Chemistry

From the early 19th to the current 21st century people have come to rely on electricity almost as much as much as the water they drink and the air they breathe. This relationship came about from the integration of electronic based technologies and a society that has growing increasing dependent on them for either education, entertainment and even a means of comfort, all of which has ensured that the society as most people know it today would cease to exist should electricity ever stop flowing into the gadgets that they use on a daily basis. With the current electricity crisis engulfing the U.S. society as most people know is in danger of ceasing to be. The luxuries and comforts taken for granted such as air-conditioning, televisions, private computers and internet access all of the comforts of home that society has prized so much has the potential of being lost to many individuals. As such what is presented here and now is a quandary of possibilities faced with facts, of potential versus actual truths and the an inevitability faced with mere potential. With the current need for electricity the U.S. government is planning to build a nuclear power plant only a few minutes away from this current location and as such due to the relative distance of the plant to this community it will be the first to benefit from a greatly enriched power grid (Macfarlane 2010). Luxuries and comforts that are endanger of disappearing will be reinstated and people will be able to get along with their lives in a similar fashion to the way things were years ago. Yet not everything is good news, with the creation of a nuclear power plant so close by what this community is faced with is the potential from possible radiation sickness, the probability that something may go wrong and the possibility of a nuclear explosion that would claim the lives of everyone around here (Meshkati 2007). With this in mind what must be considered is whether or not the benefits outweigh the costs and if possible wouldnt there be some other way to produce electricity for the country

Benefits and costs
Building a nuclear reactor is no easy matter for one thing the sheer costs of construction estimated at 6 -  8 billion dollars is no laughing matter not to mention the fact that the sheer amount of space needed for such a venture would virtually eliminate previous areas where people from surrounding communities may have used as recreation areas (Bilbao 2010). Not only that but the environmental costs in the form  of trees and forests clear for development as well as the nuclear waste in the form of spent nuclear fuel rods presents a clear and present danger for people in communities around the reactor. The Chernobyl nuclear plant disaster come to mind where a breached nuclear reactor and ill used cooling system resulting in a massive nuclear disaster which affected thousands of individuals, poisoned large swaths of land and made nuclear emergency generation synonymous with danger and death (Miller 2010). What must be considered though is that science learns from its mistakes and that the present versions of nuclear energy generation are far removed from that used in Chernobyl with high margins of safety and fewer possibilities for nuclear accidents from occurring (Berger 2010). Also one of the best aspects of constructing a nuclear power plant nearby is that of course initially provide construction jobs and create quick economic growth for the community due materials being sourced from local stores and depots. When the plant is finished it would also continue to provide jobs in the form of maintenance engineers, technicians, plant workers etc. Having a nuclear power plant nearby is boon for any community since with it comes the potential for prosperity. If radioactive wastes are an issue for community leaders none of it actually gets stored in the area surrounding the reactor itself instead a large container depot at Yucca mountain as been chosen as a site to hold the nuclear wastes accumulated from energy production till the spent nuclear fuel rods eventually cycle through their half life stages and become inert (House 2010).

Other alternatives to nuclear power
While it is true that their are other alternatives to nuclear power in the form of renewable energy resources such as wind,, solar, hydro and geothermal power most of these forms except for solar energy are location specific meaning that they only work in locations with the ideal environment needed for the technology to work properly (Lloyd-Evans 2010). Solar power on the other hand could work nearly everywhere however with the current level of technology solar power collectors would need a land area several times that used by a nuclear reactor in order to produce the same amount of energy and even though the source of the energy is free the initial costs would be just as heft as building a nuclear reactor. Nuclear reactors can be built almost anywhere with a large source of water needed as a coolant for the nuclear fission process (Bilbao 2010). On the other hand it must be noted that renewable sources of power do have their benefits as being a cleaner and much safer technology to use as compared to nuclear reactors not to mention the fact that their initial costs are usually quickly recouped from the relatively free source of energy. The thing is though renewable energy technologies are still in their infancy that while they are able to contribute to the energies sourced from power grids they are still unable to fully provide for the energy needs of the entire U.S. population. This is due to the fact that conventional electricity generating technologies such as coal, fuel and nuclear power plants are able to produce far more energy than the average renewal energy technology can provide at its current state. Not to mention the fact that in order for many viable renewable energy technologies to produce enough power there is an inherent need to create more units to gather it namely more wind turbines, more solar panels, more water turbines whereas with conventional energy producing plants there has been a need to produce only one structure without have to be overly concerned over the precise location in relation to the kind of energy resource that is being used.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few
When building a nuclear reactor in a certain location what must be taken into consideration is the fact that building one isnt just for the sake of the community itself but rather for the sake of the larger American community. With the current energy crisis affecting numerous states it isnt just a single community that is being affected but hundreds scatters all throughout the United States. What ac community must consider when allowing a nuclear reactor to be built close by is that they are not the only ones to benefit rather it the greater American populace that benefits as well. If the area surrounding the community presents one of the best places to build a nuclear reactor then the community should allow it to be built for the sake of the rest of the people living in the country. An old saying comes to mind with this particular situation the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few with this in mind the community should look out for others who are suffering just as they have been by allowing the creation of a nuclear power plant that would alleviate their suffering and bring the good times back again.

Conclusion
Based on what has been stated in this paper so far it can be said that the creation of a nuclear power plant close to the community while bearing a certain amount of risk presents itself as a great opportunity for people within the area to have better jobs and to be able to uplift the current economic status of the area in a much more vibrant one. While it is true that there are alternative forms of energy that could be pursued due to the fact that a lot of them are location centric it would be far more viable to be able to create a nuclear power plant with a proven record of being able to work nearly everywhere than on a type of technology that has a certain degree of selectiveness.