enerating electricity from splitting uranium or plutonium atoms emits
no CO2, SO2, or NOx, but nuclear power is and has been damaging to human
health and our environment. Operating nuclear power plants is never risk
free. When rare accidents do happen (like the Chernobyl disaster, for
example), they can cause catastrophic damage as radioactive materials
spew into the atmosphere and are swept around the globe by the wind. Also,
there is the problem of where to store the dangerous waste from nuclear
fission which leaves leftover materials that are highly radioactive for
thousands of years. It is impossible to guarantee that any storage site
will be safe for such a long period of time. Even though supplies of uranium
and plutonium should last for more than a century, no more nuclear plants
are being built in the U.S. because of the high costs. Nuclear power currently
provides 22% of electricity generated in the U.S.
enerating electricity from splitting uranium or plutonium atoms emits
no CO2, SO2, or NOx, but nuclear power is and has been damaging to human
health and our environment. Operating nuclear power plants is never risk
free. When rare accidents do happen (like the Chernobyl disaster, for
example), they can cause catastrophic damage as radioactive materials
spew into the atmosphere and are swept around the globe by the wind. Also,
there is the problem of where to store the dangerous waste from nuclear
fission which leaves leftover materials that are highly radioactive for
thousands of years. It is impossible to guarantee that any storage site
will be safe for such a long period of time. Even though supplies of uranium
and plutonium should last for more than a century, no more nuclear plants
are being built in the U.S. because of the high costs. Nuclear power currently
provides 22% of electricity generated in the U.S. 
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