A NUCLEAR POWER RENAISSANCE, fueled by global warming concerns:
This resurgence of commercial attention to nuclear power is coming about for several reasons. The increased attention on greenhouse gases and their effects on the global climate is spurring interest in carbon-neutral power-generation technologies, including nuclear power. Improved technologies make new nuclear plants safer and more reliable, supporters say. And federal tax credits and subsidies (.pdf) tucked into the Energy Policy Act of 2005 have kick-started a once-dormant industry.
“The performance record from an operational point of view is extraordinary,” said David Crane, the CEO of NRG Energy, of the next-generation plants currently operating in other, more nuclear-friendly countries such as Japan, China and France. “The U.S. has missed two generations of design that’s been carried out in other countries — they’re simpler to maintain.”
Can someone sue the antinuclear movement for worsening global warming by imposing a decades-long moratorium on clean, greenhouse-friendly nuclear power? Surely there are some state AG’s out there somewhere . . . .