Alec Baldwin Knocks Nuclear Power, Calls Reactors 'Filthy'

Hard hit by the shaking ground and surging waters, the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station suffered catastrophic equipment failures, nuclear meltdowns and radioactive releases when it was struck earlier this year by the massive earthquake and the resulting tsunami that pummeled Japan's coast. All told, the disaster is the worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl

In the U.S., that catastrophe has triggered some to rethink the country's dependence on nuclear power. The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission has undertaken an extensive review of the nation's 104 nuclear power reactors in the wake of the Fukushima disaster.

And there is some evidence that the dangers of nuclear power have been underestimated in the past. An Associated Press analysis of a preliminary government report on nuclear reactor safety found that the risk of an earthquake causing a severe accident at a U.S. nuclear plant is as much as 24 times greater than previously thought, suggesting an urgent need for upgrades.

But for some opponents of nuclear power, no amount of planning or patching is enough. The risks to the environment and human health, they say, far outweigh whatever benefits nuclear power might have to offer -- even if those benefits include reducing the nation's reliance on fossil fuels.

Among those critics is the actor Alec Baldwin, whose thoughts on the subject carry added weight with his admitted interest in entering politics. Earlier this month, he told The New York Times that while a run is not imminent, he has his eye on the mayor's office.
via: Huffington Post