The report does point to the benefits of nuclear power, including competitive pricing, strong base-load power provision, and low-carbon emissions.

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But you say that even a moderate carbon tax would not make nuclear power competitive, noting that the price of permits in Europe's emissions-trading scheme implies a social cost of carbon dioxide of euro20 per tonne.

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Were things to change and nuclear power became economically competitive, I would have no complaints.

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Abundant, relatively low-priced supplies now make natural gas a highly competitive alternative to both nuclear and wind power and even to coal generation.

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In the past, his businesses had to deal with the challenges of moving to competitive markets and finding greener fuel sources, such as nuclear power. (Exelon is the country's largest nuclear producer.) "The problems of the hour change, but the CEO's task in coping with them doesn't change all that much, " he says.

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Some sort of climate and energy legislation will eventually emerge but first, the public and private sectors need to cooperate to invent, demonstrate, deploy and market the green batteries, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, advanced nuclear power, renewables and other technologies that are actually competitive with fossil fuels.

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"It prevents people breaking into the New Stock Exchange or a nuclear power plant, and we want to make sure that a competitive market exists so that people are encouraged to use encryption, and American companies are allowed to sell competing products, " Mr Goodlatte said.

BBC: Paul Reynolds, BBC Washington Correspondent