Nuclear energy not completely safe
Mr. Hathaway's guest column in the June 3 edition of the Alligator on America's energy crisis clearly demonstrates a vast misunderstanding of the situation, a misunderstanding that seems to be common among Americans.
He argues that nuclear power is an essentially 100 percent safe source of energy, citing France's predominant use of it and the fact that only "a few thousand people" perished from the tragic 1986 meltdown at Chernobyl. Mr. Hathaway fails to mention the fact that a nearly 20-mile radius around the accident site is still quarantined and considered unsafe for any type of life at all.
He goes on to argue that a completely ethanol-powered America would use more energy than we currently do. "Extremist environmentalists" are not necessarily calling for complete reliance on biofuels, but they are demanding immediate action to reduce fossil fuel reliance. The misunderstanding on this point is that 100 percent conversion is the only option.
Hybridizing, not full ethanol transformation, is the first step to energy independence.
Travis Baker, 2LS
