Nuclear power a less toxic subject
There's been a huge shift in how nuclear power is perceived, which some experts attribute to a renewed focus on safety. Danielle Karson reports issues like disposal are currently among the nuclear industry's most pressing concerns.
A chain-linked fence secures a gate to the shuttered Zion Nuclear Power Station in Zion, Ill. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)
More on Sustainability
TEXT OF STORY
Renita Jablonski: Tomorrow is the 30th anniversary of the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island. After three decades, there's renewed support for the industry. Danielle Karson reports.
Danielle Karson: Nuclear power was a political pariah for years. But there's been a huge shift in how the industry is perceived these days, according to Tom Kauffman with the Nuclear Energy Institute:
Tom Kauffman: And I think a lot of that is due to the fact the industry learned its lessons. It has put all of its focus on safety, and I believe Americans see that.
In fact, a recent Gallup poll finds nearly 60 percent of Americans support nuclear power. It now produces about 20 percent of the country's energy.
Seventeen companies have applied for permits to build new plants. But the cost is prohibitive. And there's also the problem of disposing radioactive waste.
Pietro Nivola is an energy specialist at the Brookings Institution:
Pietro Nivola: That is certainly a major obstacle, and it's going to have to be resolved in order to reduce the level of uncertainty for the industry.
Developing more nuclear power could be a challenge without a long-term plan to store nuclear waste. Especially now that President Obama has scaled back funding a nuclear waste dump in Nevada.
In Washington, I'm Danielle Karson for Marketplace.
Comments
Comment | Refresh
From Prescoee, AZ, 04/05/2009
Thanks to Jim Hayes for the info re re-processing.
But it doesn't report what the prolems were or how Europe does it. Are all of these closed sights still in existence?Any one in government still working on it?
From CA, 03/30/2009
Forty years ago, a research group was set up to look at the reprocessing of nuclear fuels. It was called Nuclear Fuel Services and located in West Valley, NY.
(The full history is at https://www.osti.gov/opennet/document/purecov/nfsrepo.html)
It turned out to be a real mess - a source of pollution and a very costly cleanup.
I was often there selling nuclear instrumentation until I tired of the sloppy management that exposed me to unnecessary risk.
Can reprocessing work? Maybe, but only if it's done with proper management. But where you do the reprocessing makes a reactor site look "clean!"
I personally believe that nuclear could work, but I suggest an alternative approach. Find sites where the waste can be stored and build the reactors way underground at that site.
From prescott, AZ, 03/29/2009
I understand that Europe reuses it's nuclear waste.
Is so, why can't we? Why havent we looked into this?
Post a Comment: Please be civil, brief and relevant.
Email addresses are never displayed, but they are required to confirm your comments. All comments are moderated. Marketplace reserves the right to edit any comments on this site and to read them on the air if they are extra-interesting. Please read the Comment Guidelines before posting.
You must be 13 or over to submit information to American Public Media. The information entered into this form will not be used to send unsolicited email and will not be sold to a third party. For more information see Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.