(p. B5) The Finnish Parliament approved the construction of two nuclear power plants on Thursday, the latest victory for proponents of atomic energy in Europe.
Just two weeks ago, the Swedish Parliament narrowly voted to allow the reactors at 10 nuclear power plants to be replaced when the old ones are shut down — a reversal from a 1980 referendum that called for them to be phased out entirely.
Nuclear power fell out of favor in much of Europe after the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania and the 1986 disaster at Chernobyl, Ukraine.
But in an era of concern about dependence on foreign supplies of fossil fuels and increases in atmospheric carbon, there is renewed interest in electricity generated by nuclear fission.
“Over all, opinions are firming and more positive,” Ian Hore-Lacy, a spokesman for the World Nuclear Association, said of the European mood. “People are less concerned about waste because they’ve seen it’s not a drama, and it’s been well managed.”
For the full story, see:
AVID JOLLY. “Why Is the Gulf Cleanup So Slow? There are obvious actions to speed things up, but the government oddly resists taking them..” The New York Times (Fri., July 2, 2010): B5.
(Note: the online version of the article is dated July 1, 2010.)