Amarillo Nuclear Update

Yesterday's news about the possibility of building a new nuclear power plant in Amarillo, Texas has that city buzzing, with the local paper carrying three stories on the subject. The man with the big idea is George Chapman, a local real estate developer and founder of the local utility, Amarillo Power. Here's what he had to say in one interview:

On Tuesday, he broke his silence, touting nuclear energy as an environmentally safe alternative that would ease the nation's dependence on foreign oil.

"Climbing under the table every time you hear 'nuclear power' is wrong. We use nuclear power every day of our lives," Chapman said, noting nuclear technologies used in medicine and other fields.

"But nobody realizes it. Nobody talks about it. Nobody makes it simple enough that people can understand it."

A dearth of reporting about advances in nuclear technology since disasters at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania in 1979 and Chernobyl in the Ukraine in 1986 have had a hand in sustaining public fear, he said.

Also in today's Amarillo Globe News, you'll find a solid feature on the licensing and construction process of building a new nuclear plant, as well as a report on how the plant would fit into the nation's electrical grid.

Technorati tags: Nuclear Energy, Nuclear Power, Used Fuel, Energy, Technology, Electricity, Texas, Amarillo, Amarillo Power