The analogy, surprisingly, can easily apply to resolving the energy crisis that has reared its ugly head throughout the country. It can be expected to spread and even worsen in time. Even though Texans are currently blessed with ample supplies of both natural gas and power plants, they are facing rising costs. Both Rusher and Will should be commended for their columns, but neither went far enough as to where we should go from here in the search for more generating capacity to support an economy that feeds on electricity. We need to start now to encourage construction of additional sources of low-cost, reliable and safe electricity.
Nuclear power is certainly today's leading option of choice.
It does not contribute to atmospheric pollution. Last year the nation's 103 nuclear power plants were on line for a record-setting time. They generated more power than in 1999, and the production cost decreased to the lowest of today's major power plant types. In 2000, they produced about 20 percent of all the electricity generated in our country, valid testimony to their reliability and low cost. It assigns full-time, resident inspectors to each nuclear power plant.