CANTON — “We are stardust, we are golden. We are billion-year-old carbon. And we have to go back to the garden.
John F. Tenbusch, Planner II of the St. Lawrence County Planning Department, invoked those lines from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young during Monday’s operations committee meeting to present the position of the Environmental Management Board of the county on nuclear energy.
The lines communicate that we ourselves are composed of nuclear energy, and Tenbusch said this scientific understanding has asserted itself as a consensus in recent years.
According to a memorandum from the meeting, the council was approached by lawmaker Kevin D. Acres, R-Madrid, in March for its stance on nuclear power.
“EMC’s policy and position on nuclear energy and nuclear power are as follows,” the memorandum reads. “Nuclear energy powers the universe and is essential to life.”
Mr. Tenbusch clarified this by saying that nuclear energy is simply the energy of the nucleus of an atom, of which the entire universe is made. The implication here is that nuclear energy is nothing strange or alien, because it is part of the universe.
“Nuclear energy has been used in the United States to generate electricity for more than 60 years,” the memorandum states.
“From electricity,” Mr. Tenbusch said, “we are a nuclear country. We are a nuclear country.
He said nuclear power generates 20% of New York’s electricity and is therefore an essential part of the state’s energy portfolio.
Mr. Tenbusch highlighted some of the benefits of nuclear power, including the fact that it does not emit dangerous greenhouse gases. The power supply is also non-intermittent, which means power stations can operate for a year or more without interruption. They are also inexpensive to operate, he said.
They are also more efficient. Mr Tenbusch said nuclear power plants produce more electricity per unit of fuel consumed. Due to this, they reduce dependence on foreign energy sources.
“Especially oil,” he said.
The memorandum includes the potential downsides of nuclear power, such as the Chernobyl and Fukushima disasters, as well as the amount of fresh water needed for the process.
Nonetheless, the position of the St. Lawrence County Planning Department remains that “nuclear power generation should continue.”
“The life of existing plants should be extended as long as it is practical and safe,” the memorandum says. “However, any new installation should incorporate newer and safer technology.”
Mr. Tenbusch described some newer technologies such as smaller modular reactors that do not require a huge energy grid.
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