Germany Tussles Over Nuclear Power

[Michael S Ford <MFORD@pantex.com>]

FYI...Have a great weekend.  v/r  mford@pantex.com

>>>>>>>>
Germany Tussles Over Nuclear Power 

By Tony Czuczka, Associated Press, June 22, 1999; 3:35 p.m. EDT

BONN, Germany (AP) -- The Greens party on Tuesday rejected a
plan proposed by Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder that would give
Germany's nuclear power plants 25 years to shut down, creating
dissent inside the ruling coalition.

Greens co-chairwoman Gunda Roestel, whose party is Schroeder's
junior partner, called the period ``unnecessarily long.'' The Greens
have pressed for a 5- to 10-year phase-out period. 

Resuming talks with power industry executives Tuesday, Schroeder
failed to break a deadlock over how to wean Germany off nuclear
energy without facing financial claims from plant operators. 

``Nothing was decided because we remain apart on important
points,'' he said in a ZDF television interview. In a jab at the Greens,
he said a 25-year phase-out would be ``a great success.'' 

A government spokesman said the talks, stalled since March, would
continue.  No date was immediately set. 

The government said last weekend it had agreed with the electric
industry on an outline for phasing out nuclear plants, but it gave no
details. 

German media have reported that Economics Minister Werner
Mueller has worked out a deal that calls for the closure of the
nation's 19 nuclear power stations by 2024. 

The agreement reportedly demands pledges from nuclear power
operators -- RWE AG, Veba AG subsidiary Preussenelektra, Viag AG
subsidiary Bayernwerk and Energie Baden-Wuerttemberg -- not to
sue for damages in return for the longer phase-out period. 

Government and industry have been at loggerheads over the
government's plans to end nuclear power generation in Germany.
Talks stalled in March when industry representatives walked out
complaining about undue tax burdens from the April tax reform. 

Schroeder's government has struggled to avoid hurting German
industry while kick starting the economy. On Monday, the Finance
Ministry unveiled the most drastic spending cuts in the postwar
period, cutting corporate taxes next year by $4.2 billion. 

The proposed spending package would also slash government
spending by 1.5 percent, according to a Finance Ministry document
obtained by The Associated Press. The plan's broader goal is a
balanced budget sometime between 2002 and 2006. 

The Cabinet was expected to approve the plan Wednesday, then
submit it to parliament. 

Savings would come in all government departments, but especially
in Germany's generous social programs, the bureaucracy and
government subsidies. 
************************************************************************
The RADSAFE Frequently Asked Questions list, archives and subscription
information can be accessed at http://www.ehs.uiuc.edu/~rad/radsafe.html