The climate crisis has world leaders rethinking nuclear power

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The governor wants to extend the life of the nuclear plant. The German government decided to keep the country's last three nuclear plants running. The race to combat the climate crisis and shore up energy supplies is pushing policymakers to reconsider nuclear power.

Nuclear power is the second largest source of clean energy behind hydropower. Nuclear accounts for 20% of energy use in the US. Competition from cheap natural gas has led to the closing of a dozen plants in the last few years.

Concerns about safety, the effects of uranium mining, and storing radioactive waste persist. Nuclear proponents argue that the climate crisis poses a greater threat than reactors, and that shutting them down leaves dirtier fossil fuels to fill the gap.

After the Indian Point nuclear plant closed last year, there was a lot of activity. The agency that manages New York's electric grid says fossil fuels made up almost 90 percent of downstate energy.

If the plant closes, there will be a similar situation in California. The governor asked state lawmakers to delay closing the plant by up to 10 years because the state wouldn't be able to meet power demands during extreme weather events. California has solar, wind, and battery-storage projects in the works, but they have been delayed by supply chain disruptions and previous tariffs on US solar imports.

The state of California would lend up to a billion dollars to the utility. Congress included a bipartisan infrastructure law in order to keep the country's nuclear plants running. Production and investment tax credits for new and existing nuclear plants are included in the Inflation Reduction Act.

The Sierra Club and Natural Resources Defense Council are opposed to the proposal because it doesn't mention any studies that recommend keeping the canyon open. There are some environmental requirements that it doesn't waive.

An extension to 2035 was found to save $2.6 billion in power system costs and reduce carbon emissions by more than 10%, but those findings have been questioned.

Steve Clemmer is the director of energy research for the Union of Concerned Scientists' Climate and Energy program. Nuclear plants will help reach long-term climate goals despite the group's opposition.

It comes down to a plant-by- plant evaluation of whether they should continue to operate.