The question in the headline paraphrases the provocative headline of a Washington Examiner piece from Timothy Carney. It discusses the impact of Japan’s recent nuclear plant problems on the president’s green-energy goals.
President Obama’s push to expand renewable domestic energy has put him in an awkward position following the explosions at a nuclear plant in Japan and the subsequent leakage of radiation. While Obama can still talk about solar, wind and biofuels, nuclear power is practically the only way to generate reliable and affordable energy without fossil fuels.
Making things more uncomfortable for Obama, three of his most intimate corporate friends — General Electric, Duke Energy and Exelon — are deeply involved in nuclear energy.
GE has a direct role in the Japan nuclear fiasco — the reactors that exploded were GE Mark 1 reactors. The industrial giant is also famously cozy with the Obama administration. CEO Jeffrey Immelt was an early pick for the President’s Economic Recovery Advisory Board, and Obama recently tapped him as chairman of his jobs council.
The close relationship between GE and Obama is conspicuous on the policy front, with agreement on bailouts, stimulus, climate policy, health care reform, high-speed rail, wind energy, electric cars, embryonic research subsidies, export subsidies and more.
