Argumentative Essay On Nuclear Power Plant

The United States is the worlds largest producer of nuclear power, accounting for more than 30 percent of the worldwide nuclear generation of electricity. Nuclear power is also among the verge of the most expensive, construction on a new power plant in Georgia skyrocketed past the projected expenses by $737 million to nearly $7 billion. In 2012 the approval of the new power plants in Georgia and South Carolina were among the first approved in over 30 years. While these approvals were a major setback for consumers, U.S. PIRG are not giving up. The United States has 99 nuclear power reactors in 30 states, operated by 30 different power companies. Since 2001 these plants have achieved an average capacity factor of over 90%, generating up to
There have always been heavy threats of radiation because of the harsh substances contained within the nuclear power plants. The United States Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) found that 49 million Americans receive their drinking water from sources located within a 50-mile radius of some sort of active nuclear power plant – inside the boundary the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) uses to assess the risk to food and water supplies. Regulating these certain areas takes many reforms and laws in order to keep the public interest at rest with the outlying dangers of nuclear power. United States PIRG reported that at least one out of every four U.S. nuclear reactors (27 out of 104) have leaked tritium- a cancer causing radioactive form of hydrogen— into groundwater. The NRC has also ignored clear evidence that nuclear plants deteriorate with age. The nuclear industry continues to push forward with license renewals— keeping old plants open for decades past their original design to