Make Voices Heard for Clean Nuclear Power

Nuclear Power Industry

Date posted: 11/06/17

William Gloege opines that South Korea's President Moon Jae-in recently convened a special jury to decide future use of nuclear power. The result — professors, engineering students, scientists and citizens decided, 60-40, for South Korea to primarily rely on nuclear power. American climate leader Michael Shellenberger applauded the president and jury for choosing wisdom over fear and ideology. Being highly-educated, Koreans decided based on facts and science, not prejudice and false fears. Baseless propaganda of environmental organizations and fear groups works well against nuclear power in America, but not in Korea. South Korea builds among the best new reactor designs and is lucratively selling them abroad. Unfortunately, in America anti-nuclear fear propaganda has damaged our reactor industry. We don't lead anymore. But why do big environmental groups campaign so hard against nuclear power? After all, it's responsible for 63.3 percent of America's carbon-free electricity, using only 60 electricity plants out of 7,000 nationwide. Why don't they cheer nuclear power for fighting climate change? A hint of why large environmental organizations have a propaganda war against nuclear was revealed in 2012 when Time Magazine caught the Sierra Club, a fervent campaigner against nuclear power, taking $26 million from Chesapeake Energy, a natural gas company. Closing a nuclear plant is a big win for natural gas. Many think wind and solar can take over, but they can't meet demand when there's no wind or sun, unlike 24/7 nuclear. That's when natural gas benefits. They fire up frequently when renewables are off the job. The result, more carbon in our atmosphere to heat Earth, destroy crops, turn our oceans acidic, cause hurricanes like in Texas and Florida and pollute the air we breathe. This fossil-fuel pollution causes lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and many other diseases.