The Impact Of Nuclear Energy

Since the 1970s, the western world has been integrating nuclear energy sources into it’s infrastructure. Globally there are 435 commercial nuclear reactors in 31 different countries (WNA: Nuclear Power in the World Today). With the US leading in nuclear energy production, more and more nations are adopting the practice of producing energy on a nuclear scale. A move towards more nuclear power in the United States of America means a move towards cleaner energy and a lower impact on the environment, allows for less dependence on foreign oil, stimulates the national and local economies, and has a lower death rate than that of other domestic energy sources such as coal. As a nation of such influence, the US has a unique opportunity to shape the face of clean energy in the world.
The US has just over 100 nuclear power plants throughout the nation (EPA: Nuclear Power Plants). Currently, these plants are operating at about 90% capacity (IER) and as of last year, they produced 19% of the US’s total electricity (NEI: Fact Sheet). The way energy is produced in a nuclear power plant is through the process of fission which happens when an atom is split in half. Fission produces …show more content…
In 2014, the US imported 46% of it’s crude oil (EIA), while it produces all of it’s nuclear energy domestically. The US spends $25 billion on oil from the Persian Gulf each year (NRDC: Safe, Strong, and Secure). With ever increasing tension in the Middle East and lack of economic resources to spare, it is in the United State’s best interest to reduce our dependence on foreign oil and start looking for energy sources locally. Even drilling locally is not an option for large scale energy production, due to the fact that the United States only contains 3% of all known oil reserves in the world (NRDC). The US must look for other domestic options if it wishes to consume energy at it’s current