SAN FRANCISCO – The Obama administration’s top nuclear regulator and a renowned clean energy expert both appeared on Environmental Working Group President Ken Cook’s podcast to warn about the federal government’s misguided pursuit of small modular nuclear reactors, or SMRs.
Greg Jaczko, former chairman of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and Professor Mark Jacobson, director of Stanford University’s Atmosphere/Energy program, said the untested nuclear energy technology is an ineffective tool for achieving U.S. emissions reduction goals to combat the climate crisis.
“When you start to talk about nuclear and its full lifecycle legacy of waste, the long-term millennial impact nuclear waste has, creates a different dimension to the [SMR] technology,” said Jaczko. “It undercuts this notion that these are climate solutions, because again, that’s really the only positive talking point you have for nuclear today.”
“The nuclear industry has jumped onto the climate change bandwagon and made promises, most of which they’ll never keep. But by the point they fail to keep them, it will be too late,” he said.
Last week, the White House announced plans to spend billions in taxpayer-funded loan guarantees and other subsidized support for the struggling U.S. nuclear industry, including SMRs. This initiative aims to help nuclear energy compete with cheaper, cleaner and safer renewable sources, such as solar and wind, which are becoming the dominant electricity sources in many parts of the country.
In recent weeks, for example, California’s electric grid has been largely powered by solar, wind and hydro, as Jacobson noted on X, formerly Twitter.
“When we add up all the emissions from the time lag between planning and operation [of a new nuclear plant], from the mining and refining of uranium, from the water vapor heat emissions, it’s nine to 37 times the [carbon dioxide] equivalent as wind per kilowatt hour of electricity generated,” Jacobson said on the podcast.
He highlighted the lengthy timeline involved in developing SMRs, with no guarantee they will become reality – and how that’s at odds with the urgent need to tackle the climate crisis.
“If we want a new nuclear reactor starting today, it’s taking 17 to 21 years. So, this is 2024. Seventeen years from now is 2041. We need to solve 80 percent of the climate problem by 2030,” he said. “There is no hope any new nuclear is helpful one bit for climate, let alone air pollution, energy security or anything else. It’s completely useless. It only lines the pockets of those pushing nuclear.”
The podcast, “Ken Cook Is Having Another Episode,” is a frequently updated series of conversations between Cook and environmental innovators and disruptors. Previous guests have included environmental activist Erin Brockovich, chef Andrew Zimmern, musician Moby, prominent environmental lawyer Rob Billott and others.
Find the full nuclear podcast episode and other episodes on Spotify or Apple podcasts.
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The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization that empowers people to live healthier lives in a healthier environment. Through research, advocacy and unique education tools, EWG drives consumer choice and civic action.
