Should The United States Use Nuclear Power?

Throughout the world nuclear energy is used as a major power source. Depending on the location in the world, the amount of nuclear energy used varies. When looking at the United States, studies show that they use a large amount of nuclear energy compared to other countries. With this information being shared it brings a specific question to mind: Should the United States invest in more nuclear energy?

Should nuclear energy be used? Throughout the article “Nowhere to go”, the author objectively reviews the use of nuclear energy, using the text and graphics to provide details that demonstrate the advantages and disadvantages of its use. Nevertheless, the consequences of using nuclear energy outweigh the benefits. One of these consequences is that working with nuclear energy can cause many health problems. The text states, “Dangers include radiation sickness, cancers, and other health problems. High level radioactive waste can present hazards ‘for a million years or more,’ Kamps says.” This means that using nuclear energy can cause health problems for future generations.

The United States needs a change in its energy sources. Oil, first of all, is a scarce resource that will eventually run out, and it also makes the U.S. depend on the political situation in other countries, as can be seen at the frequent changes in oil prices due to the political situation in the Middle-East. Alternative energy sources are an important issue to consider and nuclear energy is certainly the most controversial. There are currently 104 nuclear power plants operating in the United States, but the licenses of those plants will expire in foreseeable future, the first one already in 2013 and the last one in 2046 (Nuclear Energy Inst.). Those expiration dates initiate the discussions if the licenses should be renewed for the plants

Despite the fact the countries continue to increase the production of nuclear energy, my position is that new nuclear power plants should not continue to be built. The current use of nuclear power should be carefully evaluated with a plan to slowly decrease production throughout the world. The negative implications to the environment and economy support my position.

The United States should use nuclear energy to help supplement energy demand because it’s cost-effective, safer for the environment, and a more reliable source of energy than any of the other types of fuel. Some of the topics of interest are cost-effectiveness, recycling options, long term storage options, environmental protection technologies currently being used, and a breakdown of how nuclear energy out performs other sources of power year round.

Throughout this world, we use various equipment that need certain energy requirements in order for them to run properly. Two of the utmost imperative sources of energy in our world today come from coal and nuclear power. Still, a great deal of citizens of this world are unaware of the impacts of nuclear power whether it be positive or negative due to the fact that nuclear power has not existed as long as coal power has. However, as nuclear power becomes a major resource of energy, we as citizens must determine which is more fitting for not only us, but our environment. As this report continues on, you will come to find the history of each of these resources along with the advantages and disadvantages of each. Concluded from this research was the concept that nuclear power is worthier for America as a whole. Included below are the specific points as to why nuclear power is far superior for American citizens and our environment. However, the main notion to be taken from this report is the view that we need to become further educated on the energy resources present in this world and be able to determine how we can become more efficient and contribute less to climate change in the long run.

Nuclear energy is the energy released by a nuclear reaction (fission, fusion). In nuclear energy, the water is turned into steam, which in turn drives turbine generators to produce electricity. This can be dangerous! Some of the major disadvantages include radiations, radioactive waste that would be produced and accidents that can occur in nuclear reactors.

“The opposition to nuclear power is based, not on science, but on a hostility to science, technology and capitalism” - Travis Norsen, Ph.D. Nuclear Physics

The U.S. is using non-renewable resources affecting the environment and the resource itself negatively. This is a problem because the fossil fuels are creating a tremendous amount of Carbon Dioxide and the Carbon Dioxide is polluting the air. This is bad for the environment because of the amount of pollution and because of the way you obtain fossil fuels. This resource is not renewable, this means that the resource will run out over time. In this day and age, the demand for this resource is increasing rapidly due to overpopulation and the demand for more cars. If we could come up with a renewable resource to replace fossil fuels, then we wouldn't have to rely on a non-renewable resource any longer. This is where hydropower comes in. hydropower should replace fossil fuels and the U.S. a better place.

In the early years of nuclear science, there was great interest and promise towards using nuclear power. In 1954 the U.S was the first to manufacture and launch an atomic-powered submarine. This was the first PWR ever produced as the main energy source. Through the events of World War II, atomic energy was introduced by using nuclear bombs which illustrated a vile image of nuclear technologies. Once World War II was over countries were free to pursue nuclear power as an energy source. After numerous nuclear reactor prototype the first PWR fully assembled reactor was the Yankee Rower NPS which started operation in 1961. PWR power plants came to be successively operational by 1965 in the United States. Throughout history many nuclear reactor

I am against building another nuclear power plant in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania. I think that the risks nuclear power brings far outweigh the positives of it. There have already been nuclear accidents that have made a town completely poisonous, like Chernobyl. There have also been accidents that put the surrounding area at risk for radioactivity and scared thousands of people. Three Mile Island was an example of this. We do not want people who live near a nuclear power plant to be afraid to live in their own homes due to the risk of a nuclear accident. I think we should put a stop to nuclear power in Pennsylvania so we don't put ourselves at risk for an accident, because it’s not worth it.

If scientist discovered a nuclear weapon that could protect you, your family, and your country, would you test it or let the opportunity fade away? During the Cold War the threat of nuclear war was almost unavoidable. Many countries around the world started to test and produce more bombs than ever before. At one point Russia was the most advanced with their missile program. They were the only country on Earth that could attack a target without sending a single troop. If we had the chance to test a weapon that was stronger than any bomb we have, we should test the weapon because testing it does not mean that have to use it on a target, if a future war were to ever take place we would be prepared, and testing the weapon would help us understand more about bombs and increase our level of knowledge in science and technology. Testing the bomb would have many benefits to the American people and save lives in a time of war.

I think that we should not build the nuclear power plant in East Pennsboro township because it is a bad idea and could wipe out their entire town. Few reason are power plants are big targets for terrorism, also a lot of money goes into making this plant and next thing you know it could have a meltdown or produce deadly waste. Another reason is the waste won’t go away for 200-500 thousand years, which could affect our water sources and pollute our waters. Also there are high risks and unknown risks of what could happen to the power plant. So I think that we shouldn’t have a nuclear power plant.

as it was hoped to lower the price of electricity, and utilise nuclear power for

Nuclear power has been around for decades and can be easily utilized to help meet America’s energy needs. With energy