Oct. 14 (Bloomberg) -- The U.S. is “deeply committed” to finding a solution to climate change, Energy Secretary Steven Chu said, as nations prepare for a meeting in Copenhagen in December to hammer out a new treaty on cuts in emissions.

“This is a fundamental trust we are about to break if we don’t act as aggressively as we can,” Chu said at a meeting of ministers from the International Energy Agency in Paris.

Almost 200 nations are working to meet a December deadline for an accord in Copenhagen to replace or extend the Kyoto Protocol, which runs through 2012, to slow emissions and shift the world to low-carbon energy sources.

“Copenhagen is a very important step along a long path where it’s not just formal treaties but also action on the ground,” he said. “The cost of inaction is losing out to economic opportunity.”

Chu said he’s “hopeful” and sees “very encouraging signs” the U.S. Congress will pass a law on emissions.

It’s not clear whether the U.S. will be able to make commitments in Copenhagen should U.S. lawmakers not approve a domestic law on emissions before the December deadline for signing the international climate accord.

“It will be a very bad result if nothing tangible comes out of Copenhagen,” Maria van der Hoeven, Dutch economic affairs minister said in an interview, calling for U.S. President Barack Obama to come to the meeting. “It would make a real difference if he came.”

Loan Guarantees

The U.S. government will announce loan guarantees for nuclear plants “very soon,” Chu said. “Nuclear power is an important part of what the U.S. has to do to reduce emissions.”

The U.S. is “working aggressively to restart the nuclear industry,” he said. “I believe the nuclear waste problem is solvable on a scientific level and a political level.”

Chu called for stable oil prices to encourage steady investment in renewable energies over the coming decades.

“Spiking prices of oil and gas are very counterproductive because they can set off recessions,” he said. “What we want are stable prices for oil and gas.”

To contact the reporter on this story: Tara Patel in Paris at tpatel2@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: October 14, 2009 10:14 EDT