Nuclear Energy Production in America

by Jeremy Goodwin
edited by Mark Murnahan

Pop Quiz: How many people were killed during the 3 Mile Island partial nuclear meltdown?

In 2006 at a town hall meeting in Topeka, Kansas, I watched a man stand up and say, "I don't want nuclear power in my back yard". I shook my head as a round of applause grew in the room. He was concerned about new plants, but also the transportation of spent nuclear fuel rods (see what the Department of Energy says). This was a meeting set by Conoco Phillips to discuss high gas prices. At the time, gasoline was over $2.00 a gallon and we were all frustrated by paying $25 to $40 to fill our tanks.

Today, the fight in our Congress is whether or not to drill for more oil on United States land. Democrats have been fighting this, and Republicans are pushing for it. The claims against drilling are that it could take 10 years to get that oil into your gas tank. To that you have to ask "are we still going to need oil in 10 years?" If your answer is "probably so, yes", then start the drill. If you then look off to the side of our drill and can see a Chinese oil drill on the horizon, do not be surprised. They will drill until there is no "Texas Tea" left in any hole on earth (source).

On Friday I heard an engineer suggest that "wind farms will affect weather patterns". Again, I shook my head as another idea was put forth to sabotage our efforts for energy. This is an absurd notion! As a member of the American Meteorological Society and the Chief Meteorologist of WIBW-TV in Topeka, Kansas, it rattles my cage when somebody suggests that a wind farm will change weather patterns. Most weather happens well above 300 feet. A wind farm is only 300 feet tall, and they receive wind, not create wind.

I state these examples to simply point out that the fault for the Energy Crises belongs to each of us. For every answer, there seems to be an equal and opposite "yeah but", that will stand up to shut down any possible solution.

As your electricity bill goes up, ask yourself "why haven't we built a nuclear power plant since the 1970s?" Then, as you pump gasoline into your SUV at $4.00 a gallon, ask yourself, "when was the first time I was told that oil was a finite resource?" Then look at your SUV and ask yourself "did I really need to buy this thing, or did I just want it?" Don't get me wrong, we have the right to use our resources to purchase any item we can afford. But, you must look at the bigger picture and consider what consequences there might be for any decision we make. Going forward, our decisions need to be smarter. Yes, the government could do a better job. Yes, private industry can do a better job. But, remember, we are the voters. Elected officials have their hands tied by public opinion. Private industry also has it's hands tied by public opinion. We vote with our dollars. In the past 10 years, we voted for the Ford Excursion and ignored the Toyota Yaris. Today, I drive a Volkswagon Passat (32mpg highway) and somebody else has my GMC 4x4. Oh, I miss my truck, but when gasoline hit $2.25 I saw 14 mpg as a little excessive. I have saved thousands of dollars by giving up that vehicle.

Imagine how many Americans will react to this fact: John McCain has proposed that the United States install 45 new Nuclear Power Plants by 2030, on the way to a total of 100, "eventually" (source). Can you imagine the number of angry skeptics he will need to answer on this proposal? Some insist that we must install nuclear now to reduce Greenhouse Gases. Others insist that we must not install nuclear, because they are unsafe, cost too much, and there is no good place to "dump" the spent nuclear fuel rods. Yucca Mountain is the epicenter for argument on where to dispose of nuclear waste (source).

Deadly Nuclear Disasters in U.S.A. = ZERO

The unfortunate part about Nuclear Power is it only gets attention when something "bad" happens. If I asked you to name four significant events involving Nuclear Power, these are likely to be the first four you can name:

Hiroshima
Nagasaki
Chernobyl
3 Mile Island

If you can name any more significant events (without a search engine), consider yourself to be more highly informed than most on this topic. Let's look at these events one by one, and I do hope you will not tune out before making it to 3 Mile Island. Note that only two of these involve electrical production, and many people forget that we use nuclear energy to safely operate submarines and aircraft carriers.

Hiroshima, Japan - Monday, August 6 1945: Intentional Bombing of a City. More than 100,000 killed (nuclear did what it was designed for)
Nagasaki, Japan - Thursday, August 9 1945: Intentional Bombing of a City. Nearly 100,000 killed (nuclear did what it was designed for)
Chernobyl, Soviet Union - Friday, April 26, 1986: Series of tests conducted. Tests were done at the end of the lifecycle of on-hand nuclear material (better performed earlier). Tests were in progress between the day shift/night shift changeover. As reaction began to occur, employees used a "manual override" on the safety shut-off. The accident was preventable, and even during the process, could have been contained. The testing resulted in explosions and a radioactive steam cloud. There were 56 direct fatalities and an increase in cancer cases in the region by approximately 9,000. (source) (catastrophic failure against government regulation)
3 Mile Island - Partial Core Meltdown of Nuclear Reactor: Resulted in ZERO deaths and ZERO injuries (source). The accident was preventable, and safety systems operated effectively to contain the situation. (nuclear and safety measures did what they were designed for ... plant still in operation)

Nuclear Energy + Jane Fonda = Disaster

Between 1980 and 1984, there were 51 Nuclear Power Plants cancelled. Jane Fonda headed the efforts to scare the public on nuclear energy. While she was a great actress, I am certain that more qualified voices may have been better suited to lead this discussion. If you watched China Syndrome (a movie about a Nuclear Meltdown released 12 days before the 3 Mile Island incident), Jane Fonda starred in the movie and "alerted" the public to the dangers of nuclear power. This then became a real life version of, "no, I am not an expert, but I did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last night". If you think that (even uninformed or misinformed) celebrity endorsement or activism against something is not relevant, this should be evidence of that power.

3 Mile Island Meltdown Success

The 3 Mile Island Meltdown proved a success! It showed how well the situation could be contained. Unfortunately, public perception of the event was not so positive. Remember, not one person was injured. Ask a friend, "quick quiz, do you know how many people were killed during the 3 Mile Island Partial Nuclear Meltdown in Pennsylvania?" Today, we continue to hear nuclear mentioned in speeches as though it is "the future". It's called an "alternative" source of energy. But, the simple fact about nuclear is that we have had it in operation for about 60 years. Our Navy uses nuclear powered submarines and aircraft carriers. As "crazy" as this might sound, 3 Mile Island is still operational and providing power.

Nuclear Energy Production Accounts for 19 Percent of United States Electrical Generation

Although there has not been a new nuclear power plant approved in the United States since 1979 (see Energy Information Administration permits approved by year), they continue to account for nearly 20 percent of the electricity produced in the United States. We have neglected this clean source of energy for nearly three decades, but yet, it is still providing a fifth of our power. This may seem like a lot, but if you compare it to the electrical production in France, at over 75 percent, we are missing out. Here are a few facts about nuclear power production in France, according to the World Nuclear Association.

France derives over 75% of its electricity from nuclear energy. This is due to a long-standing policy based on energy security.
France is the world's largest net exporter of electricity due to its very low cost of generation, and gains over EUR 3 billion per year from this.
France has been very active in developing nuclear technology. Reactors and fuel products and services are a major export.

Many Americans are not even aware of U.S. nuclear energy plant locations (see here), or how many operating nuclear power plants there are in America today (over 100). They are spread across the U.S. and have been operating since the 1950s without a significant fault.

Source: U.S. Department of Energy: Energy Information Administration

Power Can Be Dangerous

Remember, all power is dangerous if handled incorrectly (political power is an example). Whether it's nuclear, gasoline, or pulling a buggy by horse, all involve risk. Just as your car has airbags, the nuclear power plant has safety devices to contain any sort of accident. Nuclear Power is clean. Nuclear power is safe if done correctly, with the right people in control of the plant. We are harming ourselves by not taking advantage of this 60 year old "alternative" source of energy. Yes, spent nuclear fuel rods must be disposed of. This, like any other process, requires planning and safety considerations. It is not impossible unless the voter decides to say "not in my backyard", and defines backyard as "hemisphere". I simply say to look at the track record for safety of Nuclear power production versus other dangers.

United States Citizens injured or killed by nuclear power since 1950. Zero!
United States Citizens injured or killed by flooding since 1950. Approximately 6,000 (source)
United States Citizens injured or killed by heat since 1950. Approximately 10,000 (source)
United States Citizens killed by tobacco smoking. 400,000 Annually (according to CDC). (source)

I can only imagine the number of my fellow Americans who might drive by a nuclear power plant and say "that thing worries me" while flicking ashes out the window of their car. Nothing is 100% safe, but nuclear has a good track record. I simply hope that when you have a discussion on nuclear energy, that you open your mind a little. Do a little research, maybe drive to a nuclear power plant and look at the surrounding communities. If your reaction is simply "not in my backyard", then you are not a part of the solution.

Pop Quiz Answer = Zero killed and zero injured.