Comments about ‘Nuclear power: Folly, foe or friend?’

There are actually a new design of thorium reactor that might not be so bad. But they haven't built one yet so it could be a while off, but not so far off you would want to build the old type on uranium reactor now.

If it's not fool proof - definitely don't put one in the US.

"Located in the Arizona desert, Palo Verde is the only nuclear generating facility in the world that is not situated adjacent to a large body of above-ground water. The facility evaporates water from the treated sewage of several nearby municipalities to meet its cooling needs."

I think we have plenty of Utah politicians who could supply the cooling needs for a nuclear power plant, without siting it near a river.

The biggest problem is water usage. Between droughts, long summers, selling water to NV, and rising population demand, there is not enough to go around.

To "Nussdorfer AC" go back and read the article. Most of the water used by nuclear power plants is RETURNED to the source that it was taken from. Plus, they make the water cleaner.

Lets look at the benefits of nuclear power. Clean air, clean water, high paying jobs, recyclable fuel, and minimal use of land.

Tell us again why nuclear power is so bad.

@ RedShirt

Fukushima. Real estate surrounding the disaster area will be unusable for time and eternity.

It is true nuclear accidents are rare, but one in a thousand is too many. I consider myself more or less a Tea Party type, but would prefer a natural gas plant. Thorium is a possibility for the future. So are orbital collectors microwaving energy to the ground. Wave generators in the ocean might work. In the meantime we have natural gas galore. It is quite free of toxins and should be what our cars run on. Unfortunately wind and PV systems are too expensive. If the government puts money in alternatives I would prefer it for research than Solyndras.

It is remarkable how ignorant Utahns are about about nuclear power when much of the research and development has been done two hundred mies north of Salt Lake at the Idaho National Laboratory in the heart of Mormon east Idaho. The scientists and engineers who operate the nucear research reactoirs there have learned a lot in tbge last 70 years about how to make nuclear pwer safer and more efficient. The Deseret News should send a reporter up there to get the story!