Ex Anti-Nuke Reverses Course on Nuclear Energy

In his younger days, G. Pascal Zachary marched against the opening of the Diablo Canyon Nuclear Power Plant. But today, the noted author thinks nuclear has to have a place in the country's future energy mix:

We need to encourage the few utilities that are pacesetters in nuclear power, notably Entergy and Exelon, to build new plants fast. We need to use tax dollars to make it happen. We need to stop using citizen activism and the legal system to stymie nuclear power and rob the country of one clear path toward energy independence.

At the same time we need to push wind, solar and other renewable technologies. We need to promote mass transit and curtail automobile use by sharply raising taxes on gasoline and restricting cars altogether from some areas. We need to campaign more vigorously for conservation. And, yes, we need nuclear power. The coming energy crises are likely to be too painful and costly for Americans not to embrace nuclear.

There's plenty more. Be sure to read the rest right now.

UPDATE: Zachary's piece has sparked an interesting debate over at Hit and Run.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Environment, Energy, Politics, Technology, Economics, GHG, Exelon, PG&E, Entergy, General Electric