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Risky Power
There is nothing “clean” about nuclear power — from mining uranium to producing radioactive waste, nuclear power is a dirty, risky, and expensive way to boil water. Even after decades of research and billions of dollars, there is still no solution for long-term storage of nuclear waste.
But Progress Energy and their nuclear-loving friends would like you to think it is a clean and green technology (glowing green is more like it!). They are working (lobbying) hard to get people, especially decision makers like our state legislators, to believe that building new nuclear reactors is “the” solution to the global warming crisis.
Some have even tried to define nuclear power as renewable energy, though it relies on a finite resource for fuel and produces tons of highly radioactive waste, including the extremely polluting technology known as reprocessing. The industry likes to point to France as the poster child for all things nuclear, including how to deal with nuclear waste, but they’ve got a huge mess over there coupled with costly, heavily-subsidized power. Plus, the French system is owned and run by the government and socializing the U.S. electricity system is not something that would likely float here.
Does something that generates extremely long-live, highly radioactive nuclear waste seem like a “clean” energy choice? Simply put, more reactors in Florida means more nuclear waste threatening communities in Florida.
Nuclear power depletes our water resources too. Existing and proposed nuclear plants need tens of millions to billions of gallons of water per day in order to operate. New reactors will compete with other important water needs here in Florida. For example, Florida Power and Light recently stated in their license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission during licensing proceedings for the proposed Turkey Point reactors that commercial and residential water consumption in Miami-Dade County will increase around 30% by 2025, while water consumption for thermoelectric power generation is projected to increase 3224% in the same time frame.
In addition, hot water is also discharged from the power plants to the ocean, rivers, or lakes and this “thermal pollution” stresses organisms living within the area and degrades the surrounding environment. More reactors will only continue to negatively impact our natural environment here in Florida. This is especially true for southeast Florida, where the two additional reactors proposed at Turkey Point will impact the hugely expensive restoration efforts at Biscayne Bay and Everglades National Park.
Costly Power
Progress Energy’s Scam
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