A few days ago, Forbes.com contributor James Conca penned an essay asking this cogent question:
Why don t politicians ever talk about nuclear energy? ¦[T]here is no serious political discussion about nuclear power. And when there is, it s all fear and doom, contrary to reality.
He mentions a relatively new group of current and former officials, including former EPA Administrator Carol Browner, who have formed a group called Nuclear Matters, whose aims are to ...inform the public about the clear benefits that nuclear energy provides to our nation. They want to raise awareness of the artificial economic challenges to nuclear energy that threaten those benefits. And they are working with stakeholders to explore policy solutions that properly value nuclear energy as a reliable, affordable and low-carbon electricity source that is essential to our energy future.
It should be noted that the writer, Dr. Conca, is no knee-jerk friend of big business and does not shirk from addressing what he considers to be environmental degradation due to predatory industrial behaviors: his bio lists membership in some of ACSH s favorite bête noires , including Greenpeace and the NRDC (he is also affiliated with the Association of Petroleum Geologists a combination of groups rarely if ever seen!). Nevertheless, his scientific expertise (his specialities include geology and hydrology, and he has advised the federal Energy Department as well as the federal and state EPAs) has convinced him that one part of the solution to producing sustainable energy sources must include nuclear power.
For more perspective, watch our video with commentary by ACSH s advisor, Dr. Jerry Cuttler, a co-author of our publication, Nuclear Energy and Health, which was published in the peer-reviewed journal, Dose-Response in 2009.