12th 2013, www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/03/12-energy-security-itoh?rssid=energy+and+environmentandutm_source=feedburnerandutm_medium=feedandutm_campaign=Feed%3A+BrookingsRSS%2Ftopics%2Fenergyandenvironment+%28Brookings+Topics+-+Energy+and+Environment%29
Amid this broad range of issues, energy security is a key issue that the
AND
at least in the foreseeable future, due in part to high costs.
Restarts also lead to an effective international framework to engage China
Itoh, Senior Analyst in the Strategy Research Unit at the The Institute of Energy Economics, March, ’13
Shoichi Itoh, Energy Security in Northeast Asia: A Pivotal Moment for the U.S.-Japan Alliance, March 12th 2013, www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2013/03/12-energy-security-itoh?rssid=energy+and+environmentandutm_source=feedburnerandutm_medium=feedandutm_campaign=Feed%3A+BrookingsRSS%2Ftopics%2Fenergyandenvironment+%28Brookings+Topics+-+Energy+and+Environment%29
The ongoing debate about diplomatic implications of U.S. energy independence within the
AND
which other regional key players such as China and Russia are effectively engaged.
Unipolar management of China will inevitable fail – Only engagement with regional institutions in Asia can allow for effective Chinese integration
Nye et al., Former Deputy Secretary of State, ’07
Joseph S. Nye, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations @ The John F. Kennedy School of Government @ Harvard University, Former Deputy Secretary of State, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, Richard L. Armitage, Former Deputy Secretary of State, Michael J. Green, Advisor and Japan Chair @ The Center for Strategic and International Studies, Associate Professor @ The Walsh School of Foreign Service, Kurt M. Campbell, Assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs, CEO, Center for New American Security, Fellow @ CSIS, Frank Jannuzi, Hitachi International Affairs Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, Former Minority Staff on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, David Asher, Senior Fellow @ The Heritage Foundation, John J. Hamre, President and CEO of CSIS, James A. Kelly, Senior Adviser @ CSIS, Kevin Nealer, Senior Fellow @ The Forum for International Policy, Admiral Joseph W. Prueher, Former Ambassador to China, James J. Przystup, Senior Fellow @ The Institute for National Security Studies,  “The U.S.-Japan Alliance: Getting Asia Right through 2020,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, February 2007, http://csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs/070216_asia2020.pdf
As the United States considers the evolving structure of international relations in Asia in 2020
AND
of all of Asia, including China, thereby “getting Asia right.”
That’s key to maintain a peaceful Chinese rise – the alternative to integration is an aggressive, nationalist China
Nye et al., Former Deputy Secretary of State, ’07
Joseph S. Nye, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations @ The John F. Kennedy School of Government @ Harvard University, Former Deputy Secretary of State, Former Assistant Secretary of Defense, Richard L. Armitage, Former Deputy Secretary of State, Michael J. Green, Advisor and Japan Chair @ The Center for Strategic and International Studies, Associate Professor @ The Walsh School of Foreign Service, Kurt M. Campbell, Assistant secretary of state for East Asian affairs, CEO, Center for New American Security, Fellow @ CSIS, Frank Jannuzi, Hitachi International Affairs Fellow of the Council on Foreign Relations, Former Minority Staff on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, David Asher, Senior Fellow @ The Heritage Foundation, John J. Hamre, President and CEO of CSIS, James A. Kelly, Senior Adviser @ CSIS, Kevin Nealer, Senior Fellow @ The Forum for International Policy, Admiral Joseph W. Prueher, Former Ambassador to China, James J. Przystup, Senior Fellow @ The Institute for National Security Studies,  “The U.S.-Japan Alliance: Getting Asia Right through 2020,” Center for Strategic and International Studies, February 2007, http://csis.org/files/media/csis/pubs/070216_asia2020.pdf
A profound transformation has been unfolding in China, one that points to the possibility
AND
choices that lead it down a path of peaceful integration and benign competition.
And, that causes Chinese invasion of Taiwan
Copley News Service, ’05
Copley News Service, “Daily Editorials: Bombs and Butter,” July 24th 2005
As China gains economic clout, its government's brand of touchy, saber-rattling
AND
, resulting in a war between heavily armed countries that possess nuclear arsenals.
Major Powers will get involved – escalates globally
Hunkovic, IR Prof @ American Military University, ’09
Lee J. Hunkovic, Professor @ The American Military University, “The Chinese-Taiwanese Conflict¶ Possible Futures of a Confrontation between China, Taiwan and the United States of America,” 2009, http://www.lamp-method.org/eCommons/Hunkovic.pdf
A war between China, Taiwan and the United States has the potential to escalate
AND
outcome, therefore, other countries will not be considered in this study.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 3 | Opponent:  | Judge:
Plan
The United States Federal Government should remove Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety restrictions on nuclear energy production in areas also regulated by state governments in the United States.
Advantage 1
Contention One is the Nuclear Regulatory Commission:
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission is ensnared by the nuclear industry – it allows the operation of unsafe nuclear plants
Kaufmann, Senior Fellow in Global Economy and Development at Brookings, ’11
(Preventing Nuclear Meltdown: Assessing Regulatory Failure in Japan and the United States, www.brookings.edu/research/opinions/2011/04/01-nuclear-meltdown-kaufmann)
United States: While a degree of regulatory laxity plagues the NRC, it results
AND
of undue influence) and particularly from the weak enforcement of existing rules.
Aging reactors are a unique accident risk – the NRC is weakening or failing to enforce safety regulations in order to extend the life of existing reactors
Dunn, AP National Investigative Team, 11
(PART I: AP IMPACT: US nuke regulators weaken safety rules, www.ap.org/company/awards/part-i-aging-nukes)
Federal regulators have been working closely with the nuclear power industry to keep the nation's
AND
safety limits, regulators and reactor operators have loosened or bent the rules.
The release of toxic chemicals and radiation by these unsafe nuclear power plants represents a war against the population which will culminate in extinction
Busby 11
(Chris, Scientific Secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risk. He is visiting Professor at the University of Ulster and also Guest Researcher at the Julius Kuehn Institute of the German Federal Agricultural Institute in Braunschweig, Germany. He was a member of the UK Committee Examining Radiation Risk on Internal Emitters CERRIE and the UK MoD Depleted Uranium Oversight Board. He was Science and Policy Interface leader of the Policy Information network on Child Health and Environment based in the Netherlands. He was Science and Technology Speaker for the Green Party of England and Wales. He has conducted fundamental research on the health effects of internal radiation both at the theoretical and epidemiological level, including recently on the genotoxic effects of the element uranium, “Deconstructing Nuclear Experts”, March 28, 2011, http://www.counterpunch.org/2011/03/28/deconstructing-nuclear-experts/)
Now I turn to the health effects. Wade trots out most of the usual
AND
history, and the facts that they ignore. Mind the Gap indeed.
The consequences of a nuclear accident should be evaluated on par with nuclear warfare – fallout will be massive and global
Drell, Professor emeritus of theoretical physics at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory at Stanford University, Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution, Member of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and Science Advisory Committee, 12
(THE NUCLEAR ENTERPRISE High-Consequence Accidents: How to Enhance Safety and Minimize Risks in Nuclear Weapons and Reactors, pg. 1-3)
We live in dangerous times for many reasons. Prominent among them is the existence
AND
the public by providing information on how to respond to such an event.
Lax NRC enforcement promotes mass destruction of ocean ecosystems causing extinction
Gunter, Director of the Reactor Oversight Project at NIRS, ’01
(Licensed to Kill: How the nuclear power industry destroys endangered marine wildlife and ocean habitat to save money, www.nirs.org/reactorwatch/licensedtokill/LiscencedtoKill.pdf)
The NRC, the federal authority charged with enforcing compliance with take limits, mitigation
AND
only the creatures themselves but the ability of humans to prosper and survive.
Damage done by nuclear power plants overwhelms ocean adaptation
Gunter, Director of the Reactor Oversight Project at NIRS, 01
(Licensed to Kill: How the nuclear power industry destroys endangered marine wildlife and ocean habitat to save money, www.nirs.org/reactorwatch/licensedtokill/LiscencedtoKill.pdf)
Fish, fish larvae, and fish eggs are harmed and destroyed upon entering the
AND
this way, entire marine communities can lose their capacity to sustain themselves.
The NRC has stomped on the environmental justice movements by allowing the release of nuclear radiation on poor, colored communities
Gunter, International Specialist @ NIRS, ’05
[Linda Gunter, International Specialist, Media and Development Director, Nuclear Information and Resource Service, “Groups Condemn NRC Decision to Deny Racial Discrimination Appeal,” January 19th 2005, http://www.nirs.org/press/01-19-2005/1]
Just one day after the country celebrated the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King
AND
latest example of the agency's determination to promote nuclear profit over citizens' rights."
States are taking action to effectively regulate nuclear power but they are preempted by NRC restrictions
Garvey, Legislative Attorney, 11
(State Authority to Regulate Nuclear Power: Federal Preemption Under the Atomic Energy Act, https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=718958)
A number of states have recently sought to take action to assure that nuclear power
AND
falls within the field exclusively occupied by the NRC and is therefore preempted.
The aff solves preemption by eliminating an overlapping regulatory regime and demonstrating congressional intent
Garvey, Legislative Attorney, 11
(State Authority to Regulate Nuclear Power: Federal Preemption Under the Atomic Energy Act, https://www.hsdl.org/?view&did=718958)
A state law, however, need not be utterly incompatible with federal law in
AND
,” as any “inquiry into legislative motive is often an unsatisfactory venture.”
Decentralization is key to effective nuclear regulation – Reagan era NRC changes prove
Whitford, Assistant Professor of Polic Sci at Kansas, 02
(Decentralization and Political Control of the Bureaucracy, Journal of Theoretical Politics, 14(2): 167-193, jtp.sagepub.com/content/14/2/167.full.pdf+html)
Unequivocally, Regions with more nuclear operations produced more actions after decentralization. The NRC
AND
of bureaucrats to the task environment actually increased governmental activism by the NRC.
Advantage 2
Contention two is Nuclear Public Sphere
Unquestioned nuclear expertise maintains a shroud of secrecy over nuclear power and prevents public engagement with it – counter-expertise is critical to puncture this shield
Martin 86
(Brian, teaches in the interdisciplinary area of Science, technology, and society at the University of Wollongong in Australia, former president and International Director of Whistleblowers Australia, Science and Public Policy, volume 13, number 6, December 1986, pages 312-320)
Nuclear programmes throughout the world have been the creatures of states. The military is
AND
the nuclear state and nuclear scientists was being threatened.[12-13]
The NRC uses security threats to justify a veil of secrecy over US nuclear regulation – this process produces safety concerns and uses the threat of vulnerability to pre-empt and eliminate formation of a nuclear public sphere
Zeller, ’12
(Tom, Senior writer covering a variety of topics, including poverty, energy policy and the environment for Huffington Post, “Nuclear Power Whistleblowers Charge Federal Regulators With Favoring Secrecy Over Safety”, 12/4/12, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/nuclear-power-whistleblowers_n_2232108.html)
Richard H. Perkins and Larry Criscione are precise and formal men with more than
AND
take measures to address it and not merely withhold it from public discussion."
NRC secrecy makes accidents a statistical certainty – cover-ups of safety concerns are driven by the nuclear industry’s control over regulators, only public oversight and involvement can repoliticize the relationship between nuclear regulators and businesses
Zeller 12
(Tom, senior writer covering a variety of topics, including poverty, energy policy and the environment for Huffington Post, “Nuclear Power Whistleblowers Charge Federal Regulators With Favoring Secrecy Over Safety”, 12/4/12, http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/12/04/nuclear-power-whistleblowers_n_2232108.html)
The document also cited analyses by Duke Energy, owner of the Oconee Nuclear Station
AND
for nuclear operators, after all. We work for the American people."
The NRC’s choice to privilege secrecy over safety powers a violent national security state that crushes the public sphere – it’s the root cause of the war on terror and mobilization of foreign policy threats
Masco ‘7
(Joseph, Department of Anthropology The University of Chicago, “The Nuclear Public Sphere”, Ethnografeast III: Ethnography and the Public Sphere Lisbon, Portugal June 20-23, 2007)
The power of the secret in contemporary American society is difficult to overestimate. Currently
AND
, revealing aspects of its essential form in a highly distorted public sphere.
Nuclear secrecy and suppression produce group-think – only counter-expertise can foster public discussion and create linkages between movements
Martin, ’86
(Brian, Teaches in the interdisciplinary area of Science, technology, and society at the University of Wollongong in Australia, former president and International Director of Whistleblowers Australia, Science and Public Policy, volume 13, number 6, December 1986, pages 312-320]
The key 'crime' of those who are victimised is not having critical ideas or doing
AND
injustice to individuals but also to maintain public discussion of critical social issues.
Failure of the nuclear public sphere causes extinction – the nuclear industry has created a monopoly on expertise that allows for secret and unchallenged expansion of the nuclear complex – only puncturing this veil can produce responsible use of nuclear technology
Beljac ‘8
(Marko has a PhD from Monash University, “Mission Statement”, http://scisec.net/?page_id=5)
But it cannot be stated that the mere existence of a faculty of scientific cognition
AND
of science would also remove the public subsidy that undergirds the Pentagon system.
The affirmative acts as a whistleblower of corrupt regulatory practices – only speaking up about the NRC’s harmful practice can place changing nuclear regulatory policy on the public agenda
Bernstein & Jasper 96
(Mary, PhD candidate at New York University, James, interested primarily in the moral, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of political action, recent publications: to the works mentioned in the references, we add The Art of Moral Protest: The Cultural Dimensions of Social Movements, “Interests and credibility: whistleblowers in technological conflicts”, Social Science Information 1996)
No one illustrates the tension between credibility and interests better than the "whistleblower"
AND
, to those who blow the whistle against other types of organizational transgression.
Publicizing whistleblowing catalyzes movements – must obtain information and disseminate it to create effective publics
Martin 7
(Brian, teaches in the interdisciplinary area of Science, technology, and society at the University of Wollongong in Australia, former president and International Director of Whistleblowers Australia, “Energising dissent”, D!ssent, No. 24, Spring 2007, pp. 62-64, http://www.bmartin.cc/pubs/07dissent.html)
Revealing what is happening is essential, enabling as many people as possible to be
AND
editors. Journalists are also restrained by lack of resources for investigative work.
Only specific strategies of whistleblowing can be successful
Johnson, Professor of Politics at U San Francisco, 02
(Whistleblowing: When It Works And Why, pg. 71)
These cases also demonstrate how issue characteristics can affect a whistleblower's chances of success.
AND
time. Their goals were also consistent with the missions of their agencies.
The state is an assemblage, not a monolithic institution – our 1AC is a specific analysis of nuclear regulatory institutions, and the effects and impacts they produce – this type of empirical experimentation is comparatively better than outright denunciation and allows institutions to be reversed against themselves to avert public safety disasters
Ferguson, ’11
(James, Stanford University, USA; University of Cape Town, South Africa and University of Stellenbosch, South Africa, “Toward a left art of government: from ‘Foucauldian critique’ to Foucauldian politics”, History of the Human Sciences, 2011)
This leaves us with a politics that requires more of us than simply denouncing neo
AND
come to take for granted is being redrawn, even as we speak.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 3 | Opponent:  | Judge:
3) Counter Interpretation –
a) Restrictions include limiting conditions
Plummer 29 J., Court Justice, MAX ZLOZOWER, Respondent, v. SAM LINDENBAUM et al., Appellants Civ. No. 3724COURT OF APPEAL OF CALIFORNIA, THIRD APPELLATE DISTRICT100 Cal. App. 766; 281 P. 102; 1929 Cal. App. LEXIS 404September 26, 1929, Decided, lexis
The word "restriction," when used in connection with the grant of interest in
AND
a particular event, or the performance or nonperformance of a particular act.
b. That limitation has to be legally imposed – includes regulation
Gerald N. Hill and Kathleen T. Hill – 2005, the Free Dictionary, http://legal-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/Restrictions
restriction n. any limitation on activity, by statute, regulation or contract provision. In multi-unit real estate developments, condominium and cooperative housing projects, managed by homeowners' associations or similar organizations are usually required by state law to impose restrictions on use. Thus, the restrictions are part of the "covenants, conditions and restrictions," intended to enhance the use of common facilities and property, recorded and incorporated into the title of each owner.
Examples: 1) safety-related siting restrictions and 2) restrictions on pollution from nuclear power production
Sheldon L. Trubatch - Managing Member, The Regulatory Strategy Group, L.L.C.; Adjunct Professor, University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law – 10/4/12, How, Why, and When the U.S. Supreme Court Supports Nuclear Power, http://www.ajelp.com/articles/how-why-and-when-the-u-s-supreme-court-supports-nuclear-power/
In Northern Indiana Public Service Co. v. Porter County Chapter of Izaak Walton
AND
the state regulated radioactive effluents, and focused instead on federal preemption law.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 3 | Opponent:  | Judge:
2AC Threats
Preventatively addressing everyday inequality produced by specific institutions is crucial – the alternative is a disaster politics that leaves the underprivileged without resources to address nuclear safety crises – only exposing industrial-regulatory everyday violence can mobilize environmental justice
Nixon ‘11
(Rob, Rachel Carson Professor of English, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Slow Violence and the Environmentalism of the Poor, pgs. 40-42)
Reflecting on Hurricane Katrina, Michael Eric Dyson writes memorably of "the color of
AND
ostensibly uncovering what happened while deferring and occluding any decisive, actionable narrative.
Only fostering a future-oriented approach within students solves social inequality and avoids a violent, reactive approach towards conflicts
Kurasawa‘4,
(Fuyuki, Assistant Prof. of Sociology @ York University, Cautionary Tales, Constellations Vol. 11, No. 4, Blackwell Synergy)
In the previous section, I described how the capacity to produce, disseminate,
AND
the basis of which civic associations can enact the work of preventive foresight.
Alt Solvency
Individual opposition to the NRC will fail – must change governmental policies to solve global environmental health problems
Dauvergne – Chair in Environmental Politics, U British Columbia – 8
(Peter, Professor of Political Science, Canada Research Chair in Global Environmental Politics, and Director of the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the University of British Columbia, The Shadows of Consumption:
Consequences for the Global Environment, pgs. 16-17)
Of course, to some extent every consumer is responsible, although not all share
AND
will make clear, are already too great not to take immediate action.
AT: Expertism K/Perm
Skepticism of expert decision-making is justified, but not a reason to reject the aff. Both expert and lay judgment are necessary to resolve environmental action – their criticism goes too far
Barry 99 - Lecturer of Politics
John, Politics Lecturer at Keele University, RETHINKING GREEN POLITICS: NATURE, VIRTUE, AND PROGRESS, p. 195-6
To adequately address the technological and scientific roots of the ecological crisis demands that democratic
AND
, likewise can be advanced for the green critique of science and technology.
2AC FW
Absent these questions shifts in knowledge production are useless – governments’ obey institutional logics that exist independently of individuals =
Wight – Professor of IR @ University of Sydney – 6
(Colin, Agents, Structures and International Relations: Politics as Ontology, pgs. 48-50
One important aspect of this relational ontology is that these relations constitute our identity as
AND
upon it, upon its specific characteristics, its constants and its variables’.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 3 | Opponent:  | Judge:
AT: Dark Eco
They’re wrong
Bennett 12
(Jane, Prof. of Political Science @ Johns Hopkins, “Systems and Things: A Response to
Graham Harman and Timothy Morton”, New Literary History, 2012, 43: 225–233)
But perhaps there is no need to choose between objects or their relations. Since
AND
culture still needs reminding of the fragile, fractious connectedness of earthly bodies.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Iowa DH | Judge:
Same as 1AC: NDT

Safety and Japan advantage

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Iowa DH | Judge: 

2AC Pan K

Alternative can’t solve
Wight – Professor of IR @ University of Sydney – 6
(Colin, Agents, Structures and International Relations: Politics as Ontology, pgs. 48-50
One important aspect of this relational ontology is that these relations constitute our identity as
AND
upon it, upon its specific characteristics, its constants and its variables’.
The aff’s opposition to nuclear secrecy fosters public discussion and creates linkages between movements
Martin, ’86
~Brian, Teaches in the interdisciplinary area of Science, technology, and society at the University of Wollongong in Australia, former president and International Director of Whistleblowers Australia, Science and Public Policy, volume 13, number 6, December 1986, pages 312-320~
The key ’crime’ of those who are victimised is not having critical ideas or doing
AND
injustice to individuals but also to maintain public discussion of critical social issues.

Mutual US-China threat construction is an institutional reality that drives arms races and the security dilemma – only engaging this reality as if it existed with specific policy solutions can avoid conflict

Gries 7
(Peter Hayes, Harold J. %26 Ruth Newman Chair in U.S.-China Issues and Director of the Institute for U.S.- China Issues at the University of Oklahoma, "Harmony, Hegemony %26 U.S.-China Relations", World Literature Today, July 2007 issue)
Furthermore, the new Chinese Occidentalism depicts Americans as an aggressive, militaristic, and
AND
discourses of difference and threat that undermine U.S.-China relations.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Iowa DH | Judge: 

2AC Courts CP

Doesn’t solve preemption – Congress key

Garvey, Legislative Attorney, 11
(State Authority to Regulate Nuclear Power: Federal Preemption Under the Atomic Energy Act, https://www.hsdl.org/?view%26did=718958)
Although preemption is a constitutional principle arising from the Supremacy Clause, the extent to
AND
AEA accordingly. Preemption is, at its core, controlled by Congress.

Congress will circumvent Court preemption decisions even if they agree

Buzbee, Professor of Law at Emory, 09 
(Congress’s Authority to Correct the Courts’ Preemption Decisions, www.progressivereform.org/articles/CPR_Cong_Power_Preemption_905.pdf)
Federal courts’ preemption decisions crystallize the difficult policy implications of Congress’s preemption choices and provide
AND
, it may decide that it wishes to change the law’s preemptive effect.

5) This congress is particularly reactive to court intrusion – Roberts won’t let the court fight back

Pelosi, House Rep, 12 
(4/19, Respecting the Constitution and the role of the Supreme Court, articles.chicagotribune.com/2012-04-19/news/ct-perspec-0419-pelosi-20120419_1_judicial-review-federal-courts-supreme-court)
Indeed, for all of their professed adherence to the Constitution, it is striking
AND
an independent judiciary… just does not bear out actually in the Constitution."

6) Judicial restraint now - court negation of the actions of other federal branches obliterates legitimacy

Collett, Law Prof at St. Thomas, 10
(Winter, Judicial Independence and Accountability in an Age of Unconstitutional Constitutional Amendments, 41 Loy. U. Chi. L.J. 327)
It is axiomatic to the American political order that the legislature makes the laws,
AND
will come to share conservatives’ long-held discontent with expansive judicial review.

6) Judicial legitimacy is key to prevent terrorism

Shapiro Associate Director Brookings 03 
(Jeremy, March, Brookings, "French Lessons: The Importance of the Judicial System in Fighting Terrorism http:// www.brookings.edu/fp/cusf/analysis/shapiro20030325.htm)
The unique nature of terrorism means that maintaining the appearance of justice and democratic legitimacy
AND
of terrorism without sacrificing the very values they so desperately desire to protect.

7) Escalates to nuclear war

Speice, ’06
~Patrick F. Speice, Jr., JD Candidate at The College of William and Mary, "NEGLIGENCE AND NUCLEAR NONPROLIFERATION: ELIMINATING THE CURRENT LIABILITY BARRIER TO BILATERAL U.S.-RUSSIAN NONPROLIFERATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAMS," William %26 Mary Law Review, February 2006, 47 Wm and Mary L. Rev. 1427~
Accordingly, there is a significant and ever-present risk that terrorists could acquire
AND
number of casualties and potentially triggering a full-scale nuclear conflict. 50 

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Iowa DH | Judge: 

2AC Immigration DA

*Impact Defense*

Lack of measuring stick for border security will prevent reform

McLaughlin, 3/27 (Seth, 3/27/2013, Washington Times, "Napolitano says border is secure but lacks proof; No clear measure could scuttle immigration talks," Factiva))
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano said Tuesday that the border is
AND
the American people trust could scuttle the efforts of reform that we need."
Capital is irrelevant to immigration
Parnes %26 Sink, 3/20 (Amie Parnes and Justin Sink, 3/20/2013, "Obama honeymoon may be over," http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/289179-obama-honeymoon-may-be-over-http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/289179-obama-honeymoon-may-be-over))
 "The president set out an ambitious agenda and he’s doing big things that
AND
, he’s still more likeable than the Republicans are on their best day."
Their link is a link turn – nuclear opponents want regulatory authority transferred from the federal government to the states
Barker, Environmental reporter for the Idaho Statesman, 11
(States rights versus nuclear power in Idaho, voices.idahostatesman.com/2011/01/19/rockybarker/states_rights_versus_nuclear_power_idaho
The clash of values over the role of government in American life is turned on
AND
will be pushing for the state’s rights to control its own nuclear destiny.
No political capital expenditure – the GOP doesn’t care
Hopf, Senior Nuclear Engineer and member of the ANS Public Information Committee, 12
(9/18, The party platforms on energy–and nuclear, ansnuclearcafe.org/2012/09/18/the-party-platforms-on-energy-and-nuclear/
While the Republicans have generally had kinder words for nuclear than the Democrats, it’s
AND
, without any fanfare or political resistance (even from the industry itself).
Republicans will love the plan – they are waging war on federal agency regulation
The Hill 3/22
(13, Dozens of Amendments Demonstrate GOP ire over regulations, thehill.com/blogs/regwatch/pending-regs/289925-dozens-of-amendments-demonstrate-gop-ire-over-regulations
Senate Republicans filed more than 30 budget amendments attacking federal regulations in a legislative burst
AND
from regulating soda sizes and implement new restrictions on agencies on several fronts.

Obama’s political capital is depleted now – only a win can reverse the tide

Parnes and Sink, 3/20 (Amie Parnes and Justin Sink, 3/20/2013, "Obama honeymoon may be over," http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/289179-obama-honeymoon-may-be-over-http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/289179-obama-honeymoon-may-be-over)
The second-term honeymoon for President Obama is beginning to look like it is
AND
Still, Bonjean added, "It’s not looking so good right now."

Infrastructure push makes 2AC link inevitable

Lederman, 3/30 (Josh, 3/30/2013, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "OBAMA PITCHES PUBLIC WORKS SPENDING TO CREATE MORE JOBS," Factiva))
MIAMI — Trying to show that the economy remains a top priority, President Barack
AND
in the budget Mr. Obama is scheduled to release on April 10.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Iowa DH | Judge: 

Politics

UQ

GOP won’t really cooperate – they are still committed to an enforcement first focus

Jones, 3/24 (Mike, Associate Editor, 3/24/2013, Tulsa World, "What is secure? ; Don’t fall for double-talk in immigration reform," Factiva))
It’s too soon to get too optimistic, but it looks as if the Republicans
AND
-talk and be sincere And what’s your definition of "secure?"

1AR PC Not Key

Obama’s capital is not enough to ensure passage

Soto, 1/4 —- Senior Analyst for Latino Decisions and Fellow at the Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, at Austin (Dr. Victoria M. DeFrancesco Soto, 1/4/2013, "Opinion: Immigration reform will not be easy, but it’s not impossible," http://nbclatino.com/2013/01/04/opinion-immigration-reform-will-not-be-easy-but-its-not-impossible/-http://nbclatino.com/2013/01/04/opinion-immigration-reform-will-not-be-easy-but-its-not-impossible/)
Sure there’s the drama of the fiscal cliff, but that issue has become more
AND
of the electorate. However, those voices are few and far between.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Iowa DH | Judge: 

Politics

UQ

GOP won’t really cooperate – they are still committed to an enforcement first focus

Jones, 3/24 (Mike, Associate Editor, 3/24/2013, Tulsa World, "What is secure? ; Don’t fall for double-talk in immigration reform," Factiva))
It’s too soon to get too optimistic, but it looks as if the Republicans
AND
-talk and be sincere And what’s your definition of "secure?"

1AR PC Not Key

Obama’s capital is not enough to ensure passage

Soto, 1/4 —- Senior Analyst for Latino Decisions and Fellow at the Center for Politics and Governance at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas, at Austin (Dr. Victoria M. DeFrancesco Soto, 1/4/2013, "Opinion: Immigration reform will not be easy, but it’s not impossible," http://nbclatino.com/2013/01/04/opinion-immigration-reform-will-not-be-easy-but-its-not-impossible/-http://nbclatino.com/2013/01/04/opinion-immigration-reform-will-not-be-easy-but-its-not-impossible/)
Sure there’s the drama of the fiscal cliff, but that issue has become more
AND
of the electorate. However, those voices are few and far between.

Tournament: NDT | Round: 6 | Opponent: Iowa DH | Judge: 

Courts

2AC Buzbee evidence indicates that preemption decisions are statutory interpretation – that ensures congressional reversal

Slocum, Assistant Professor of Law at Florida Coastal School of Law, 07
34 Fla. St. U.L. Rev. 363
Another reason
AND
that ultimately resulted in both preserved rights for aliens and more precise legislation.

1AC: NRC SMR Aff, Environmental Leadership Adv, Natural Gas Adv
1NC: DaDa K, Nietzche K, Immigration DA
2AC Tricks: Coal Add-on/Transition DA
2NR: Nietzche

1AC: NRC SMR Aff, Environmental Leadership, Natural Gas
1NC: Kyoto CP, T-Restriction, Immigration, Nuke K, NG DA (Case)
2AC-Tricks: Coal Add-on, Chem Industry Add-on
2NR: T-Restriction

1AC: NRC Regs SMR, Environmental Leadership, Natural Gas Advantages
1NC: Nuclear Expertism K, Environment K and Heg Bad on case
2AC-Tricks: Coal Add-On
2NR: K and Case

1AC: NRC Regs SMR, Environmental Leadership (K-Version)
1NC: Action K, Case
2AC-Tricks: None
2NR: Action K, Case

The United States Federal Government should remove Nuclear Regulatory Commission safety restrictions on nuclear energy production in areas also regulated by state governments in the United States.

Advantage 1: Accidents
Advantage 2: Japan Alliance