Plumer, B. (2016, November 3). The US keeps shutting down nuclear power plants and

replacing them with coal or gas. Retrieved From

http://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2016/11/3/13499278/nuclear-retirements-coal-gas

Over the past three years, the United States has lost five nuclear power plants in favor of cheap natural gas. Power plants still provide about 19 % of the nation’s energy, and the closing down of power plants has severely affected the United States’ energy production. This loss of energy due to the closing of plants has led to more burning of coal and natural gas, which is worse for the environment than the emission-free nuclear power. By the year 2030, seven more reactors may be shut down, and 75% of the energy produced by these reactors may be compensated by the use of coal and natural gas. The use of greenhouse gas emitting fuels would be at an all time high in many different regions of the United States.

I think that the United States needs to support nuclear power plants as an energy source. It is a clean, carbon-free source of energy that has provided power for millions of people in the US. If we are going to stray away from nuclear power, we must compensate with an energy source that is just as clean, or cleaner, but we cannot revert to coal and natural gas. This conversion would wreak havoc on the environment and cause numerous new problems for our nation’s future.