The Associated Press
8/28/01 1:10 AM

PORT CLINTON, Ohio (AP) -- Sen. George Voinovich said he intends to co-sponsor legislation to make it easier for utilities to build new nuclear power plants.

Voinovich, R-Ohio, toured FirstEnergy's Davis-Besse nuclear power plant in Oak Harbor and the wetlands in nearby Port Clinton on Monday.

"We must harmonize our energy needs and environmental needs to come up with a comprehensive energy policy," he said. "I see nuclear power as a choice with a lot of potential."

He noted that nuclear plants do not emit air pollutants.

The bill would make it easier for utilities to insure their new power plants. It would allow foreign companies to build, own and operate nuclear plants in the United States.

Also, 40-year licenses would start counting down only after a plant is up and running. There would also be a limit on the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's authority to determine whether a new plant is needed.

The bill would be co-sponsored by Louisiana Democrat Mary Landrieu.

"I'm horrified," said Connie Kline, director the Concerned Citizens Network, in Lake County, home of the Perry Nuclear Power Plant. "Every day, every minute that nuclear power plants operate, they generate lethal waste for which we don't even have a thread of a solution."

Voinovich, the former chairman and now ranking minority member of the Clean Air Subcommittee of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee, supported the growth of nuclear power last May when he addressed the annual convention of the nuclear industry in Washington.

He held four round table hearings in Ohio this year -- in Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati and Toledo -- to listen to business and homeowner concerns about high energy costs.

"We have no plans now or in the foreseeable future to build new nuclear plants," said FirstEnergy spokesman Todd Schneider, who accompanied Voinovich on the Davis-Besse tour. FirstEnergy also operates the Perry plant in northeast Ohio.

"Voinovich called and asked for our support," he said. "And we voiced our support today. We think it is an important bill."

There are now 103 nuclear plants in 31 states, which produce 20 percent of the electricity used in the United States.

An industry spokesman said the legislation could foster new construction.

"It provides a certain amount of assurance to the industry," said Mitch Singer, at the Nuclear Energy Institute in Washington.

"Voinovich is a strong supporter of nuclear energy, and he's also a strong environmentalist. He has sought input from us, and we've had numerous meetings with him and his staff to provide information and data over the years," Singer said.

Dave Lochbaum, a nuclear engineer at the Union of Concerned Scientists in Washington, testified about the future of nuclear power before the Clean Air subcommittee and fielded several questions from Voinovich then.

"It's the industry's bill. It's been on their agenda for years," Lochbaum said.