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Costly nuclear power isn’t the answer – St. Petersburg Times

Costly nuclear power isn’t the answer
tampabay.com October 13, 2008

Costly nuclear power won’t take us to the future ……………..In addition to the well-known health, safety and security risks of nuclear power, constructing new nuclear plants makes no economic sense. Our economic crisis stems, in part, from our continuing to borrow hundreds of billions of dollars from China that we give to the Middle East for oil. Building a nuclear power plant is the most capital-intensive means of producing energy, and employs the fewest workers.

We are in an economic crisis requiring huge infusions of capital to keep our country and perhaps the world from economic collapse, and there are far less capital-intensive means of producing energy, such as solar and wind generating units, which can be manufactured and operated on a vastly smaller scale, and decentralized, thereby creating many times the number of American jobs in our troubled economy, for the same investment.

The power companies are promoting nuclear power because their rates (and their profits) are based upon a percentage of their capital investment — the higher the capital investment, the higher profit for the power company………………21st century technologies are ready to meet our energy needs. Rather than return to the failed energy policies of the 1970s, we can and must do better. Our presidential candidates and the next Congress need to take the steps necessary to effectively address our climate and economic crises, and move us quickly to the nuclear-free, carbon-free energy future Americans want and deserve.

Costly nuclear power isn’t the answer – St. Petersburg Times

October 13, 2008 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | ENERGY