It should be no surprise that Americans favor new nuclear energy in the United States. Nuclear is clean, safe and affordable and already 20% of our electricity comes from commercial nuclear power plants. A new Rasmussen poll reaffirms American support for nuclear: For three decades, nuclear power plants have generally …
Jack Spencer, Research Fellow in Nuclear Energy at the Heritage Foundation, authored this post. The Center for American Progress is promoting a study called “Business Risks and Costs of New Nuclear Power,” which according to a CAP press release uncovers the “staggering” costs new nuclear power. The study prices out new …
When nuclear experts discuss nuclear energy, they generally talk about three different parts: the front end of the fuel cycle, business and operations, and the back end of the fuel cycle. The front end includes all of the activities necessary to produce nuclear fuel. This means mining, enrichment, fuel fabrication, …
President-elect Barack Obama has a number of challenges to tackle when he takes office in January. One of his promises is to change the weather — by addressing global climate change. While only Congress (or the EPA) can implement an economy-wide cap-and-trade policy, Obama would surely sign the bill. In …
Last week at Heritage, representatives from the Idaho National Laboratory (INL), Thorium Reactors, Hyperion and General Atomics discussed the potential of new nuclear technologies for America. The full event is available and accessible by going to Heritage’s event site. The INL’s Next Generation Nuclear Plant (NGNP) project, which is a …
Nuclear waste is not just at nuclear power plants, but there’s also radioactive waste at universities, labs and hospitals across the country, as indicated in a recent Associated Press story. These places have all kinds of nuclear waste? Much of it low-level nuclear waste. The United States Nuclear Regulatory Commission …
While recycling spent fuel or placing it in interim storage may have a role to play, America’s focus must remain on opening Yucca Mountain in a timely fashion. Despite whatever other technologies are developed, there is an enduring need for permanent geologic storage. Even after used nuclear fuel is recycled, …
