In his My Turn column on March 23, Bob Leach argues for construction of new nuclear reactors to support a national fleet of electric vehicles, promoting nuclear power as carbon-free and non-air-polluting. I have few arguments with what he wrote but find exception with what he did not write. He failed to mention the problems of nuclear power’s deadly waste that lasts thousands and thousands of human generations. He did not mention the thermal pollution that nuclear plants dump into the rivers and ocean. He mentioned subsidies but only in regard to wind power without bringing up the issue of tax payer funded insurance for nuclear power plants or tax payer funded waste management. I do not think energy companies would invest in nuclear power plants if they were not absolved of financial liability for accidents or if they had to pay for waste storage. And because we do not know how to manage deadly nuclear waste even after decades of study and engineering, it’s absurd to consider producing it, let alone requiring producers to pay to safely store it over the millenia. I appreciate Mr. Leach’s interest in non-polluting transportation, but in my view, promotion of long-term solutions without taking all factors into account will not lead to wise decisions.
SCOTT REED
Sunderland