Nuclear Power: Threat or Promise?

With the threat of global warming and fossil fuel supplies running low, nuclear power is one again being considered as an option to meet future energy needs. In September 2007, NRG Energy filed for a construction and operation license for two new nuclear reactors at the South Texas Project near Bay City - the first application for a new nuclear in the U.S. in thirty years. Austin's city council has voted unanimously not to invest in the proposed reactors, but the City of San Antonio has indicated a willingness to participate.

Gov. Rick Perry is calling for doubling the number of nuclear reactors in Texas. Luminant, formerly TXU Corp., in proposing two new reactors at its Comanche Peak nuclear plant southwest of Dallas. Exelon Corp. wants to add two reactors in Victoria County in Southeast Texas.

Both the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS) and the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) say a surge toward nuclear to meet the country's energy needs and curb global warming is unwise. Clean Water Action agrees.

In 2007, the UCS and the IAEA released reports explaining why nuclear power is not the answer to global warming. UCS cautions that "a large-scale expansion of nuclear power in the United States or worldwide, under existing conditions, would be accompanied by an increased risk of catastrophic events – a risk not associated with any of the non-nuclear means for reducing global warming." The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has been quick to permit nuclear power facilities and is not doing a good job providing regulation of safety issues for such a risky industry, according to the UCS.

Even if there were no safety concerns with nuclear energy, UCS says that new plants could not make a substantial contribution to reducing U. S. global warming emissions for at least two decades. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), an organization dedicated to spreading the peaceful use of the atom, agrees that nuclear power, even under the most favorable circumstances, could not grow fast enough to slow climate change.

Nuclear power plants also use large quantities of water for cooling. New reactors on the drawing board would need to withdraw more than 1,140,000 gallons of water per minute from nearby lakes, rivers or oceans. Nuclear power plants in Alabama and Tennessee have been shut down because of drought, and others may be shut down if drought continues.

Nuclear plants also imperil fish larvae and other forms of aquatic life, which are strained from the water as it travels through thousands of metal tubes to become steam that turns the turbines to make electricity. A 2005 study found that one coastal power plant in Southern California destroyed nearly 3-and-a-half million fish in just one year.

Perhaps the biggest single problem with nuclear power is the disposal of its radioactive waste. Once created, this highly toxic waste persists for hundreds of thousands of years - longer than any human civilization has existed. Yucca Mountain, the only site seriously being considered for long-term storage of nuclear waste in this country, is opposed by all five Nevada members of Congress.

Nor is nuclear energy inexpensive, as its defenders claim. Without guarantees of lavish federal subsidies underwritten by our tax dollars, no new nuclear plant could be built. With both wind and solar continuing to drop in price, nuclear plants are likely to be obsolete and uncompetitive as soon as they are operational.

UCS Cites Frightening Risks Associated With Nuclear Energy:

• Massive release of radiation due to a power plant meltdown or terrorist attack
• The death of tens of thousands due to the detonation of a nuclear weapon made with materials obtained from a nuclear power plant
• Serious hazard posed by the increase in nuclear waste with the expansion of nuclear power without facilities for long-term disposal.
• Poor oversight by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC)

Clean Water Action agrees with the Union of Concerned Scientists recommendation that the government adopt policies that maximize energy efficiency and conservation, increase the use of renewable energy resources and eliminate barriers to existing technologies that can reduce global warming emissions without the risks associated with nuclear power.