Following Japanese Crisis, Senate May Reexamine U.S. Nuclear Energy Policy

Sen. Jeff Bingaman (D-N.M.), the chair of the Senate Energy Committee, said Tuesday that he may hold hearings on the future of U.S. nuclear energy policy in the wake of crises at Japan’s nuclear facilities.

“We will need to understand what failures in design could have contributed to the problems in Japan, whether they could have been prevented, and whether similar design flaws exist in reactors here in this country,” Bingaman said in a statement. “It is possible that we will learn some things from what’s happened in Japan that will persuade us to put in place additional precautions.”

Scott Walker Signs Controversial Union Bill

Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker (R) signed legislation Friday that restricts state employees’ abilities to collectively bargain.

Walker’s signature follows weeks of resistance from the state’s Democrats as well as labor activists from around the country.

The Governor issued a statement praising the state’s legislature for preventing the layoffs of 1,500 workers and saving the state $30 million.

“The reforms contained in this legislation … will help put Wisconsin on a path to fiscal sustainability,” Walker said.

Obama Marks Passing Of Veteran Journalist David Broder

President Barack Obama issued the following statement Tuesday marking the death of veteran journalist David Broder:

Like so many here in Washington and across the country, Michelle and I were deeply saddened to hear about the passing of a true giant of journalism, David Broder.  David filed his first story from our nation’s capital before starting as a junior political writer on the 1960 presidential election.  In the decades that followed, he built a well-deserved reputation as the most respected and incisive political commentator of his generation – winning a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of Watergate and earning the affectionate title of Dean of the Washington press corps.  Through all his success, David remained an eminently kind and gracious person, and someone we will dearly miss.  Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends in this difficult time.

White House Decries Violence In Abyei Region Of Sudan

White House Press Secretary Jay Carney issued the following statement Wednesday condemning recent violence in Sudan’s Abyei region:

The United States deplores the recent violence in the Abyei region of Sudan and calls on Northern and Southern Sudanese leaders to take immediate steps to prevent future attacks and restore calm.  This dangerous standoff is unacceptable for the Sudanese people, and we condemn the deployment forces by both sides.  Their presence in Abyei stands in violation of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement and runs counter to efforts to reach agreement on the region’s final status

This past September, President Obama spoke of the two paths before the Government of Sudan: a path of peace, a path of fulfilled commitments, and greater engagement; and a path of continued conflict, continued obstruction, and greater, more painful isolation. The successful referendum was but one step toward fulfilling the Government of Sudan’s obligations under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. The Government of South Sudan too must recommit itself to resolving the remaining contentious issues in dispute.

The United States welcomes the commitment made by the National Congress Party and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement to establish a committee based in Abyei to review security arrangements relating to the annual migration.  We urge this committee to immediately establish a presence in Abyei and to complete its security assessment and recommendations as quickly as possible.  Both North and South must also provide the UN Mission in Sudan the full and unfettered access required to fulfill its mandate, which includes assessing the security and humanitarian situation where fighting has taken place and protecting civilians.

We call on Presidents Bashir and Kiir to meet as soon as possible and demonstrate that they are serious about making urgent progress in talks to resolve Abyei’s final status in a manner that addresses the needs of all communities and upholds the Abyei Protocol and the ruling of the Permanent Court of Arbitration.

White House Contemplating Tapping Into Strategic Oil Reserves

The White House is contemplating tapping into the country’s strategic oil reserves in an effort to counter the spike in energy costs amid the unrest in Libya.

“Well, we’re looking at the options,” White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley said Sunday on NBC’s Meet The Press. “It is something that … has been done in very rare occasions.”

Added Daley, “There’s a bunch of factors that have to be looked at, and it is just not the price.”

The price of crude oil has risen above $106 per barrel in response to the uncertainty surrounding unrest in Libya and other countries.