Reacting To The Push For Nuclear

As President Bush pushes for the development of nuclear reactors in the United States to help establish energy independence, many industry professionals remain uncertain. Costs of construction, an unattractive financial history, lack of a solution for nuclear waste, and the risk of nuclear accidents has many in doubt about the viability of the resurgence of the nuclear energy market. It does appear clear that if this industry is to get moving once again then it would need government assistance, which according to some should be in the form of risk insurance, financial aid and loan guarantees to help companies get through the lengthy and complicated building process.

The President's proposal has environmental groups on both sides of the nuclear argument up in arms. James Lovelock, one of the world's most prominent environmentalists, believes that the world is more threatened by risks brought about from global warming than the risks posed by nuclear power plants. While Lovelock would prefer to see renewable energy technologies such as wind and solar power take over, these cannot produce enough energy at this point in time to be realistic alternatives. Nuclear energy, according to Lovelock, is the best alternative to global warming problems caused by burning fuels such as coal and oil.

On the flip side, environmentalists such as Dave Kraft, a founding member of the Nuclear Energy Information Service, raises the point that current nuclear facilities are not able to effectively deal with exisiting threats associated with nuclear energy production. If threats still exist today, then it is difficult to have confidence that new entrants to this industry will be able to protect society from the risks associated with nuclear energy. Kraft cites plant safety violations, which range from accidental discharge of radioactive gas, to the Department of Energy's issuance of operating permits in spite of obvious structural deterioration, as current examples of the industry's inability to deal with nuclear production problems. To read more about both sides of this argument:
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Nuclear Industry's Perspective:
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