Demonstrating it has quite a half-life, a “nuclear pork” plan costing $50 billion continued its political emanation when the Senate adopted its version of the 2010 budget last week. The plan, which was slipped in without notice through an amendment by Sen. Michael Crapo (R-ID), would give the Department of Energy $50 billion to loan to companies seeking to build new nuclear power plants. Supporters of the nuclear pork had tried to get it approved in February as part of the stimulus bill, but failed after Friends of the Earth ran advertisements attacking Senate sponsor Robert Bennett (R-UT), and demanding that Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Daniel Inouye (D-HI) and Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) kill the provision. Friends of the Earth has promised to continue its fight against the plan.