This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2012, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Syndicated columnist Gwynne Dyer usually writes with knowledge and accuracy. Not so in "Nuclear madness" (Opinion, Nov. 28). His cavalier "nobody died" attitude is not a legitimate criterion for expanding nuclear plants.
Dyer is weak on addressing accidents, natural disasters, security, terrorist attacks, long-term radioactive waste storage and the exorbitant costs to build and maintain more plants.
Expanding nuclear power plants requires the government to subsidize construction and maintenance and to monitor waste storage long after dismantling.
Dyer limits the alternative to nuclear power to dirty, coal-fired plants. He neglects renewable energies waiting to be utilized.
Rosemary A. Holt
Salt Lake City