Letter: Championing nuclear power

Wednesday, Feb. 18, 2004 | 9:14 a.m.

A Sun article stated that Nevada does not have enough generation capacity to support our power needs, therefore we must buy on the open market. The majority of electric generation in the country comes from fossil fuels -- natural gas, oil and coal. How long will this supply last and how much will it cost?

We did not provide price supports for natural gas in the 1970s, so the majority of the gas drilling rigs were dismantled for scrap and natural gas was vented. Oil and coal are not environmentally friendly, but since nuclear power was abandoned there are few choices left.

We currently import 56 percent of all our gas and oil needs. We are not becoming less dependent upon fossil fuels and it's guaranteed that these costs will continue to rise. Fortunately there are alternatives like wind, solar and nuclear. While the first two are environmentally attractive, the only proven, low-cost fuel source is nuclear.

Let's face it, we are not the "silver" state anymore. We are the nuclear state. Hundreds of above- and below-ground nuclear tests have been conducted just 70 miles north of Las Vegas. The nuclear waste repository at Yucca mountain will happen. Nevadans receive more radiation from the sun than just about anyone living in the USA.

Why not build a nuclear power plant? All the elements are in place. Our fast-growing demand for electricity, a need to reduce energy costs, a need to reduce dependency on fossil fuels, proximity to a nuclear waste repository, a vast expanse of uninhabitable land and water from the Colorado River.

RICHARD RYCHTARIK