| Nuclear power has always been controversial. | | | | years according to a report from the U.S. National |
| Even before the Trinity nuclear test, nuclear | | | | Academy of Sciences. |
| physicists have had their reservations. From the | | | | Although the squeeze by OPEC and the energy |
| 1950's bomb shelter drills to Chernobyl, virtually | | | | crisis has been instrumental in some countries to |
| every imaginable disaster short of an all-out | | | | develop alternative ways to safeguard the |
| nuclear war has occurred. So why would anybody | | | | environment, the United States has been slow |
| in their right mind be a proponent of nuclear | | | | compared to places like Brazil that because of |
| energy? | | | | their climate, can out-produce many nations in |
| Face it, we can't put the genie back in the bottle. | | | | biofuel production made from sugarcane. In fact, |
| Nuclear proliferation is a fact of life and all the | | | | 46 percent of all their energy used is produced |
| wishful thinking is not going to change that. | | | | from renewable resources. |
| Although we can always strive to reduce the | | | | Sure it would be better to use a biodegradable |
| threat, we cannot ever realistically expect that | | | | fuel source instead of nuclear power, but this |
| every country is going to drop all its nuclear | | | | does not change the fact that it is unlikely that |
| deterrents let alone reactors that power in some | | | | any public protests or lobbying will be enough to |
| cases, entire cities. | | | | put an end to nuclear reactors. If we can't stop |
| If we can't turn back the clock, we can at least | | | | the threat, why not use it more responsibly at |
| be more responsible about how we go about | | | | least? Using France's model, the United States |
| using nuclear technology. Once nuclear waste is | | | | could reduce the amount of nuclear waste it |
| produced as a byproduct of nuclear energy, it | | | | abandons by tenfold. Moreover, in the process, |
| becomes an ecological threat to us all. Perhaps | | | | we would not only produce a more responsible |
| even more disturbing is the fact that we have | | | | way to handle this waste, but also be able to |
| the technology to not only dramatically reduce the | | | | reprocess it to reduce our dependence on oil and |
| amount of waste produced but also to reprocess | | | | the foreign powers that control this resource. |
| this waste as useful fuel and yet we are not | | | | In many areas of the United States, most |
| doing this. | | | | electrical power used is actually generated by |
| In France, 80 percent of its electricity is currently | | | | nuclear means. If all these plants went offline |
| generated by reprocessed nuclear waste. | | | | overnight, not only would there be extended |
| Although the United States originally developed | | | | blackouts, but also our energy bills would go |
| this technology, it has since taken a back seat to | | | | through the roof from the few viable energy |
| France under the excuse that reprocessed nuclear | | | | alternatives currently available. Pragmatically |
| fuel is too expensive. The notion that a sealed | | | | speaking, we can't put the genie back in the |
| waste container that has the potential to be used | | | | bottle, but we can tame it to be more responsible |
| as a dirty bomb and kill thousands is apparently | | | | before nuclear waste leaks out into our water |
| not important enough to give incentive to | | | | supplies or is used maliciously against us. Yes it |
| reprocess this waste. | | | | may be initially more expensive to reprocess this |
| Despite the threat, we continue to ignore the | | | | waste, but from a security standpoint, can we |
| reality that once produced, this radioactive waste | | | | afford not to? |
| can remain a biological hazard for up to 3 million | | | | |