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In the 2008 presidential race many of the top candidates on both the Republican and Democratic sides are keeping nuclear power on the table as an option to be considered. The argument for nuclear energy is that it could help reduce climate change because it doesn’t cause emissions like fossil fuel sources of energy. The argument against it is that it creates harmful waste that needs to be stored somewhere and also could become a security issue if nuclear materials were intercepted by terrorists. We’ll take a look at how much of a role nuclear energy is playing in the political and environmental discussions of the 2008 presidential candidates.

Guests

• Arjun Makhijani, President and Senior Engineer of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research. He holds a Ph.D. in engineering (specialization: nuclear fusion) from the University of California at Berkeley. He has authored or co-authored many books, studies and articles on energy nuclear fuel cycle related issues, including weapons production, testing, and nuclear waste, over the past thirty six years and is the principal author of the first study ever done (completed in 1971) on energy conservation potential in the U.S. economy. He is also the principal author of Carbon-Free and Nuclear-Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy.
• Gil Brown, Professor and Coordinator of the Nuclear Engineering Program at the University of Massachusetts Lowell. He has worked in the safeguards training department at the International Atomic Energy Agency and held a variety of positions at companies, including New Hampshire's own Seabrook Nuclear Power Station. He is a member of the National Nuclear Accreditation Board and a Fellow of the American Nuclear Society.

We'll Also Hear From

• Alan Griffith, Spokesperson for FPL Energy - Seabrook Station.