McCain touts his nuclear plans at reactor site

NEWPORT, MICH. — As steam billowed out of two giant hourglass towers in the distance, John McCain visibly stepped up his support Tuesday for nuclear power, an embattled industry that he argues must be part of America's energy future.

The presumptive Republican presidential nominee toured the Fermi 2 nuclear power plant, a 1,100-megawatt boiling water reactor on the shores of Lake Erie.

The site seemed an odd choice for a campaign event intended to promote the safety of nuclear power. A nearby reactor was decommissioned in 1975 after a partial fuel meltdown that caused no injuries.

The accident spawned a book and popular song, both titled "We Almost Lost Detroit."

But soaring pump prices have pushed energy to the top of voters' concerns, and the Arizona senator has increasingly focused his campaign efforts at highlighting his policies -- and criticizing those of his rival, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

Speaking to reporters after his tour, with the two cooling towers puffing over his shoulder, McCain launched a fresh attack on Obama, the presumed Democratic nominee.

"Sen. Obama has said expanding our nuclear power plants, quote, doesn't make sense for America, unquote," McCain said. "He also says no to nuclear storage and no to nuclear processing. I could not disagree more."

Obama's campaign has said that McCain distorts the Democrat's position. In a statement issued before McCain toured the Michigan plant, campaign spokesman Bill Burton said Obama "supports safe and clean nuclear energy. . . . However, before an expansion of nuclear power is considered, Obama thinks key issues must be addressed, including: security of nuclear fuel and waste, waste storage, and proliferation."

The two candidates disagree on how to treat and store the radioactive waste created during nuclear generation. McCain supports entombing spent fuel at Yucca Mountain, in the Nevada desert, while Obama opposes using the mountain facility.

McCain also has called for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel, as is widely done in France and other countries. Obama says experts must first solve safety and security concerns.

The Energy Department on Tuesday released a report that concluded it would cost $96.2 billion to research, build and operate Yucca Mountain until it closes in 2133, a 38% increase from a 2001 estimate. Part of that increase is based on a projection that it would need to store 30% more nuclear waste, requiring a major expansion of the planned facility.