By Senator Tom Brewer
This past weekend, I participated in the Governor’s Pheasant Hunt. This is the fourth time I’ve been honored to participate in this important event. We were joined by US Senator Pete Ricketts who also joined us in Chadron for the Governor’s Turkey Hunt. I am happy to report the hospitality found in Chadron is just as nice as Beatrice. Numerous sponsors and community group volunteers prepared an excellent steak dinner banquet where I was honored to make some remarks. Just like we saw in Western Nebraska, we are blessed to have so many citizens willing to give of their time and talent to make things like this happen. Congratulations to Jacob and “Mainstreet Beatrice” for conducting an outstanding event. I also need to highlight the steadfast support of this event by two Southeast Nebraska Senators, my friends Myron Dorn and Tom Brandt. Pheasant hunting is a proud tradition in southeast Nebraska, one I’m very pleased to see them being a part of.
In my list of unfinished business, I sincerely hope the next legislature can set the goal to build a small modular nuclear reactor (SMR) and generate electricity in Nebraska by 2040. The problem with this technology is that the early prototypes are insanely expensive. Our public utilities could never justify the capital investment. The all-in cost of generation per kilowatt hour is not economical. We also need to remember that building a new base load generator of any kind (coal, gas, nuclear) takes at least ten to fifteen years. Supplies for the construction of power plants (like giant transformers) take many years to build and can usually only be bought from China. This heavy industry manufacturing is only done in a handful of countries now. This is a national security vulnerability I believe the next administration will address with dispatch.
There is a course of action that would eliminate many of these regulatory challenges, and long wait times. I propose an EMP-shielded, SMR be built on and for Offutt Air Force base. The purpose would be to make Offutt its own, self-sufficient electricity island. I propose a partnership between Omaha Public Power District and the United States Strategic Command (USSTRATCOM) so an interconnection with this generator could be used for emergencies and the sale of surplus generation.
The American military personnel on Offutt AFB control our country’s entire arsenal of nuclear weapons. Submarines at sea, bombers in the air, and missiles in the silos out by Kimball all depend on this installation. Of all the military installations that the US has around the world, Offutt AFB should be the most protected and self-sufficient. The lack of this capability represents an obvious, and quite serious strategic vulnerability in our nation’s defense.
Moving forward with DoD as a partner could bring several benefits. The federal funding they would bring to the table may be able to put this exciting new technology within reach. I feel every single war-fighting military base in the United States should be provisioned with hardened, never-fail electricity for the same reason. Nothing in modern human life works without it.
Please contact my office with any comments, questions, or concerns. Email me at tbrewer@leg.ne.gov, mail a letter to Sen. Tom Brewer, Room #1423, P.O. Box 94604, Lincoln, NE 68509, or call us at (402) 471-2628.