Nuclear power a bad investment, WISPIRG finds
Nuclear power, being heralded by some as the solution to the global warming crisis, has a few problems, and they’re not minor.
One is safety; the potential for an accident or terrorism is ever-present. Another is the lack of any safe, permanent way to dispose of the highly radioactive waste.
And, today the Wisconsin Public Interest Research Group highlights a third problem: Nuclear power is much more expensive than other solutions to clilmate change. WiSPIRG released a report on nuclear power costs today:
With the state considering solutions to reduce our global warming pollution, a new WISPIRG report finds that renewable energy sources can produce far more electricity than nuclear plants for less money.
Unfortunately, the nuclear industry has proposed thirty new reactors across the country at an estimated cost of $300 billion.
“Taxpayers should not be subsidizing nuclear power when there are faster, cleaner, cheaper alternatives to meet our energy needs,” said WISPIRG Advocate Kara Rumsey.
Here in Wisconsin the nuclear industry is pushing to overturn a long-standing law that prevents new nuclear plants from being built unless the proposed plant is economically advantageous to ratepayers and there is safe and adequate disposal for radioactive waste.
Nuclear power is among the most costly approaches to solving America’s energy problems.
“Per dollar of investment, clean energy solutions – such as energy efficiency and renewable resources – deliver far more energy than nuclear power,” Rumsey stated.