Fatal Flaws of Nuclear Power

This new series of educational fact sheets about nuclear power is aimed at refuting some of the central arguments that nuclear power advocates use when advancing their message. Specifically, there are five key reasons why nuclear power is not a solution to the United States’ energy needs: cost, security, safety, waste, and proliferation

Fatal Flaws #1 - Cost

Just the Facts: The Five Fatal Flaws of Nuclear Power Factsheet #1: Cost

Fatal Flaws #2 - Security

Nuclear plants currently operate at 64 sites in 31 states. Considering the devastation that could result from a successfull attack of a nuclear plant, ensuring their protection should be a priority in a post-September 11 environment. However, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and nuclear industry are leaving plants vulnerable.

Fatal Flaws #3 - Safety

The safe operation of nuclear plants ought to be the paramount mission of the NRC, but recent event and trends indicates a policy that is overly accommodating to the wishes of the industry--even to the point where safety has been compromised. The risk of a catastrophic accident at a nuclear power plant remains, but unfortunately, the NRC has failed to do all in its power to ensure that the risk is minimized.

Fatal Flaws #4 - Waste

Nuclear power is not a clean energy source: it produces both low-level radioactive waste and highly radioactive waste that remains dangerous for several thousand years. Radioactive waste is the Achilles heel of the nuclear power industry. This waste poses a serious danger to human health, and because of its toxicity and longevity, we are unable to truly manage and contain it. This toxic material is regulary dispersed into our water, air, and soil, and will only be more so if the nuclear power industry continues and expands.

Fatal Flaws #5 - Proliferation

International treaties leave non-weapons states free to use and develop sensitive nuclear technology such as uranium enrichment and spent nuclear fuel reprocessing. While such technologies are ostensibly employed to creat fuel in power reactors, they may be easily adjusted or redirected to produce weapons-grade fissile material. Moreover, power reactors themselves produce plutonium, which may be used in bombs. Once the nuclear genie is out of the bottle, it become impossible to restrict its use to "peaceful" purposes.

FatalFlawsCombined.pdf

The five Fatal Flaws documents combined into a single PDF