Good news on the environmental front - England is building nukes
From
Yahoo/AP:
Britain backs new nuclear power plants
The British government on Thursday announced support for the construction of new nuclear power plants, backing atomic energy as a clean source of power to fight climate change.
Business Secretary John Hutton told lawmakers that nuclear power "should have a role to play in this country's future energy mix, alongside other low-carbon sources." He said nuclear energy was a "tried and tested, safe and secure" source of power.
Hutton said the new plants would be paid for by private energy companies, not the government, and that most would be built on the sites of existing stations.
"I am inviting energy companies today to bring forward plans to build and operate new nuclear power stations," he said.
And of course, the hippies had their say:
Environmental groups condemned the decision, saying nuclear power was dangerous and would divert resources from developing renewable energy sources.
Why do they hate the environment so much -- after all, these people see the issues clearly:
In making Thursday's announcement, Prime Minister Gordon Brown's government came down firmly on the pro-nuclear side of a debate that has divided opinion in Britain and across Europe.
Hutton argued that atomic energy was a boon both for the environment and for national security. Britain will move from producing most of its own energy to having to import much of its oil and gas by 2020, and the government has warned of the risk of becoming reliant on imports from less stable parts of the world.
"Set against the challenges of climate change and security of supply, the evidence in support of new nuclear power stations is compelling," Hutton said.
Zero carbon emissions, the waste although it requires careful storage isn't that physically large (compared to toxic fly-ash from coal burning) and the storage techniques have been available off-the-shelf for a good ten to fifteen years.
Posted by DaveH at January 10, 2008 9:06 AM
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