Lastly, nuclear power is a very viable source of alternative energy because it’s much more affordable then fossil fuels. A big problem with power in our time is that it is very expensive. With nuclear power we can get more energy out of fewer materials which will in turn save money. Douglas Gregory states, “One uranium fuel pellet – typically measuring about 0.3-inch diameter by 0.5-inch long—can produce the equivalent energy of 17,000 cubic feet of natural gas, 1,780 pounds of coal, or 149 gallons of oil.” (The Use of Nuclear Power Should Be Increased). If all you need Is such a small amount of uranium then depending on how much you have it will last a long time. “the actual recoverable uranium supply is likely to be enough to last several hundred (up to 1,000) years, even using standard reactors. With breeders (advanced fast reactors), it is essentially infinite.” (Nuclear Energy Has Been Used for Decades). With the use of nuclear power the United States could decrease its imports significantly. “Today, the USA burns about 1 billion tons of coal per year in power plants. Using 1 billion tons of coal to produce synthetic fuel would replace 65 percent of America's imported oil. (At 12 million imported barrels per day, 65 percent is 7,800,000 barrels …show more content…
After the nukes were dropped on Japan during WWII, “Rough estimates of the radiation doses received by those who died of radiation exposure were made, and analyzed. It was discovered that doses in excess of 100 REM [unit of absorption of ionizing radiation] (Rads) inflicted over relatively short periods of time caused about a tenth of a percent [0.1%] of those exposed to die of a variety of radiation-related reasons, including cancer.” (Minimal Exposure to Radiation Poses No Safety Risk). However after the Three Mile Island incident a research paper was published by a Professor T.D. Luckey. To this Leslie Corrice had to