About 20 percent of the nation’s electricity is produced in the country’s 65 nuclear power plants. Unlike coal and natural gas, America’s top sources of electricity, nuclear power plants have near-zero carbon emissions. Their carbon footprints make nuclear reactors attractive, but the problems with producing electricity using nuclear technology—specifically, the threat of meltdowns and the disposal of spent, highly radioactive nuclear fuel—are well-known. Public support for the once-burgeoning industry was seriously damaged by the catastrophic events at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in Japan last March. In that incident, the plant lost electrical power following a tsunami, and three nuclear reactors experienced full meltdowns. A …show more content…
Proponents say the investment is overdue and point to nuclear energy as an effective, carbon-neutral way to produce energy. Opponents argue that those resources would be better spent elsewhere, and they worry that incidents like the one at Fukushima could be repeated on American soil. Should nuclear power be expanded? To answer that you need to know what nuclear energy is. Nuclear energy is energy in the core of an atom. HYPERLINK "https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/index.cfm?page=electricity_science" Atoms are the tiny particles in the molecules that make up gases, liquids, and solids. Atoms themselves are made up of three particles called protons, neutrons, and electrons. An atom has a nucleus (or core) containing protons and neutrons, which is surrounded by electrons. Protons carry a positive electrical charge and electrons carry a negative electrical charge. Neutrons do not have an electrical charge. Enormous energy is present in the bonds that hold the nucleus together. This nuclear energy can be released when those bonds are …show more content…
Radioactive waste with a short half-life is often stored temporarily before disposal to reduce potential radiation doses to workers who handle and transport the waste. This storage system also reduces the radiation levels at disposal sites. By volume, most of the waste related to the nuclear power industry has a relatively low level of radioactivity. Uranium mill tailings contain the radioactive element radium, which decays to produce radon, a radioactive gas. Most uranium mill tailings are placed near the processing facility or mill where they come from. Uranium mill tailings are covered with a sealing barrier of material like clay to prevent radon from escaping into the atmosphere, and then the barrier is covered by a layer of soil, rocks, or other materials to prevent erosion of the sealing barrier. The other types of low-level radioactive waste are the tools, protective clothing, wiping cloths, and other disposable items that become contaminated with small amounts of radioactive dust or particles at nuclear fuel processing facilities and nuclear power