Nuclear power

In the 1960’s early environmentalist began protesting against the use of nuclear energy. This was somewhat counter intuitive since their main concern was the carbon dioxide produced by burning fossil fuels and nuclear was carbon free. There had been no accidents and waste materials were stored on site. Groups like Green Peace convinced the people that nuclear accidents could happen and mining for uranium was harmful to the ground water. Not a single new reactor began construction between 1978 and 2013 and only one since then. More than 100 orders for new reactors, many already under construction were cancelled in the 70’s and 80’s bankrupting some companies. Not everyone agreed with Green Pease and early opposition emerged as a diverse alliance of ranchers, miners, loggers, hunters, off road vehicle drivers, oil workers and farmers. As CO2 emissions rose many felt that moving away from nuclear was a mistake and are reconsidering. The way the environmentalist won the battle was to add so many regulations under the guise of safety that the time to build and the increased cost killed the industry. The quickest and easiest way to revitalize the industry is to remove unneeded regulations. There is still opposition coming from environmental groups who are unaware of the new reactors that are safe and produce very little waste. Other opposition comes from the fossil fuel industry and the New Green Deal.