Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge: 

Plan: The United States Federal Government should offer production cost incentives to utilities constructing small modular nuclear reactors.

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge:
Cyber-attack against U.S is inevitable, it could happen any day

Orr, CBS News, 8-1

(Bob, Justice and Homeland Security correspondent for CBS News, “Senate bill looks to tighten cyber defenses”, August 1, 2012, http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-18563_162-57484878/senate-bill-looks-to-tighten-cyber-defenses/,accessed 8-30-12, vc)

The Senate debated a bill on  . . . . physical implication."

Cyber Attacks destroy electric grid

Robitaille, program manager for UXO technology demonstration with the U.S. Army Environmental Center, 12

(George E., "Small Modular Reactors: The Army's Secure Source Of Energy?,"  U.S. Army war College, Carlisle Barracks, PA, Strategy Research Project, 03-20-12, http://www.dtic.mil/cgi-bin/GetTRDoc?AD=ADA561802, date accessed 08-22-11, hgh)

Cyber Attacks. The civilian grid . . . . fired power plants on the environment.

SMR’s solve the impact – any failure will be localized

Andres and Breetz, National Security Strategy Professor, MIT Doctoral Candidate, 11

(Richard and Hanna, Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College and a Senior Fellow and Energy and Environmental Security and Policy Chair in the Center for Strategic Research, Institute for National Strategic Studies, at the National Defense University; Breetz is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Political Science at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “Small nuclear reactors for military installations: capabilities, costs, and technological implications,” National Defense University, 2-1-11, http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Small+nuclear+reactors+for+military+installations%3A+capabilities,...-a0291503414, accessed 9-6-12, hgh)

Unlike other alternative sources of  . . . .hundreds or thousands of U.S. lives. 

We isolate two scenarios:

1. Economy

Infrastructure attack collapses economy

Engleman and Strohm, Bloomberg News reporters, 12

(Eric and Chris, "Cybersecurity Disaster Seen in U.S. Survey Citing Spending Gaps," Bloomberg News, 1-31-12, http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-01-31/cybersecurity-disaster-seen-in-u-s-survey-citing-spending-gaps.html, accessed 2-26-12, mtf)

Companies including utilities, banks and phone  . . . . . put people into the Dark Ages.”

Economic collapse causes nuclear war

Friedberg and Schoenfeld, 2008

(Aaron and gabriel professor of politics and international relations at Princeton University and visiting scholar at the Witherspoon Institute, “The Dangers of a Diminished America”, Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122455074012352571.html)

Pressures to cut defense spending, and  . . . . . internal travails with external adventures.

2. Hegemony

Weak infrastructure leaves DoD vulnerable to attack

Merica, CNN production assistant, 12

(Dan, Rotating Editor and Writer at The American Observer

Intern; Executive Producer of Intern Edition at National Public Radio “DoD official: Vulnerability of U.S. electrical grid is a dire concern,” CNN, 07-27-12, http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2012/07/27/dod-official-vulnerability-of-u-s-electrical-grid-is-a-dire-concern/, accessed 08-30-12, hgh)

Speaking candidly at the Aspen Security Forum . . . . .  life saving and life sustaining capabilities.

DoD goes offline with grid collapse

Andres and Breetz, National Security Strategy Professor, MIT Doctoral Candidate, 11

(Richard and Hanna, Professor of National Security Strategy at the National War College and a Senior Fellow and Energy and Environmental Security and Policy Chair in the Center for Strategic Research, Institute for National Strategic Studies, at the National Defense University; Breetz is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Political Science at The Massachusetts Institute of Technology, “Small nuclear reactors for military installations: capabilities, costs, and technological implications,” National Defense University, 2-1-11, http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Small+nuclear+reactors+for+military+installations%3A+capabilities,...-a0291503414, accessed 9-6-12, hgh)

In recent years, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) has  . . . . ., most bases would not be able to function for more than a few days after the civilian grid went offline. 

US military readiness is key to sustainable hegemony

Gray, professor of International Relations and Strategic Studies at the University of Reading, 2004

(Colin, “The Sheriff: America's Defense of the New World Order”, pg 91-92, ldg)

Fourth, it should go without saying that America’s performance  . . . .  what it terms “effects-based warfare.”

Tel: +974-44663454

U.S. hegemonic decline causes global great-power war, collapses trade and spreads economic nationalism and protectionism

Zhang et al., Carnegie Endowment researcher, 2011

(Yuhan, “America’s decline: A harbinger of conflict and rivalry”, 1-22, http://www.eastasiaforum.org/2011/01/22/americas-decline-a-harbinger-of-conflict-and-rivalry/, DOA: 9-21-11, ldg)

This does not necessarily mean that the US  . . . . in a future that will inevitably be devoid of unrivalled US primacy.

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge: 

Scenario 1: Tech Leadership

US leadership down now – 2020 US won’t be a world leader

Research!America, 12

(“More Than Half of American Doubt U.S. Global Leadership in 2020, Reports Research!America,” Research!America, 3-14-12, http://www.globenewswire.com/newsroom/news.html?d=249154, accessed 8-31-12, hgh)

WASHINGTON, March 14, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- More than half of likely voters doubt that the  . . . . math education will have an impact on the future of the United States.

Nuclear power is inevitable; it’s only a question of US competitive leadership – SMR development solves

Rogers, co-chair of the National Action Plan for Energy Efficiency, 12

(James E., Chairman, President, and CEO of Duke Energy, chairman of the Edison Foundation, board member and vice chairman of the Executive Committee of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development , “The Nuclear Renaissance” Opportunity: Lost, or Found?”, Stanford Energy Journal, Spring 2012, 6/3/12, atl)

You might expect me to be gun-shy about new  . . . . framework to support this, I believe, is the best way to do it.

Other Countries striving for a Nuclear Renaissance – China taking the lead

Domenici and Miller, BPC Senior Fellow and Former Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 12

(Senator Pete and Dr. Warren F., "Leadership in Global," July 2012, Energy and Infrastructure Program," http://bipartisanpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Leadership%20in%20Nuclear%20Energy%20Markets.pdf, date accessed 8-23-12, hgh)

Internationally, the outlook is quite different:  . . . .  21  Thus, global growth in nuclear energy is still expected to be positive overall.

Other countries model the US in nuclear policy – we have expertise and gold standard of regulations

Miller, et al., Texas AandM Professor, 12

(Dr. Warren F., Research Professor at Texas A and M University, served as assistant secretary for nuclear energy at the U.S. Department of Energy, PhD in Engineering Sciences from Northwestern University, and Pete Domenici, US Senator,  “Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Global Nuclear Energy Markets,” July 2012, http://bipartisanpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Leadership%20in%20Nuclear%20Energy%20Markets.pdf, accessed 8-11-12, ara)

Nuclear power already plays  . . . . .  the nonproliferation aspects of international fuel-cycle issues.

Leadership in nuke tech key to competitiveness, safety, and non-prolif

Domenici and Miller, BPC Senior Fellow and Former Assistant Secretary for Nuclear Energy, U.S. Department of Energy, 12

(Senator Pete and Dr. Warren F., "Leadership in Global," July 2012, Energy and Infrastructure Program," http://bipartisanpolicy.org/sites/default/files/Leadership%20in%20Nuclear%20Energy%20Markets.pdf, d/a 8-15-12, ZML)

Strategic Goal: Ensuring a strong U.S. nuclear energy  . . . .  the civil nuclear industry strong at home and competitive in future international markets.

Proliferation leads to accidents, miscalc and nuclear war

Evans and Kawaguchi et al, ICNND co-chairs, November 2009

[Gareth, University of Melbourne Honorary Professorial Fellow, International Crisis Group president emeritus, former Australian Attorney-General, Minister for Resources and Energy, and Foreign Minister ,and Yoriko, Member of the House of Councillors (Japan) for the Liberal Democratic Party since 2005, Special Adviser to the Prime Minister of Japan, responsible for foreign affairs, from 2004 to 2005, "Eliminating Nuclear Threats: A Practical Agenda for Global Policymakers," International Commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament, http://www.icnnd.org/reference/reports/ent/pdf/ICNND_Report-EliminatingNuclearThreats.pdf, accessed 12-25-9, mss]

Ensuring that no new states join the ranks of those already  . . . .  nuclear power centres divided by multiple and cross-cutting sources of conflict.

Nuclear war causes extinction-most recent studies prove

Denver Post 2007 (“US Approach to Nukes Misguided”,3-25, lexis)

The scientists' perspective is particularly significant.  . . . .  crops that have insufficient time to reach maturity. These reductions continue for several years."

Nuclear leadership key to safety

Bipartisan Policy Center, 12

(“Bipartisan Policy Center Nuclear Initiative Releases Report on Maintaining U.S. Leadership in Global Nuclear Energy Markets and International Non-Proliferation Issues,” Bipartisan Policy Center, 7-19-12, http://bipartisanpolicy.org/news/press-releases/2012/07/bipartisan-policy-center-nuclear-initiative-releases-report-maintaining-, accessed 8-31-12, hgh)

Washington, D.C. - The Bipartisan Policy Center’s  . . . .  and overcome current challenges facing nuclear power in the United States.”

Nuclear reactors are at an extremely high risk of meltdown

Smith, Project Censored Award-winning journalist, 11

(Gar, co-founder of Environmentalists Against War, editor of Earth Island Journal, “Nuclear Roulette The Case Against A “Nuclear Renaissance”, No.5 in the International Forum on Globalization series focused on False Solutions to the global climate crisis, June 2011, 7/22/12, atl)

Bradford offered another stern  . . . .  unit dropped to the floor, prompting an evacuation.24

Global meltdowns cause extinction

Lendman, Research Associate of the Centre for Research on Globalization, 11

(Stephen, 03/ 13, “Nuclear Meltdown in Japan,” http://www.thepeoplesvoice.org/TPV3/Voices.php/2011/03/13/nuclear-meltdown-in-japan, accessed 6/18/12, soap)

Reuters said the 1995 Kobe quake caused $100 billion  . . . . fallout covers the entire Northern Hemisphere."

Tournament:  | Round:  | Opponent:  | Judge: 

Production cost incentive

Rosner and Goldberg, astrophysicist and founding director of the Energy Policy Institute at Chicago, 11

(Robert and Stephen, "Small Modular Reactors – Key to Future Nuclear Power Generation in the U.S.," University of Chicago, Energy Policy Institute at Chicago, November 2011, http://epic.uchicago.edu/sites/epic.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/SMRWhite_Paper_Dec.14.2011copy.pdf, date accessed 09-05-12, hgh)

Production Cost Incentive: A production cost incentive is a  . . . . further analysis as higher quality cost estimates become  available.

SMRs safe, prevent proliferation, and can connect

Szondy, Contributor to I.Q. magazine, 12

(David, Freelance Writer, "Feature: Small modular nuclear reactors - the future of energy?," http://www.gizmag.com/small-modular-nuclear-reactors/20860/, date accessed 08-22-12, hgh)

SMRs have a number of advantages over conventional reactors.  . . .  it needn't interfere with the operation of the others.

SMR’s small and built quickly

Whitman, former EPA administrator, 12

(Christine Todd, co-chair of the Clean and Safe Energy (CASEnergy) Coalition, “Industry has power to change: Much at stake for state, nation in small reactors,” Columbia Daily Tribune, 07-29-12, http://casenergy.org/2012/08/%E2%80%9Cindustry-has-power-to-change-much-at-stake-for-state-nation-in-small-reactors%E2%80%9D/, accessed 08-31-12, hgh)

Our nation is on the cusp of a nuclear energy  . . .  for the state, as the outcome of this grant award is decided.

SMR’s safer and shorten timeframe

Martin, CNN National Assignment Editor, 10

(Richard, “In nuclear energy, smaller is better,” CNN, 11-30-10, http://money.cnn.com/2010/11/30/news/companies/nuclear_energy_small.fortune/index.htm, date accessed 9-6-12, hgh)

In the last three years, 13 power companies have submitted  . . .  sodium-cooled versions, like PRISM, should follow soon thereafter.

Incentives key to SMR development

Rosner et al, University of Chicago Departments of Astronomy and Astrophysics William E. Wrather Distinguished Service Professor, 11

(Robert, Computation Institute senior fellow, Energy Policy Institute director, Harvard University Ph.D. “Small Modular Reactors – Key to Future Nuclear Power Generation in the U.S.” Energy Policy Institute at Chicago. November 2011. Pg. 5. http://epic.uchicago.edu/sites/epic.uchicago.edu/files/uploads/SMRWhite_Paper_Dec.14.2011copy.pdf. Accessed: 8/25/2012. ADC)

Assuming that early SMR deployments  . . . management model are discussed in the subsections that follow.

SMRs have lower capital costs and generate revenue quicker

ITA, 11

(International Trade Administration. “The Commercial Outlook for U.S. Small Modular Nuclear Reactors.” Manufacturing and Services Competitiveness Report, February 2011. http://www.trade.gov/publications/pdfs/the-commercial-outlook-for-us-small-modular-nuclear-reactors.pdf. Accessed: 8/26/2012. ADC)

 A primary advantage of SMRs  . . .  recovery and make the extraction more attractive.