Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge: 

Economy

Advantage 1

The economy is weak—it’s the slowest recovery from any recession in history—we must act now or it will collapse

Glassman, 7/31

(James K, founding executive director of the George W. Bush Institute, host and moderater of “Ideas in Action,” a weekly television series on public policy issues, ex-president of the Atlantic Monthly magazine, publisher of the New Republic magazine, executive vice president of U.S. News and World Report, and editor and co-owner of Roll Call, the Congressional newspaper, graduated from Harvard (where I was managing editor of The Crimson), Under Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs under President George W. Bush, and before that, as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, written three books on investing, and my articles on finance, economics, and foreign policy have appeared in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Kiplinger’s Personal Finance, Forbes, among others and currently sits on the Investor Advisory Committee of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, "Let's Be Clear, The U.S. Economy Is Just Awful", 7/31, http://www.forbes.com/sites/jamesglassman/2012/07/31/lets-be-clear-the-u-s-economy-is-just-awful/) NL

This is the worst recovery from a…a practical goal.

Nuclear Energy Solves—

A) Jobs-- New Nuclear Power Plants Create up to 500,000 jobs

Weaver, 09

(Lynn Edward, Lynn Edward Weaver is President Emeritus of Florida Institute of Technology, http://www.theledger.com/article/20090128/COLUMNISTS/901280304?p=2andtc=pg)

Is there any doubt that…our energy needs.

Job growth key to the economy
AP 11

(AP, 9-2, 11, http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Employers-add-no-net-jobs-in-apf-4252098583.html?x=0andsec=topStoriesandpos=mainandasset=andccode= DOA: 9/2/11)

Analysts say the …"Something has to give."

B) Cost stability—nuclear prices don’t fluctuate greatly and is reliable

Whitman, 07

(Christine Todd, former governor of New Jersey, was administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency from 2001 to 2003, “The Case in Favor of Nuclear Power”, 9/12, http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20730356) NL

Enter nuclear energy…operating today were licensed.

Low, stable prices are key to the economy

EEI, 08

(Edison Electric Institute, “Electricity and the U.S. Economy”; http://www.getenergyactive.org/value/economy.htm)

The U.S. economy is …stable price of electricity.

Economic decline leads to miscalc and war

Royal, 10

Royal, Director of cooperative threat reduction, ‘10

[Jedediah, Director of Cooperative Threat Reduction – U.S. Department of Defense, “Economic Integration, Economic Signaling and the Problem of Economic Crises”, Economics of War and Peace: Economic, Legal and Political Perspectives, Ed. Goldsmith and Brauer, p. 213-215]

Less intuitive is how periods…deserves more attention.

Nuclear Leadership

Advantage 2

Russia, China, and India are massively developing their commercial nuclear infrastructures—absent the plan, US capabilities will be surpassed and we’ll no longer be seen as the nuclear leader

Wallace and Williams, 4/12

(Michael, Michael Wallace comes to CSIS from Constellation Energy, where he served as vice chairman and COO. During his nine years at Constellation Energy, he led many company business activities, including the formation and operation of two joint ventures with EDF related to nuclear energy. Prior to joining Constellation Energy, he was cofounder and managing director of Barrington Energy Partners, LLC, a strategic consulting firm specializing in energy industry transactions and advisory services. Before joining Barrington Energy, he had more than 25 years of senior executive and utility operations experience. He holds a B.S. in electrical engineering from Marquette University and an M.B.A. from the University of Chicago, with a specialization in finance. He also served as a naval officer in the U.S. Navy nuclear submarine force. Mr. Wallace is a member of the National Infrastructure Advisory Council (NIAC), which advises the president on matters related to homeland security. He is also a member of the Nuclear Sector Coordinating Council under the Department of Homeland Security’s National Infrastructure Protection Plan and a member of Business Executives for National Security (BENS), the Naval Historical Foundation Advisory Council, and the Marquette University College of Engineering National Advisory Council; Sarah, April 17, 2012; http://csis.org/publication/nuclear-energy-america-preventing-its-early-demise)

Meanwhile, China, India, Russia… action to prevent its early demise.

Two scenarios--

Scenario 1 is Nuclear Weapons:

Massive shortage of nuclear weapons workers now—guarantees that we can’t maintain our nuclear deterrent

Heritage 6/6

(Chris Gardner is a former writer for the Homeland Security NewsWire and freelance writer based in Washington, D.C. He is currently on staff at The Heritage Foundation.; June 6, 2012, http://jacecar.com/2012/06/deterioration-of-nuclear-infrastructure-undermines-u-s-security/)

Speaking to the Council…a plan that closes.”

The plan spurs the civilian nuclear industry—that draws in people to nuclear jobs

NYT, 10

(Steve Lohr, New York Times, “the New Jobs in Atomic Energy”, April 21, 2010; http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/22/business/energy-environment/22TECH.html?pagewanted=all)

In the Bay City area of South Texas…the Nuclear Energy Institute.

Civil and military nuclear jobs are interchangeable

Royal Society, 11

(The Royal Society, “Fuel cycle stewardship in a nuclear renaissance’; October 2011; “2http://royalsociety.org/uploadedFiles/Royal_Society_Content/policy/projects/nuclear-non-proliferation/FuelCycleStewardshipNuclearRenaissance.pdf)

Anticipation of a nuclear …nuclear disarmament (FCO 2009).

Our nuclear deterrent prevents nuclear war—regional tensions escalate and people are significantly more trigger happy

Robinson, 01

Robinson, director of the Sandia National Laboratories, 2001 (Paul, “A White Paper: Pursuing a Nuclear Weapons Policy for the 21^st Century”, http://www.mindfully.org/Nucs/Nuclear-Weapons-Policy-21stC.htm)

Additionally, throughout the Cold War…peaceful world.

Scenario 2 is China:

Asia is increasing and modernizing nuclear now – China is a huge player

Abdullah, Bernama – Malaysian national news agency, 20/12

Tengku Noor Shamisiah Tengku Abdullah, “Asian Nuclear Industry Showing Major Signs of Growth, http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v6/newsbusiness.php?id=696129, accessed 2/20/12, EGM)

SINGAPORE, Sept 20 (Gernama)…nuclear power community. -- BERNAMA

Absent the plan, China will surpass the US as the hegemon in Asia

Cullinane, 11

(Scott, graduate student at the Institute of World Politics in Washington, D.C, “America Falling Behind: The Strategic Dimensions of Chinese Commercial Nuclear Energy “, September 28, http://www.ensec.org/index.php?view=articleandcatid=118%3Acontentandid=319%3Aamerica-falling-behind-the-strategic-dimensions-of-chinese-commercial-nuclear-energyandtmpl=componentandprint=1andpage=andoption=com_contentandItemid=376) NL

The American nuclear…nuclear energy trade.

US regional influence is key to East Asian stability and preventing Japanese militarization, Indo-Pak nuclear war, and Taiwan nuclear war

Goh, 08

Lecturer in International Relations in the Department of Politics and International Relations at the Univ of Oxford (Evelyn, International Relations of the Asia-Pacific, “Hierarchy and the role of the United States in the East Asian security order,” 2008 8(3):353-377, Oxford Journals Database, _) NL

The centrality of these mutual processes…would appear to be much worse.

Japanese militarization causes an Asian arms race

Richardson, 06

Richardson Presidential Management Fellow DOD ‘6 (Corey-, Sept. 9, “South Korea must choose sides”, http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Korea/HI09Dg02.html)

Japan must then consider its options in countering an openly nuclear, reunified Korea without USFK. Already building momentum …crucial point in the future.

That’s the most likely scenario for a nuclear war

Cimbala, 08

(Stephen J.-, March, Comparative Strategy, “Anticipatory Attacks: Nuclear Crisis Stability in Future Asia”, Vol. 27 #2, Informaworld)

The spread of nuclear weapons…of major interstate warfare.

Plantext

Plan: The United States Federal Government should substantially increase the available funding for the nuclear loan guarantee program.

Solvency

Contention 2 is solvency

Nuclear energy is cheap, safe, reliable, and has very little environmental impact

Learsy, 05

(Learsy, commodities trader and member of the Wilson Council at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, 2005 Raymond J., “Over a Barrel: Breaking the Middle East Oil Cartel” pg. 229-230)

Technology is rapidly advancing…security of nuclear power generation.

Loan guarantees spur the development of nuclear power—

A) They lower interest rates and startup costs

Byron et al, 07

(Barbara Bryon, senior nuclear policy advisor at the Energy Commission, Lorraine White, program manager, and B. B. Blevins, Executive Director, “Nuclear Power in California: 2007 Status Report”, October, pdf) NL
Loan Guarantee Program Title XVII…turn to yellow to red” (Energy Commission 2007f, p.281).

B) They lower the average cost of running the plant

NEI, 09

(The Nuclear Energy Initiative, “Policies that Support New Nuclear Power Plant Development”, October 2009, pdf) NL

Loan Guarantee Program To support …reducing emissions.

The only problem now with the program is the lack of money—the plan ensures that loan guarantees are sufficient

Ben-Moshe et al, 09

(Sony Ben-Moshe, Finance Department of the San Diego office of Latham and Watkins, an alternative energy consultant firm, Jason J Crowell, research associate, Kelley Michael Gale, Finance Department Chair of Latham and Watkins‘ San Diego office and serves as global Co-Chair for the firm‘s Climate Change and Cleantech Practice Groups, Breton A. Peace, PHd from the University of Michigan, Brett P Rosenblatt, Managing Partner of the San Diego office and ex-head of the San Diego office's Finance Department, and Kelly D. Thomason, attorney in the Project Finance Practice Group in the San Diego office of Latham and Watkins LLP, “Financing The Nuclear Renaissance: The Benefits and Potential Pitfalls of Federal and State Government Subsidies and The Future of Nuclear Power in California”, In the Energy Law Journal, Volume 30 Number 2, 2009, pdf) NL

The size of the loan guarantee…who do not receive loan guarantees.106