Following is the essay on nuclear power that Kent Riley submitted to NHK's web site. I strongly feel that nuclear power, and the technology that has spawned from it, is extremely important to humankind. Energy generation should be provided by a rational mix of the many generation modes, which will vary from country to country and region to region. Similarly, I feel that energy efficiency and conservation strategies should be greatly increased, but such strategies will probably only reduce the growth in consumption and cannot hope to replace nuclear power. I feel that nuclear power is much more environmentally sound than coal or gas power.
Great concern is raised about the safe storage of nuclear waste, and justifiably so.
The longevity of nuclear waste is of great concern. Admittedly, it is impossible to design a container that can be guaranteed not to fail until all of the radioactivity has decayed. Humans, however, have the ability to monitor nuclear waste and the containers it is stored in. Actions can be taken if the integrity of a container is suspect. Nuclear power also has an excellent safety record, even considering the tragedy at Chernobyl.