The United States should significantly increase its use of nuclear energy.

Okay so, I'm gonna run my PF case, since I didn't get to today on the actual tournament. Nuclear Energy needs to be substantially increased in the United States of America, heres why. 1.Relatively environmentally friendly 2.Economically Sound 3.Safe 1.Nuclear Power plants are the only power source capable of giving energy to people on a massive scale, while still not having major harmful environmental effects like coal and natural gas do. As Patrick Moore, the co-founder of the environmental group Greenpeace describes, "" Times have changed. I now realize nuclear energy is the only nongreenhouse-gas-emitting power source that can effectively replace fossil fuels and satisfy growing demand for energy." Unlike nuclear energy, Burning fossil fuels releases an abundance of elements into the atmosphere. Nuclear energy, to the contrary, fully contains all of its byproduct in the form of used nuclear fuel. Such waste is safely managed throughout the world in countries like France, Finland, and Japan. 1.Nuclear Power plants are also cost-efficient and create jobs, making them the most economically sound option for our 21st century power source. As Business Wire explains "During construction, a nuclear plant will provide 2,500 jobs. The average operating plant employs 400-700 people, and jobs at these plants pay substantially more than average jobs in the local area." Nuclear power also saves money, because even after the fuel is used, it can still be recycled. The French, Japanese, and British all recycle their used nuclear fuel. Using that method, America can recycle its 58,000 tons of used fuel stored across the nation to power every U.S. household for 12 years. MIT performed a study in 2003, and found that when the construction of the plant is factored in, along with general running costs, nuclear power runs at the price of 4.2 cents per kilowatt an hour. Coal power also had the price of 4.2 cents, and gas ran at the price of 5.8. Also, Considering that our country is spending $700 billion a year on imported oil, it would be foolish not to make maximum use of all U.S. energy resources. With advanced technologies, energy conservation and improvements in energy efficiency, the United States could move within reach of total energy independence. - As explained by Professor John Mann of University of Illinois 3.My partner and I also support nuclear power because we find that nuclear power is safe for widespread growth throughout the country. First off, the waste that is produced from nuclear power plants can effectively be managed, through the usage of storage facilities in remote locations such as Yucca Mountain, or the Waste Isolation Plant in Carlsbad New Mexico. The second location is actively receiving transuranic waste from across the country in a highly secure manner. Nuclear waste has been transported on roads and railways worldwide for years without a significant incident. More than 20 million packages with radioactive materials are transported globally each year--3 million of them in the United States. Since 1971, more than 20,000 shipments of spent fuel and high-level waste have been trans-ported more than 18 million miles without inci-dentThis is only the beginning, as nuclear power grows, so will nuclear waste depositories, in the most remote spots in America. There is also a lot of fear with nuclear power plants regarding their release of radiation into the environment around it. However, this is a completely unfounded claim, as the Heritage Foundation explains. "Indeed, less than 1 percent of the public's exposure to radiation comes from nuclear power plants. The average American is exposed to 360 millirem of radiation a year. About 83 percent (300 millirem) of this annual radiation dose comes from natural sources, such as cosmic rays, uranium in the Earth's crust, and radon gas in the atmosphere. Most of the rest comes from medical procedures such as X-rays, and about 3 percent (11 millirem) comes from consumer products. " The third major fear with nuclear power is that the power plants could fall victim to terrorist attacks, leading to a disaster. But here are the facts, The United States has 104 commercial nuclear power plants, and there are 446 worldwide. Not one has fallen victim to a successful terrorist attack. Even a large passenger jet, such those that were used in the terrorist attacks of 9/11, would not be able to destroy a nuclear reactor. The Brookings Institution explains that "U.S. nuclear power plants, which are subject to both federal and international regulation, are designed to withstand extreme events and are among the sturdiest and most impenetrable structures on the planet—second only to nuclear bunkers." Speaking of 9/11, since then, a good $1.2 billion has been spent making sure that nuclear power plants are even more secure, outfitting them with bulletproof glass, and 60% more security guards. These days, nuclear power plants go through drills where commandos attempt to raid the facility, in order to regularly lessen the possibility of a security breach, which is quite low, considering that states post state troopers and the national guard to protect nuclear power plants, and the US military is standing by. Nuclear power is safe for the environment, for the people that work in it, and for the nation. So to summarize, its pretty good for the environment in that it is better than any of the alternatives that are able to produce at such a level. It would help the economy by providing for the creation of jobs, and cheaper than the alternatives. Finally, nuclear energy is safe because of the plans we have to store waste, and the very strong safety measures that are taken to protect plants.