New Jersey needs nuclear. The United States needs nuclear. Nuclear energy makes up approximately 25% of the energy produced in this country today, carbon free. The Nuclear industry across the U.S. has come under increasing financial pressure due to low natural gas prices, which has driven down the cost of energy prices across the country and has made competing a challenge. These pressures come at a time as we as a country are doing our share with efforts to lower our carbon footprint as a nation. Renewable forms of energy like wind and solar energy are part of the equation to lower emissions in the U.S and worldwide, but the closing down of Nuclear power plants will result in increases in carbon emissions because the replacement of nuclear power generation will be replaced with Fossil fuel plants. Cheap natural gas is our transition fuel as we migrate away from coal and toward a fossil free future. Nuclear power should be a part of our fossil free future to maintain a form of carbon free electricity and fuel diversity. In New Jersey, Nuclear makes up 97% of our emissions free electricity and in New Jersey, 47% of the power made in our state is produced from nuclear power. In South Jersey alone, the nuclear industry supports approximately 4,000 well-paying jobs, including local contractors and other small businesses.
The Nuclear industry is going to need help during this difficult time – shutting down Nuclear plants should be avoided. Solar and wind energy is being paid for and subsidized by taxpayers. The wind and solar industries enjoy a 30% tax credit in order to allow these forms of energy sources to be competitive in the current market place – Nuclear needs something similar and nuclear should be treated as a renewable and as a carbon free form of power and enjoy a similar tax credit. Renewables are part of the answer to our future energy needs as a nation but the wind does not always blow and the sun does not always shine, so what does that mean? Other forms of electricity will probably always be a part of the energy plan for the U.S. For every renewable megawatt of electricity we have in this country, those renewable megawatts will need to be backed up with a form of a fossil or nuclear energy source.
