Socially responsible investors can encourage utilities to
consider carbon emissions in business decisions
Four nuclear power plants, sources of low-emissions
electricity, have announced closings this year. If plants continue to shut down
instead of extending operations the nation risks losing 60 percent of its clean
electricity starting in 2030, according to a new report, Renewing Licenses for
the Nation’s Nuclear Power Plant by the American Physical Society.
Power plants across the country, including ones in
California, Wisconsin, Florida and Vermont, are being shuttered as utility
companies opt to build natural gas plants rather than extending operation of
nuclear reactors. Operators of an additional 38 reactors in 23 states are
facing decisions on whether to extend operating licenses. Currently, there are
approximately 100 nuclear reactors in the United States.