Here's your answer on nuclear plant emissions:

"“A number of analyses and assessments have shown that the life-cycle emissions from nuclear energy are no greater than other non-emitting sources of electricity available today. All industrial and manufacturing activities have impacts and produce waste by-products, but nuclear power has one of the smallest environmental "footprints" of any source of electricity or any manufacturing process."

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Eric McErlain | Homepage | 12.13.05 - 10:55 am | #

Eric: Heh, and for the rhetorical question I get a damn fine answer. Funny thing, France primarily drives their electric off of nuclear. I wonder what THEY do with the waste. Now if we could just get that Nevada Yucca Mountain (dump) repository opened.
mdmhvonpa | Homepage | 12.13.05 - 1:16 pm | #

Good question!
According to University of Wisconsin research, nuclear fission released 15 tonnes CO2/GWh. This is better than coal at 970, natural gas at 460, and similar to wind at 15 and solar at 39. The CO2 for the renewables are emitted during the construction process, and nuclear has emissions during mining, enrichment, construction and decommissioning.
Jacqui | Homepage | 12.13.05 - 11:25 pm | #

Jacqui: Hmmm, interesting. I suppose if you also include the co2 generated by the people operating the plant you would get a ton or so more. Given this, all the Coal that is used in China to fuel their power plants should, if accounted for, start to make the emission of the US look like a pittance. You have to wonder why China is screwing around with a space program and a super-dam when they should be building nukes like there is no tomorrow. It's not like they have all the environmentalists breathing down their neck like we do in the US.
mdmhvonpa | Homepage | 12.14.05 - 9:07 am | #