In segment one of this week's Smart Talk TV: Japan's nuclear crisis shines a bright beacon on the dangers inherent in nuclear-energy generation and spent-fuel storage.  As America's second-largest generator of nuclear power, Pennsylvania is home to nine reactors, including Three Mile Island, the site of our country's worst commercial nuclear accident.  PPL has filed a plan to build a new reactor in Luzerne County.  Join us Thursday night at 8 for Smart Talk as we explore whether Japan's nuclear disaster is a game changer in America's quest for energy independence.

PPL Inc. operates the Susquehanna Nuclear Power Plant in Luzerne County.  It would like to add a third reactor at a nearby site called Bell Bend.  PPL has filed the initial application with the NRC and says it will decide by 2014 whether to proceed with the $13 billion plant.   George Lewis, senior manager of corporate communications at PPL, will join our panel discussion.  While it is still a huge question whether PPL will build the plant given the mammoth construction costs and uncertainty about federal loan guarantees, it is an option the company wants to have.  "Gas-price volatility can lead to wide and deep swings in the cost of electricity," Lewis explains.  "Our philosophy all along has been that you have to keep everything in play. And the reason why we got this application for the Bell Bend project is just that:  to keep that door open so that there would be the opportunity if the time and circumstances were right for future nuclear plants."

"You also want to be careful not to put all your eggs in one basket because if everyone starts building natural gas plants, then the country becomes overly dependent on natural gas," Lewis adds.  "And should there be disruption in natural-gas supply or not as much gas comes on the market as everyone expected, or maybe there are continuing environmental issues of extracting the gas from the Marcellus Shale region, well, if you put all your bet on natural gas then you are in another bind a few years down the road of not having the right type of fuels." 

Nuclear power plants in 31 states provide about 20 percent of all U.S. electricity.  But after the partial meltdown at TMI's Unit 2 reactor in 1979, new construction in the industry ground to a halt.  Today, with rising gas prices, escalating unrest in the Middle East, and a public consensus for energy independence, a nuclear-power renaissance seemed at hand – until last week.  Japan's nuclear meltdown might well have changed our energy outlook.

Glen Thomas is president of PJM Power Providers Group, a non-profit organization that promotes the development of competitive wholesale energy markets served by the PJM Interconnection.  It's composed of power companies including Exelon and PPL.  Thomas also will appear on our program.  He says Pennsylvania offers a diverse, safe mix of energy-generation options.  But Thomas argues that for consumers, it all comes down to price.  "Pennsylvanians need to realize that we have a fairly abundant supply of electricity right now.  Pennsylvania exports an enormous number of megawatts every year.  We export those to New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware and other places along the eastern seaboard.  And because we have a competitive electricity market set up in Pennsylvania, whoever can provide the electricity and generate the electricity in the most cost-effective and efficient manner is going to do very well in this marketplace.  When you look at the competitive regime in Pennsylvania, whether it's nuclear, or natural gas or renewables, whoever can do that better and faster is going to be the winner in the marketplace," Thomas says.

Earlier this week, a top Nuclear Regulatory Commission official said Japan's nuclear crisis does not warrant immediate change in U.S. plants.  Bill Borchardt, the NRC's executive director for operations, noted that officials have "a high degree of confidence" that the 104 nuclear reactors operating in the U.S. are safe.  He asserted that inspectors at each of the plants are ensuring that efforts are in place to guard against safety breaches.  Eric Epstein, co-founder of the citizen-watchdog group Rock the Capital and chairman of TMI Alert, will join our panel discussion.  Epstein has grave concerns about whether American plants are designed to withstand whatever man-made or natural disaster strikes them.  He says our spent-fuel waste is kept in facilities never designed for long-term storage.  Congress has not been able to agree on a permanent site for America's highly radioactive waste.

Epstein says younger Americans were willing to give nuclear power a try because they had not experienced a disaster like TMI or Chernobyl.  Japan, he thinks, might have changed their point of view. He also notes that the potential for gas development in the Marcellus and Utica Shale regions has dented nuclear's appeal, and that the NRC will likely re-license existing plants – extending  their life expectancies from 40 to 60 years.  Epstein worries about the amount of water needed for both natural-gas extraction and nuclear-power generation, and the potential under either scenario for contamination of drinking supplies.  "Water is this century's oil.  There is a limited amount of potable water and both gas and nuclear use huge amounts of water," Epstein notes.  What he finds most troubling are the lingering questions.  He asks, "Where's the water coming from?  Where is the waste going?  And, why is Wall Street reluctant to invest in nuclear?"

Clearly, natural gas stands to gain the most from Japan's nuclear mishap and Pennsylvania is uniquely positioned to capitalize on the burgeoning industry.  Former Pennsylvania Governor Tom Ridge, who served as the first secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, now is a strategic advisor to the Marcellus Shale Coalition.  During an appearance last week on Fox News' Your World, Gov. Ridge touted the benefits of natural gas.  "It is cheaper.  It's clear, it's abundant.  It's much cleaner.  And, oh by the way, it's made in the United States of America.  And, if you're worried about competitiveness, you got cheaper electricity.  If you're worried about the ozone layer, you got two thirds fewer emissions.  And you don't have to worry about importing anything – it's made in the U.S.A."

Rather than rely on what he called "unsavory" Mideast regimes, Ridge said natural gas drillers can meet our domestic energy needs.  And, nowhere, he argues, is that potential greater right now than in the Marcellus Shale region that cuts a broad swath beneath Pennsylvania.  "We just drill some of these wells, create a demand by empowering our fleets, adapting our fleets, and all of a sudden we're not so reliant on oil from unsavory and sometimes unacceptable regimes, such as Libya," Ridge added.  He argued that reconfiguring our vehicles for natural gas consumption rather than oil,could reduce the price of a fill-up from $3.50-plus a gallon to just a $1.50.

As we debate the future of energy, fears of radiation-tainted food and water plague Japan.  The government banned shipments of spinach and milk in several areas within 20 miles of the plant after tests found higher-than-normal radiation levels.  They also found high levels of iodine in tap water in Tokyo and villages up to 30 miles from the crippled Fukushima plant.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has banned imports of dairy products and produce from the region of Japan near the plant.

Pennsylvania Public Utility Chairman Robert Powelson offered a strong defense of the nuclear power industry in testimony to the state Senate last week.  His big fear post-Japan is excessive government regulation.  "With a lot of these plants, although they're older and going through relicensing, we've not had any hiccups, other than TMI, obviously. So nuclear is part of the future, the clean energy future and I think that the concern with what has happened in Japan is a concern that the NRC could over-reach and over-react to the licensing," Powelson told reporters after the hearing.  "There're a lot of great things happening here in Pennsylvania. Things like nuclear upgrades to existing plants. We're getting more productivity out of those plants. So, we can't abandon nuclear. We can't have an over-reaction from Washington, either. That would really be a hindrance, even with the example of PPL having a new plant at Bell Bend. We don't want to lose those kinds of opportunities."

Join the conversation as we explore how Japan's nuclear crisis impacts energy development in Pennsylvania.  Call in live Thursday at 8 p.m. to 1-800-729-7532, or send us an email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .  Or you can post a comment to www.facebook.com/witf.org.