"In a recently-released report by the City of San Antonio Community Emergency Preparedness Committee, two things stare us in the face. First, renewables wind and solar are not considered part of the city’s baseline [baseload] power. And second, there’s no mention of nuclear power as a viable option for a future baseline power source, despite the fact that nuclear is the only one of our three baseline power sources with no carbon footprint.
Reactors will not only provide always-on affordable power, but they can add to the reliability of renewables by providing 100% clean energy when needed. They should be viewed as an exciting complement rather than a competitor to renewables.
Based on its history as a reliable, robust, and safe source, nuclear power will be a cornerstone of our power sources well into the future, and elected and industrial leaders must have the courage and willpower to focus on nuclear power as part of our strategy.During my career serving on four submarines, I came to appreciate the U.S. Navy’s outstanding record of over 134 million miles safely traveled on nuclear power. The submarine force has protocols in place that recognize the need to balance the safety of the nuclear propulsion plant with the safety of the ship that it propels. Adm. Hyman Rickover, the “father of the nuclear Navy,” produced a culture of reactor safety built into engineering rigor, but more importantly, selection and training of operators. The commercial industry has grown out of this incredible record and culture of safety."