January 27, 2009

Energy independence. We all know we need it. How to get there has been the debating point between so-called environmentalists and conservationists.

After a lull extending over three decades, nuclear power may be on the verge of a global upsurge. More than 100 new reactors are on the drawing board around the world, including thirty in the United States. These projects enjoy wide bi-partisan support that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. President Obama and Energy Secretary Steven Chu support expansion of our nation’s nuclear power plants as do a growing number of liberal and conservative members of congress.

The reason is that no other energy source can deliver vast quantities of low-carbon or zero-carbon electricity at a price that rivals coal and natural gas.

France has four operational nuclear reactors and is building a fifth. It’s time to seriously explore nuclear power here and do it now, while, you might say, the iron is hot.