The Election -- Nuclear Power

Since the Three Mile Island plant had problems in 1979, no new nuclear power facilities have opened in the USA. Even without the new plants, however, nuclear power still provides nearly one-quarter of the electricity in America. In the New York metropolitan area where I live, the Indian Point power plants provide nearly one-third of all the electricity. Nuclear power gives off no air pollution or water pollution. It has, however, two significant drawbacks: 1)the spent nuclear fuel has to be disposed of somewhere; and 2) the public fears the possibility of a disaster that causes radioactive contamination.

Spent fuel rods are a continuing problem around the country. The federal government developed a plan to transport these rods to a storage facility in the most desolate part of Nevada in a place called Yucca Mountain. This would be a deep underground shaft that would put the radioactive materials in a location from which they could not escape. Essentially nobody lives within sixty miles of the proposed facility. Nevertheless, many in Nevada have opposed construction of the storage area and this has effectively blocked the plan from proceeding. As a result, spent nuclear fuel remains stored at plants around the country.

The danger of a nuclear disaster has been overstated. Obviously, such a disaster could occur; no one denies that. In Japan, the Fukashima reactor was damaged after it was hit by both an earthquake and a tsunami. Clearly, great care has to be used in locating new nuclear facilities to avoid natural disasters to the greatest extent possible. At the moment, however, the biggest obstacle to new nuclear plants is public ignorance of the real level of safety from nuclear plants.

During his first term, president Obama has done nothing to advance the construction of the Yucca Mountain storage facility. He has also done nothing to move ahead with nuclear power plant construction even though such plants ought to satisfy the goal of environmentally improved power generation. Indeed, Obama's only involvement with nuclear power has been has adoption during the current campaign of what he describes as an "all of the above" energy strategy. Of course, Obama's actions make clear that he has not actually adopted such a strategy; Obama is falsely announcing that he has dones so.

Romney has announced support for the Yucca Mountain facility. He has also said taht America needs to continue to rely on nuclear power for electricity. As the first generation of nuclear plants ages, we will soon hit the point where these plants must be replaced. Failure to do so will just mean further rises in energy costs and also increases in air pollution from burning fossil fuels. In other words, the can has been kicked down the road about as far as possible. Something needs to be done now.

Obama has had four years to act on this issue and has done nothing. Romney promises to be different, and he claims that he will take steps to support nuclear power and to bring down the cost of energy in the USA.

I prefer the Romney approach.