Is the Juice Worth the Squeeze?

Among the many lessons to be learned from the tragedy in Japan, the most significant to our future is nothing but nuclear in matter and anything but atomic in scale. The earthquake and tsunami natural disasters in the Asian Pacific wreaked havoc on Japanese nuclear reactors, instilling global fear and unease about nuclear energy as a source of power.

But even with violent multi-car crashes at the Indy 500, the race continues and ultimately comes to a finish. So while the field is currently under the yellow caution flag, waving that green flag and getting back up to full speed in nuclear power is essential to winning the energy race against time.

As Japan continues to investigate the failures and damages to their reactors caused by the natural disaster, we will learn more about the general safety of harnessing nuclear energy. The anticipation from forthcoming results should encourage, not discourage, advancement in research, development, and production.

Ongoing inspection of current facilities for physical maintenance and code compliance is absolutely necessary. Improving the safety conditions and procedures at existing plants and applying these higher standards to concepts in design are methods of learning from the present devastation. But this is not all we can do.

The meltdown at Three Mile Island occurred over three decades ago. While safety was improved as a result, “the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has not approved a single application to build a new reactor in this country” since then. Moving forward and exploring the construction of new nuclear plants following the discoveries from Japan is a progressive step towards solving our energy crisis. We should not only learn more this time around, but do more as well.

Moreover, eventual approval and implementation of new facilities creates a bundle of new jobs for Americans. Some pessimists insist we cease utilization of our current reactors, which involves layoffs across the country and slimming the job market in a recovering economy. Building and operating new plants would provide numerous opportunities for the unemployed to reenter the workforce, and help stimulate our economy from a different angle.

But what about the risks? Anybody could rightfully ask, observing the not-so-friendly reminder across the Pacific.

A truth concerning energy as it is a truth in life: you would be hard-pressed to find a risk-free reward.

The dangers of exploiting nuclear energy are inherent, their hazardous potential realized most recently and famously at the hands of a natural disaster. However, possibly the most dangerous of energy sources is not receiving the limelight that Three Mile Island or the BP Oil Spill received.

Coal mining and extraction has noiselessly taken more lives than nuclear power plants over the same time period. Mining incidents certainly are not as catastrophic as meltdowns, but occur at an infinitely more regular basis. As a result, there is a lack of media attention and public knowledge about these dangers.

Furthermore, the constant air pollution by coal plants presents yet another risk. The pollutants are not only sources of sicknesses like lung cancer, but the heavy amount of carbon dioxide emissions add to the environmental threats as warned by global warming advocates.

Perhaps the danger of harnessing nuclear energy seems overwhelming to some because it reaches our sentiments on mental and emotional levels that other incidents cannot. But going by the numbers, it would more advisable to start building nuclear reactors than coalmines.

It appears that the current state of nuclear energy is merely in caution, and should continue to move forward and progress. The thoughts of the president and chief executive of the Nuclear Energy Institute are about as optimistic as one can get at this point in time:

It is premature to reach conclusions, but I believe that expansion of the nuclear energy sector will proceed. Our industry has been forecasting the development of four to eight new reactors between 2016 and 2020; four are under development. The forecast beyond 2020 is unclear simply because so much depends on market conditions.

Before the checkered flag is out and the finish line comes into sight, the green flag must be waved, an apparently imminent spectacle with the support of Mr. President. So in a world of scarce and limited fruit trees, it seems as though the juice is definitely worth the squeeze.