Should the US build more nuclear power plants for an energy source Essay

Should the US build more nuclear power plants for an energy source - Essay Example Furthermore, safe ways for the disposal of nuclear waste should be devised so that no harm can be brought to people who come into contact with it and to the environment. Since the construction of more nuclear power plants depends on the goodwill of all the political groups involved, then it is advisable for all these parties to come to a consensus on how to best deal with the issue (Sains, 2001). The nuclear plants should be constructed and while this is being done, all the safety concerns of those who are skeptical about it should be addressed to ensure that all the parties are working together to create a safe and efficient source of energy. There are many advantages for the use of nuclear energy in the United States and these may be political, economic, and environmental among others. There are many economic benefits for the construction of nuclear power plants in the United States as a source of energy. One of these benefits is that very small amounts of raw materials are require d for the production of a large amount of nuclear energy (Cavallaro, 2010). Moreover, since these raw materials are required in such small quantities, they can be easily transported from one place to another even globally. The operation of nuclear power stations at their full capacity will ensure that cheap electricity is available in the market and that more people will be able to afford it. Nuclear power is a reliable source of energy because the average lifespan of a nuclear reactor is forty years and this lifespan can be extended by another twenty years (Weeks, 2006). Although the initial cost of constructing a nuclear plant is high, the cost of running it afterwards is relatively low and this makes it a very good investment. Nuclear power is very environmentally friendly because no harmful emissions are released into the environment during the process of producing energy, as compared to other sources of energy such as fossil fuels. Nuclear plants require very little space to co nstruct and because of this it has very little impact on the environment. It can be used to produce large amounts of energy at very little environmental cost compared to other sources of energy because nothing needs to be burned in order to produce energy (Clemmitt, 2010). Throughout the nuclear fuel cycle, all the byproducts produced are accounted for and it is carefully stored to ensure that there are no adverse impacts on the environment. It has been said of nuclear energy that since the beginning of the industrial revolution, it is the only industry which has managed to account for all of its waste that has a potential to harm the environment. The use of nuclear energy may also have a political impact on the United States especially at the international level. In the recent decades, the United States has, on numerous occasions, had to go to war in other countries to secure its energy interests. A very good example of this has been the First and the Second Gulf Wars whose main pu rpose was to secure the supply of oil. The use of nuclear energy would greatly reduce the dependence of the United States on foreign sources of energy because it would have more than enough for its domestic needs and it would even be able to export some of the surplus electricity to neighboring countries. Furthermore,