In support of a new energy security bill he’s introduced in Congress, U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville visited the Farley Nuclear Plant Friday with a behind-the-scenes tour of the nuclear plant and how it operates.
The bill — the Thorium Energy Security Act — would provide preservation and storage of uranium-233, a radioactive isotope used as nuclear fuel and in medical and weapons applications.
“If this administration is going to do away with fossil fuels we are going to have to find some alternative to make our energy,” said Tuberville.
“I think using Uranium-233 would be a great way to do it with clean energy sources. Nuclear is a good way to go forward in energy as it is safer and more natural gas than coal alone,” said Tuberville.
After his tour, Tuberville spoke of his time at the nuclear plant that morning and what he thought of the plant.
“They do a great job with not only making the energy but also being safe for the community and environment so it’s important that we have places like this.”
Tuberville also weighed in on the recent mass shootings and the call again for gun control.
“They are going to have to prove to me they want to go after the cause first; the root cause is mental illness,” said Tuberville. “A mentally-ill person is going to find some way to cause a disaster and we can’t allow that to happen.”
Tuberville wants to get back into the schools and starting teaching “things we need to teach, not hate” because that causes a kick-start of mental illness which can start at a very young age, he said.
The senator discussed how he would like to then go to some big tech companies to “find some common ground to get kids off of their cell phones and video games that they are on for up to 10 hours a day or more sometimes,” said Tuberville.