Campus Voice
3J02011 I The Blue Banner I 15
The Blue Banner’s View
Earthquake reminds US nuclear energy is unsafe
standards. But that does not chanf
What’s clean, emission-free,
provides electricity and can
leak cancer-causing radiation?
Nuclear power.
In 1977, Dixie Lee Ray,
then governor of Washington
at the time, said, “A nuclear
power plant is infinitely
safer than eating because 300
people choke to death on food
every year.”
Three hundred people did
not die in the incident at
Three Mile Island. Less than
30 people died because of
the disaster in Chernobyl. So
far, no deaths in Japan have
been linked to the meltdown
of reactors at the Fukushima
Daiichi plant.
But does that make it safe?
Signs point to ‘no.’
According to the Nuclear
Regulatory Commission, ex
posure to high doses of nuclear
radiation can have significant
contribution to several types
History is teaching us not to underestimate
the damage nuclear power can cause.
Three Mile Island, Chernobyl
and now the disaster in Japan are proving
this. Any country that uses nuclear energy
needs to learn a valuable lesson
from these disasters.
of cancers such as leukemia,
breast, lung and ovarian.
On March 17, President
Obama made a speech in
which he said a powerful natu
ral disaster caused “even more
catastrophe through its impact
on nuclear reactors that bring
peaceful energy to the people
of Japan.’’
Is it really possible to call an
energy source with the poten
tial to leak radiation into food,
water and air “peaceful?”
The Nuclear Energy Institute
reports 20 percent of electric
ity in the United States comes
from nuclear energy, and is the
number one source of emis
sion-free electrieity.
Nuclear power could be an
answer to the rising carbon
dioxide emissions caused by
burning fossil fuels, but do not
call it safe or peaceful.
Since the nuclear disaster in
Japan, the NRC has launched a
review into the current nuclear
power plants in the U.S. to
ensure they are all up to safety
standards.
But the American people
may not be so assured by
this review or the comments
insisting nuclear power is both
clean and safe.
In response to the earth
quake in Japan, more Ameri
cans oppose the expansion of
nuclear power.
, A recent poll by the Pew
Research Center shows 52 per
cent of Americans are current
ly opposed to the expansion
of nuclear power, a 5 percent
increase since October.
A similar poll from CNN re
ports one in 10 Americans are
calling for all nuclear plants to
be shut down.
Shutting down nuclear
power probably is not the
answer.
Losing the source of 20 per
cent of America’s electricity
would cause more problems
than it would solve.
But that does not change the
fact that nuclear power can
come with some serious side
effects.
The Oconee power plant
in South Carolina received
notices of violation from the
NRC just last year.
Nuclear power has to be suf
ficiently regulated if the U.S.
continues to use it, and even
more so if they plan to expand.
History is teaching us not
to underestimate the dam
age nuclear power can cause.
Three Mile Island, Chernobyl
and now the disaster in Japan
are proving this.
Any country that uses
nuclear energy needs to learn
a valuable lesson from these
disasters.
The only way nuclear energy
can be safe is to ensure that
nuclear power plants can
withstand even the most unex
pected disasters.
The Blue Banner Editorial Board
Karpen Hall 019 (828) 251
Ashleigh Joyner, Editor-in-Chief
amjoyner@unca.edu
Caitlin Byrd, Managing Editor
mcbyrd@unca.edu
Katherine Walker, News Editor
kpwalker@ unca .edu
Hali Ledford, Arts & Features Editor
hdledfor@unca.edu
Natalie Pearson, Sports Editor
ngpearso @ unca.edu
Megan Dombroski, Campus Voice Editor
mkdombro @ unca.edu
Katie Saylors, Photography Editor
ksaylors@unca.edu
-6586 www.thebluebanner.net
Jacob Yancey, Business Manager
jayancey@unca.edu
Jordan Paris, Design & Web Editor
aparis@unca.edu
Alex Hammond, Copy Desk Chief
rahammon@unca.edu
Trevor Metcalfe, Ass/sfartf News Editor
temetcal@unca.edu
Auburn Petty, Assistant Arts & Features Editor
alpetty@unca.edu
Dustin Stuart, Assistant Photography Editor
destuart@unca.edu
Alicia Adcox, Assistant Campus Voice Editor
aradcox@unca.edu
Michael Gouge, Faculty Adviser
mgouge@unca.edu
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send to amjoyner@unca.edu
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