Future of Nuclear Energy (broadcast Friday, June 5th, 2009)

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While solar, wind, and biofuels have been garnering the lion's share of public and political attention in plans to remake the nation's energy portfolio, some nuclear energy advocates, including Senator Lamar Alexander, want more emphasis put on nuclear energy. In a speech last week at Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Senator Alexander called for the nation to open 100 new nuclear power plants by 2030. But what exactly is the right mix of power production for the US, and should European models, which often include a larger percentage of nuclear energy in the power mix, be used here? Can nuclear energy be green? In this hour, we'll talk with experts about the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power, and debate present and future nuclear power capabilities.

Guests

Thomas Cochran
Nuclear physicist and Senior Scientist, Nuclear Program
Wade Greene Chair for Nuclear Policy
Natural Resources Defense Council
Washington, DC

Ernest Moniz
Former Under Secretary, Department of Energy
Director, MIT Energy Initiative
Professor of Physics and Engineering Systems
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Cambridge, Massachusetts

Stewart Brand
President, The Long Now Foundation
Co-founder, Global Business Network
Sausalito, California