The unfortunate partial melt down of Nuclear reactors in Japan has provoked the expected knee-jerk reactions back here. The people in Washington who get paid to talk are all chatty about rethinking our nuclear plans. Now, I'm sure some senators will get up and vote against any new nuclear plants.
No energy source is without risk, from coal to oil to nukes. Short of covering every square inch of the US with wind farms, wind isn't going to supply our needs, and solar isn't ready to pick up all the slack, if it will ever be.
The issue isn't black or white. It's not build nuclear power plants everywhere or nowhere. It's a matter of thinking about where you build them. Earthquake fault lines, in low coastal areas prone to tsunamis, at the foot of active volcanoes are among the least desirable places for them. Cautious planning and construction, along with continuing research into storage of spent radioactive material, will make nuclear power safe enough for us to use.
What the hell; we can always just turn off all the lights.
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