Nuclear Energy after Fukushima

  • Thursday, March 08, 2012
  • 6:30 PM
  • RAND Corporation (Santa Monica, CA)
Thursday, March 8, 2012 
6:00pm Registration
6:30pm Program

RAND Corporation
1776 Main Street
Santa Monica, CA 

The United States has long struggled over how to safely manage spent nuclear fuel. The ongoing significance of this policy issue was underscored in the aftermath of Japan's Fukushima nuclear disaster in March 2011. That disaster was prompted by a magnitude 9.0 earthquake, which triggered a catastrophic tsunami. The major damage was caused by leakage of spent fuel stored at the site. 

Spent nuclear fuel in the United States is stored in a similar fashion, which has raised questions about whether aging U.S. nuclear power plants are as safe and secure, or as impervious to disaster, as had been believed. Nuclear energy remains an attractive alternative to coal or natural gas because it produces essentially no greenhouse gases. Tom LaTourrette will discuss the pros and cons of nuclear energy in a post-Fukushima world, and shed some light on lessons learned over the past year.

Featured Speaker
Senior Physical Scientist, RAND Corporation

To register, visit www.rand.org by March 1.

For additional information, email events@rand.org.