Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Senator: U.S. needs 100 more nuclear power plants

Sen. Bob Bennett says the path to a clean energy future isn't by capping and trading carbon emissions, but by building, building, building. Bennett said Monday the nation needs to construct 100 new nuclear reactors by 2030 -- doubling the nation's current number of 104 plants -- if it is serious about slashing carbon emissions while still producing enough electricity to keep up with American needs. Bennett also brought together three other Republican senators and pro-nuclear energy witnesses to argue for constructing new nuke plants. "It's been my experience and my position...that one of the driving forces behind America's economic growth has been our access to cheap energy," Bennett said at a Republican-only hearing on energy development he organized. "If we're going to survive in the kind of economy we want, we need to have access to cheap energy." That means, Bennett says, reviving the idea of building new nuclear reactors, a move the United States hasn't made since 1977. He wasn't alone in that thought...SaltLakeTribune

1 comment:

James Aach said...

The push toward more nuclear reactors, being lead by Republicans like Mr. Bennett as well as some Democrats, is an interesting one, considering the reputaton of this industry (which I work in).

One of the problems with thinking about nuclear power is that most people have no real world experience to go on - just academic papers, propaganda from both sides, opinions from experts who have no practical experience, and really bad TV movies. In response, as a longtime insider of the US nuclear industry, I've written an entertaining overview for the lay person - - a novel called "Rad Decision". It is available free online at RadDecision.blogspot.com No advertising, no sponsors, no $$ for the author - just the real world of nuclear, good and bad.

"I'd like to see Rad Decision widely read." - Stewart Brand, National Book Award winner and founder of The Whole Earth Catalog.