Seeing the light

January 24, 2008

Free Market Foundation

Most of France’s electricity has been generated by nuclear power for years, and now Great Britain is again looking to atomic energy. So why can’t the US increase nuclear output? The answer is, of course, irrational opposition by environmentalists, says Investor’s Business Daily (IBD).

Consider:

Britain gets about 19 per cent of its electricity from nuclear plants, roughly comparable to the United States.

Nearly 80 per cent of France’s electric power is produced by nuclear plants.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission found that if America were to rely on nuclear power to the same degree that France does, the country could achieve the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol.

It seems that if environmentalists really believed in the Kyoto anti-greenhouse gas agreement, they would be promoting nuclear power as a means to save the Earth from the global warming scourge they believe is imminent, says IBD. But not enough on the eco-left have been converted. Seeing another Chernobyl behind every cooling tower, Greenpeace not only opposes building new plants but also wants to shut down reactors in use.

As eco-activists continue their campaign of hostility toward anything but renewables and spineless politicians let themselves be intimidated, the IBD argues the US energy needs and dependence on foreign sources will only keep growing.

Source: Editorial, Seeing The Light, Investor’s Business Daily, January 10, 2008.

For text: http://www.ibdeditorials.com/IBDArticles.aspx?id=284861297057428

For more on Nuclear Energy: http://eteam.ncpa.org/issues/?c=nuclear-energy

For more on Energy Issues: http://www.ncpa.org/sub/dpd/index.php?Article_Category=22

FMF Policy Bulletin/ 15 January 2008