Nuclear Power
In this age of oil
shortages, concerns about global warming, and increased pressure to find a
clean source of energy, nuclear power has become a prominent issue in both the United States
and around the globe. In the United States
alone there are One hundred and three active reactors in 31 different states
providing energy to the country. Nuclear
power accounts for about 20% of the total amount of energy created in our
country. The regulation and licensing of civilian
nuclear plants is the responsibility of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission which
was established by the Energy Reorganization Act of 1974. On average the One hundred and three nuclear
plants have been operating for twenty-four years. All plants were originally issued an
operating license for forty years with an option to renew for another
twenty. Many plants have already begun
the process of applying to have their licenses extended. Additionally three new applications for
nuclear plant sites were submitted in 2003 and expectations are that
construction licenses will be applied for and granted in 2008 with a three to
five year construction period following.
The stated goal of the nuclear energy industry is to continue
construction of new plants to allow for the growth of nuclear energy by 20% by
2020. If this goal is realized nuclear
energy will account for over 30% of the nation’s energy output. Over the past three decades nuclear power has
become an ever more pervasive and frightening specter and the controversy will
only grow as the world attempts to make a move away from dirty sources of
energy. While the United States runs far more nuclear
energy reactors than any other country, it is not alone in its choice to expose
humans and the environment to serious danger.
France
is currently running 59 nuclear reactors which accounts for about 77% of the
nation’s electricity. Japan operates 55 nuclear reactors
which make up just over a third of the energy produced in the country. It is important to acknowledge that the issue
of nuclear power is not isolated within the United
States but the focus of concern for citizens of the United States
must focus on nuclear power as it exists here.
Throughout its history, nuclear power has showcased a massive inequity
between those who make decisions concerning the technology and those who are
affected by the decisions. The public as
a generalization has not been exposed to and thoroughly educated on the subject
of nuclear power and because of this there is not nearly enough understanding
of the dangers and concerns presented by the growth of the nuclear power
industry.
Nuclear power is championed by its proponents as a
clean, cheap, and simple solution to the energy problems of the world. What its supporters fail to mention is that
nuclear power is has none of these benefits and instead hosts a myriad set of
problems. The nuclear power industry has
evolved through a system of vast disparities and government support. Decisions regarding the advancement and
implementation of nuclear energy, from identifying plant sites to issues of
waste disposal, are regularly made by an elite few with little or no input from
the millions of citizens who stand to be affected. Furthermore, nuclear power is only cheap when
the role of government funding is ignored.
Construction and operation of nuclear power plants has been made
possible by a disproportionate amount of government funds when compared to all
other potential energy sources. Perhaps
the most telling failure of the nuclear power industry to own up to the truth
is its claim of the inherently safe and clean nature of nuclear power. Nuclear power plants operate with and create
highly radioactive nuclear waste materials that pose life-threatening risks to
any person unfortunate enough to be exposed to such materials. After the initial momentum behind nuclear
power died out there might have been hopes that it was a passing fad but in
recent years the industry has been revived and with it all the old disparities
have come back with a vengeance. It is
important to understand both why the nuclear power industry is experiencing a
revival and why it remains neither a viable nor responsible choice for energy
generation. This understanding of why
nuclear power cannot be considered an option can be gained through an investigation
of the history of nuclear power in the United States. Three Mile Island, the Davis-Besse plant in
Ohio, Indian Point in New York, and the ongoing saga of Yucca mountain are but
a few of the plentiful examples of what has gone wrong and what can go wrong
with nuclear power.
- External Links:
- Nuclear Regulatory Commission
- U.S. Department of Energy: Nuclear Power
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A protest against nuclear
power carried out by Greenpeace International [4]
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