Currently, Dr. Moore is co-chair of the Washington D.C.-based CASEnergy coalition that is promoting nuclear energy as a clean and sustainable source of energy. His co-chair is Christine Todd Whitman, former New Jersey Governor and EPA Secretary under George H.W. Bush. You can find them at www.casenergy.org.

They made a compelling case for nuclear energy as an important source of energy for the future. Nuclear's advantages include its cleanliness and its sustainability. Dr. Moore was quick to point out that it isn't "renewable" in such a way as hydropower, solar and wind are but it is very reliable.

Nuclear's cleanliness comes from its lack of greenhouse gas emissions and its sustainability comes from the vast supplies of uranium and the ability to use current stocks of enriched uranium for hundreds of years using the newer technologies. Clearly the storage of spent nuclear fuel is still a big issue that has yet to be fully resolved but that problem is more "political" than technological. 

In Washington, over 80% of the electricity generated is from clean sources if you add hydropower and nuclear together. Energy Northwest, http://www.energy-northwest.com/who/ operates the only active nuclear power plant in Washington.

As our state and nation move toward a cleaner and more sustainable energy future, we will see a reduction in the use of coal as a generation source, even though the U.S. has more coal than anywhere else in the world. However, wind and solar still require subsidies to be price competitive and are not reliable enough for base load generation. Hydro and nuclear are extremely reliable and clean.

WTIA is not "taking a position" on nuclear power but we are interested in being informed and informing you of issues in the energy and clean tech arenas. We are working closely with a gentleman named Jan Greylorn on expanding our knowledge base on this important topic. Stay tuned for more developments.