Check out Dr. Moore’s blog post on “Clean Energy Buzz” for coverage from his trip.

Check out Gov. Whitman’s blog post, video interview and photo album for coverage from Fortune Brainstorm GREEN conference.

The latest unemployment numbers reveal African Americans remain among the hardest hit by the economic downturn, with the current unemployment rate (13.7 percent) for this group far higher than the rate for other racial and ethnics groups as well as the nation as a whole (8.2 percent).  With unemployment concerns on many Americans’ minds, leaders in the African-American community have joined President Obama in calling for additional federal support for new job opportunities in the clean energy sector, including nuclear energy.

A fast-growing sector, nuclear energy offers the promise of thousands of well paying, long-term jobs in communities across the country.  The industry currently supports more than 100,000 jobs, and will need to hire approximately 25,000 new workers over the next four years to keep up with the rate of retiring baby boomers.  These jobs represent concrete job opportunities for minority applicants.  Furthermore, jobs in the nuclear energy industry are green jobs.  According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nuclear energy had the highest green goods and services (GGS) employment with 68 percent of all industry jobs classified as a green job.

Energy is tied to our economy, and our future is dependent upon equitable access to energy. “To win the future, we have to out-innovate, out-educate and out-build the rest of the world, tapping the creativity and imagination of our people,” say AABE leaders.  As an essential element of an “all-of-the-above” energy strategy, nuclear energy can help “win” a clean energy future for Americans across the country.

Check out CASEnergy’s employment brochure to learn more about educational opportunities available in your community today to help you embark on a career in nuclear energy!

Nuclear energy is an affordable, clean and reliable source of energy and happens to be one of the most efficient energy sources in the United States and throughout the world today. CASEnergy Coalition’s Co-Chairs Gov. Christine Todd Whitman and Dr. Patrick Moore address some of your most frequently asked questions about nuclear energy in this video.

Today the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approved permits to build and operate two new reactors near Augusta, Ga., marking a new beginning for clean energy in America.   We applaud that decision. These are the first licenses to be issued for new reactors in the United States in more than 30 years.   We trust this development will usher in a new era of nuclear energy development and economic growth that will benefit American communities.

This news comes at a critical time, as our nation grapples with a projected 24 percent rise in electricity demand by 2035. These new nuclear energy facilities—and others expected to be permitted in the weeks ahead—assure that we can rely on nuclear energy as a vital component of our electricity portfolio.   As our use of electricity continues to rise, now even to power electric vehicles, nuclear energy provides an affordable, environmentally clean, reliable and safe supply of electricity.

At a time when 12.8 million Americans remain unemployed, nuclear energy provides an opportunity to put Americans back to work.  New nuclear energy construction encourages economic expansion, brings billions of dollars to local economies and creates tens of thousands of jobs in communities across the country.  The construction and operation of the new reactors at Plant Vogtle will employ thousands of local residents, generate nearly $20 million in state and local taxes and lower long-term electricity costs.

The next generation of nuclear facilities will be safer than ever, beginning with Vogtle Units 3 and 4.  These facilities will be built and operated according to the standards set by the NRC, the industry’s independent regulatory body.  As the NRC determines how best to incorporate lessons learned from Fukushima  –  like all American companies that operate nuclear facilities – Georgia Power will make changes during construction to adhere to NRC requirements.  The American nuclear industry is committed to continually updating and improving its best practices throughout the construction and operation of all its facilities.  This is an industry that strives not only to meet NRC standards, but exceed them.

Nuclear energy is essential to our country’s energy security and economic health.  We hope you will continue to voice your support for nuclear energy as a clean and safe choice for the United States now and in the future.  We invite you to use CASEnergy Coalition as a resource to learn more about this exciting development.

Dr. Patrick Moore

Co-founder and former leader, Greenpeace

Co-Chair, CASEnergy Coalition

Christine Todd Whitman

Former New Jersey Governor and EPA Administrator

Co-Chair, CASEnergy Coalition

Described by the St. Louis Beacon as the “lightning rod” of the conversation at the MEI event, Dr. Moore spoke on the need to build more American nuclear energy facilities to produce the power needed to meet the nation’s growing energy demands. He also addressed some common misconceptions about the energy landscape today, particularly regarding nuclear safety and spent nuclear fuel. Nuclear energy is a reliable, baseload power source that already provides more than 70 percent of America’s clean-air electricity, and Dr. Moore emphasized that it must remain a vital part of the nation’s clean energy mix.

The full event can be viewed on our blog “Clean Energy Buzz” here.

Georgia is paving the way for a resurgence of nuclear energy with new nuclear technology and the “go-ahead” from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission to build and operate two new reactors at Plant Vogtle. This new development marks an exciting time for the U.S. nuclear industry and Georgia residents, as the expansion will play a vital role in increasing clean-air energy production and providing a much-needed economic boost to Georgia communities.

CASEnergy Co-Chair Dr. Patrick Moore paid a visit to the “Peach State” to lead a livestream event, “An Update on the Nuclear Renaissance,” in Atlanta on Monday, Feb. 6 for CASEnergy members and Atlanta residents, as well as online viewers. The webinar was co-hosted by the Georgia Public Policy Foundation.

During the webinar, Dr. Moore discussed the future of nuclear energy and answered viewers’ questions about progress at Plant Vogtle and the next generation of nuclear reactors during a Q&A session.

“Planning for the nuclear renaissance and new nuclear construction is estimated to have already created 15,000 jobs in the United States…if we want to keep nuclear energy as a key component of the U.S. energy supply, we have to build 20 to 30 nuclear energy reactors in the next couple of decades to replace ones that go offline and to keep up with the growing requirement of energy. That is going to employ tens of thousands of people,” Moore said.

In addition to leading the webcast, Dr. Moore also addressed an audience at the State House Democratic Caucus and caught up with radio host Tim Bryant onWGAU-AM.

If you weren’t able to attend or watch the livestream event, you can still catch the replay of Dr. Moore’s webinar below.

Click here to view the embedded video.

For more information, browse the coalition’s new guide in the “Jobs Initiative” section of our website or by clicking here.

To read the full Web story, click here.

Photo courtesy of Constellation Energy Nuclear Group

Among the highlights were the turbine room (pictured above, in front of the Westinghouse designed turbine) and the main control room which we viewed from above.

Our group of 17 included representatives from the American Association of Blacks in Energy, the Greater Washington andNational Urban Leagues, the National Association of Neighborhoods and Lincoln University, and we would like to extend our thanks and appreciation to the folks at Calvert Cliffs and Constellation Energy Nuclear Group for making this possible.

Interested in a video tour of a nuclear facility?  Check out our blog post from March 2011 with a link to the NBC TODAY’s tour of Entergy’s Waterford 3 Nuclear Power plant in Killona, La. Please visit our website for more photos from the tour.