The U.S. president thinks climate change is a hoax. But his administration is touting nuclear energy, saying that it can produce carbon-free power around the clock. Setting aside the apparent contradictions, the policy is spot-on.
If the objective is to reduce CO2 emissions and to prevent environmental and economic catastrophe, then policymakers are duty bound to step up — to perhaps put a price on carbon or to motivate the construction of low-carbon power plants. Given the price tag associated with building a nuclear plant — billions in the case of the one Southern Co. has under construction — it would be a smart move to just extend the operating life of existing plants.
