Nuclear Power Argument Essay

The problems created by nuclear power are endless and they effect Americans and our environment therefore we should no longer continue this path and end nuclear energy programs. Nuclear energy is not a smart option because it is harmful to the environment, costly for the government, and we cannot handle the amount of waste it produces.

Nuclear plants produce thousands of tons of radioactive waste that pollute the environment and enter the food chain, eventually being consumed by humans, and leading to cancer, leukemia, and genetic disease in populations around nuclear energy plants (Nuclear Energy, 2010). There have been many deaths and lives impacted from nuclear plant accidents. For example, in the 1986 Chernobyl disaster in Ukraine an

According to the article “Nuclear Power is Far More Expensive Than Other Energy Alternatives” costs have nearly doubled or tripled the expected cost of nuclear power and the cost is overwhelming while there are still a substantial amount of other problems (Nuclear Power, 2013). As of 2010, U.S. taxpayers have paid $565 million to repair damages to nuclear plants because the government has not handled the money efficiently. It is projected an additional $1 billion from taxpayers will be needed every year for the next decade to repair nuclear facilities. The Energy Policy Act of 2005 included $17 billion in production subsidies and tax breaks plus loan guarantees for the nuclear industry (Nuclear Energy, 2010). Loan guarantees promise that taxpayers will bail out nuclear utilities by paying back loans when a project fails. Currently there are $18.5 billion in nuclear loan guarantees and the industry is seeking over $100 billion in guarantees. While other energy alternatives are inexpensive because all they require are the sun and wind while nuclear energy plants require nukes which include expensive uranium. A study shows material costs have gone up by 185 percent which means construction of a power plant in 2000 would have cost $4 billion and in 2007 it would cost more than $11 billion (Nuclear Power, 2013). The nuclear advocates argue that we spend billions of dollars a year on space exploration at least nuclear energy helps America