President-elect Barack Obama’s Nuclear Energy Program
Dec 4, 2008 – Barack Obama’s nuclear program won’t be clear until after his inauguration according to Newsweek’s Daren Briscoe in the December 1 issue. Why not? During the campaign he spoke of cutting carbon emissions by 80% by mid-century by using natural gas, clean coal technology, renewable energy and nuclear energy that is produced safely. Therefore, we should expect more nuclear reactors because the current 104 reactors produce 20% of the US power but 70% of its emission-free power without any major problem. Most followers of the different energy sources know that France produces 80% of its electricity from nuclear reactors. Of course, we also remember the Three Mile Island and Chernobyl disasters. The US has 26 more reactors awaiting approval. We are trading emission-free power generation for nuclear waste. This is the classic NIMBY [Not in my back yard] problem. Currently, there is no central depository. Each facility stores its own waste while waiting for a national solution such as the proposed Yucca Mountain facility in Nevada. First, even if this is eventually approved and built, waste from the over 100 facilities will have to be safely transported there passing through America’s countryside. Nuclear experts from outside Nevada concur that it is the best scientific solution. However, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid [D; Nevada] and other Nevada politicians are against it. Presently, Obama’s plan is to continue the status quo as a result of his political fight to win Nevada in the election. Hopefully, the change in the way of doing things promised by Obama will lead to a solution in the near term. It is much better to have one or two sites for storage rather than over 100 and increasing.
