Nuclear Power

Here's a very long but well-written article about a tour of the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania. It's from GQ Magazine, so I wouldn't necessarily classify it as scholarly, but it was enjoyable to read. Here's a statement that I thought would probably be enlightening for most people:

We climbed an open metal staircase that stretched between the pipes and machinery and followed catwalks to look around. Virtually everything around us related to water: tanks so enormous that the curve of the cylinder was nearly imperceptible, filters capable of purifying thousands of gallons at once. If the Hollywood depiction of a nuclear plant involves zones of exposure and pervasive risk, where workers live in fear of radiation—think The China Syndrome or Silkwood—life inside a real power plant was startling proof of what actually drives a nuclear plant: water. Except for the presence of uranium in a single room, the rest of a nuclear compound is essentially a giant steam engine, with three circuits of water doing virtually all the work.

I support hybrid or electric cars, even though they're too expensive for me to own right now. I support relatively non-polluting nuclear power, which could charge our electric cars at night while we sleep.

I don't support a return to an agrarian society just because someone thinks my lifestyle damages the environment too much. Besides, I'll balance my per-person electrical usage against just about anyone's. Bring it on, enviro-fuhrers.