A nuclear power comeback?

Social justice news
June 2005

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A nuclear power comeback?
Could a renaissance in nuclear energy be an environmentally sensitive answer to America's future energy needs? Unless energy consumption patterns change dramatically over the next 50 years, energy production and use will contribute to global warming through large-scale greenhouse gas emissions. Rebuilding nuclear power plants could be one means of reducing carbon emissions, according to a recent Massachusetts Institute of Technology study.

President Bush has supported nuclear power in his most recent energy bills, calling nuclear power "reliable and secure." Nuclear energy companies like Exelon and Entergy are on board to obtain funding for building the first nuclear power plants constructed in the United State in more than 30 years.

But rebuilding nuclear power plants does not provide the best solution to the U.S. energy crisis, said Navin Nayak, a U.S. Public Interest Research Group environmental advocate.

"We can meet our energy needs, avoid global warming, and save money by taking advantage of renewable energy like wind, biomass, and solar energy," Nayak said. "Nuclear power is the most expensive energy source that we have."

According to a report conducted for U.S. PIRG by Synapse Energy Economics, if renewable energy resources were used, the U.S. could reduce carbon dioxide emissions from power plants by 47 percent and nuclear power generation by nearly half, saving $36 billion annually by 2025.

The nuclear industry has received at least $70 billion in direct federal subsidies over the past 50 years and still cannot finance a new plant on its own, Nayak charged. In addition, the nuclear energy industry has yet to solve any of its economical, safety, or environmental issues.

"No country has effectively figured out how to manage the health and environmental risks associated with radioactive nuclear waste. No private investor wants to invest in nuclear plants because there's the risk of having an accident like Chernobyl or Three Mile Island," he said.

Nuclear power plants also provide additional targets for terrorist groups, he said. "Al Qaida operatives surveyed nuclear power plants as targets for their attacks in 2001."

"Nuclear power provides one-sixth of the world's global electricity, and of all established technologies, it provides the strongest potential for mitigating climate change risks," said Dr. Ernie Moniz, co-chair of the department of MIT's department of physics.

Nuclear technologies and implantation should be given a second shot, Moniz argued. "This is a technology you have to be careful with, and there have been problems with its implementation in the past. Nothing is inherently wrong with the technology itself," he said. "With the proper precautions and research, we need to see if a new generation can try to build economical, safe nuclear power plants. I think it can be done."—Kelly Nolan

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