Air Date: May 31, 1991

SEGMENTS

Nuclear Technology Today / Peter Thomson

President Bush has made a renewed commitment to nuclear power a key element of his national energy policy. The nuclear industry appears hopeful after a long period of decline — calling nuclear power an antidote to global warming. Increasing the nation's reliance on nuclear power may also mean extending the life of plants already in operation. LOE's Peter Thomson visited Yankee Rowe, the nation's oldest commercial reactor, which hopes to become the first to get a license extension under proposed NRC rules. ()

New Nuclear Technologies

With the incidents at Three Mile Island and Chernobyl still fresh in the public consciousness, Americans remain uneasy about nuclear power. In a point/counterpoint, Steve talks with MIT professor Lawrence Lidsky, an advocate of a new generation of smaller, safer and more economical reactors, and energy-efficiency expert Amory Lovins, who says that nuclear power has reached the end of its road. ()

Nuclear Waste / Tom Meersman

Whether the U.S. increases or decreases its reliance on nuclear power, one important component will remain behind: radioactive waste — which will remain dangerous for thousands of years. Lacking a long term storage facility, on-site storage facilities are slowly filling up. Proposals to increase on-site storage capacity and introduce new storage technologies are raising opposition from nuclear plants' neighbors. Tom Meersman of Minnesota Public Radio reports on one case in which the protests have become especially fervent. ()

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Nuclear Technology Today

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New Nuclear Technologies

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Nuclear Waste

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