2011-2012 Participating counselors:

Lori Gaubatz – Sweeny High School
John O’Brien – Van Vleck High School
Becca Sitz – Bay City High School
Diana Blumrick – Louise High School
Sara Kahla – El Campo High School
Nanette Anglin – Wharton High School
Candy McClure – Glen Rose High School
Stephanie Rotan – Glen Rose High School

Dr. K. L. Peddicord, NPI director noted that NPI was selected by the IAEA because of its proven track record of creating private/public partnerships that positively affect educational outcomes.

“Working with our educational, industry and government partners, NPI has developed a series of innovative educational programs which produce ‘job-ready’ graduates, encourage and support students’ interest in careers in the energy industry and encourage the study of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM),” Peddicord said. “Our international  colleagues have seen this model and are interested in extending it to their educational systems. Closer connections with the IAEA will facilitate that process,” he added.

As of 2004, nuclear power provided 6.5 percent of the world’s energy and 15.7 percent of the world’s electricity. The U.S., France, and Japan accounted for 57 percent of the nuclear electricity generated world-wide. Nuclear energy accounts for about 19 percent of the total electricity generated in the United States, which is almost comparable to all of the electricity used in California, Texas, and New York combined. In France, nuclear power is the most widespread, supplying 80 percent of the country’s electricity.

Nuclear energy is a very safe source of energy because safety measures are so stringently enforced. It is making a huge comeback because nuclear energy has virtually no greenhouse gas emissions and, therefore, isn’t warming the planet and causing global warming like other energy sources.

With the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) revised the Design Basis Threats (DBTs) for nuclear plants.  The facility must be able to withstand everything from large aircraft crashes to force-on-force exercises without being compromised. These capabilities must be demonstrated regularly by participation in realistic drills supervised by the NRC.

Therefore, as demand for electricity increases, it is important that we increase not only our renewable energy sources, but nuclear power as well.

And the method we would use to reprocess the fuel is not an experimental technology, but has been practiced and refined by countries such as France and Great Britain.  In fact, the United States is one of the only countries that does not reprocess its used nuclear fuel.

As the nuclear power industry approaches a new era of interest and investment, research is ongoing to find more efficient ways of putting nuclear energy to use.  Opponents argue the cost of building a new power plant makes it an unviable and costly option.  In reality, while power plants are a very large investment initially, operational costs are a bare minimum and most power plants net millions of dollars each day.

Nearly a third of the world’s energy demands are met through nuclear power plants.  The waste and potential environmental hazards posed are minimal, however, when compared with other major energy sources, such as fossil fuels.  The electricity produced by nuclear energy, if produced using coal, would release nearly 147 million metric tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.  With nuclear energy, waste production is smaller and contained.  The total volume of nuclear waste produced since the nuclear power industry began is only enough to fill a football field to a depth of about 15 yards.  This is easily managed and held on site or in underground repositories, safely out of environmental or public contact.