Is it true that electrical energy in the US is produced by nuclear fuel?

Answer 1

Yes. About 20% of our electrical power is produced by nuclear power plants. We could seriously reduce our CO2 output if we were to follow the lead of France and produce more of our energy this way. The down side, of course, is the waste disposal and possible meltdown issue.

Another Viewpoint:

Its not really a downside. Looking at the big picture, and taking into account all of the risks, nuclear power is cheaper, safer, and more ecologically and environmentally sound than fossil power.

Yes, there are risks, but there are also risks to fossil power, something that we tend to ignore. Yes, there have been accidents, and yes, there have been consequences, but, again, things have been blown out of proportion. (There are also accidents in fossil plants, one very big one many years ago, in Caracas, but no one talks about that one because it was not nuclear.)

You have greater risk of dying in a car crash than you do flying in an airplane. Does that mean you do not drive - or fly? You have greater risk of being struck by lightning than you do from crashing in an airplane. Does that mean that you stay indoors all the time? (Actually, that's funny, because I have been struck by lightning!) You have greater risk of radioactive contamination from a fossil plant than from a nuclear plant. Did you know that? There is more waste, on a volumetric basis, per year, from one fossil plant than there is waste from all of the US nuclear plants combined. Did you know that? And that waste is also radioactive, because fossil fuels come from the Earth, which is radioactive.

In terms of that nuclear waste; it has been estimated that the high level waste from all of the US nuclear power plants in one year is about one football field to a depth of about 6 feet. That's not actually a large amount, when you take things in perspective - which is why the controversy surrounding Yucca Mountain stuns me.

You have risk from dying of electrocution in your house. Does that mean you stop using electricity altogether? (Way before electric power and light bulbs, we used candles and oil lamps - and there was risk of fire - hmmmm.)

Yes, there are risks to nuclear power. Some of them are rather substantial. We design these plants with that in mind, and we constantly learn and improve. (A point on that - we design nuclear power plants with a certain design basis in mind - I don't think an 8.9 earthquake and subsequent tsnuami was within that design basis, making Fukushima Daiichi an "incredible", beyond design basis, accident - yet, we are still protected more than we would be if we had not bothered to provide engineered safeguards.)

Yes, Fukushima Daiichi is going to hurt some people, it has already hurt some people, and there will be more in the long run, but it will be nothing in comparison with what has already happened from the earthquake and subsequent tsunami.

Put it in perspective. Put it all in perspective. Learn the facts. You will see that nuclear power is the only viable way to go for the immediate and intermediate future. Our lives and livelihoods depend on it.