Nuclear power is sustainable

Much anti-nuclear hysteria remains in this country, as demonstrated by Mr. Teegarden’s grim-sounding letter. (“Nuclear power is a non-starter”).

The main thrust of his argument is that nuclear energy is carbon-intensive. We don’t need this power from carbon-based fuels, however. The energy might just as well come from nuclear power itself.

Nuclear power is sustainable, especially if we reprocess our fuel. Reprocessing cuts down the volume of nuclear waste immensely, and conserves activities such as more raw mining and new processing.

Many storage facilities, such as Yucca Mountain, exist for the storage of nuclear waste. Their storage capacity is increased immensely if they store reprocessed fuel.

Many environmentalists who wish to reduce our dependence on fossil fuels have now spoken out for nuclear power, including Patrick Moore, the founder of Greenpeace.

Nuclear power is the only significant, long-term energy alternative at this time.

David W. Dahlberg

Snohomish