“The Nuclear Option” (Letters, 3/29) dismisses clean energy as unreliable and too expensive. In fact, solar/wind power now produces 18 percent of U.S. power — about as much as nuclear — and it’s growing 17 percent faster than the overall economy.
Clean energy prices are now as cheap or cheaper than any fossil fuel or nuclear power, in much of the world and the U.S. In Arizona and Colorado, solar/wind are now cheaper than any fossil fuel, with energy storage costs included. Their prices will continue to plummet for the foreseeable future as they scale up, becoming at least 50 percent cheaper by 2030.
In contrast, more than 50 percent of the nuclear power plants in the U.S. last year operated at a loss, losing about $2.9 billion, unable to compete with natural gas or clean energy. Construction of two U.S. nuclear reactors was abandoned last year.
By 2020, natural gas too will be priced out of the market by solar and wind. Solar and wind made up roughly 62 percent of new power construction in 2017, and will surpass nuclear capacity this year.
Like the fossil fuel industry, only government subsidies are keeping the nuclear industry afloat. Renewables get subsidies, too, but they’ve been repaid, making a $37.7 million profit for taxpayers.
And clean energy doesn’t have nuclear’s dangerous “hidden” costs: radioactive waste disposal, decommissioning, proliferation/terrorism/rogue states, etc. So it’s not an attractive option.
Pete Kuntz
Northglenn, Colorado
A Note From the Publisher
Dear Readers,
The last two years have been some of the hardest in Eugene Weekly’s 43 years. There were moments when keeping the paper alive felt uncertain. And yet, here we are — still publishing, still investigating, still showing up every week.
That’s because of you!
Not just because of financial support (though that matters enormously), but because of the emails, notes, conversations, encouragement and ideas you shared along the way. You reminded us why this paper exists and who it’s for.
Listening to readers has always been at the heart of Eugene Weekly. This year, that meant launching our popular weekly Activist Alert column, after many of you told us there was no single, reliable place to find information about rallies, meetings and ways to get involved. You asked. We responded.
We’ve also continued to deepen the coverage that sets Eugene Weekly apart, including our in-depth reporting on local real estate development through Bricks & Mortar — digging into what’s being built, who’s behind it and how those decisions shape our community.
And, of course, we’ve continued to bring you the stories and features many of you depend on: investigations and local government reporting, arts and culture coverage, sudoku and crossword puzzles, Savage Love, and our extensive community events calendar. We feature award-winning stories by University of Oregon student reporters getting real world journalism experience. All free. In print and online.
None of this happens by accident. It happens because readers step up and say: this matters.
As we head into a new year, please consider supporting Eugene Weekly if you’re able. Every dollar helps keep us digging, questioning, celebrating — and yes, occasionally annoying exactly the right people. We consider that a public service.
Thank you for standing with us!
Publisher
Eugene Weekly
P.S. If you’d like to talk about supporting EW, I’d love to hear from you!
jody@eugeneweekly.com
(541) 484-0519