Clean energy: Go nuclear and dismantle dams

I can’t stop thinking about the unfinished Satsop Nuclear Power Plant near Elma on the drive to Ocean Shores.

Washington state has 1,166 hydroelectric dams and one working nuclear power facility. The rivers of the Pacific Northwest are compromised because of the devastating effects on salmon runs and the orcas that depend on that food source.

Why continue to operate these dams when a completed Satsop could eliminate all the problems that are occurring from damming the rivers?

Recently the Electron Dam near Kapowsin was targeted for removal because of devastating environmental pollution caused by artificial turf that disintegrated into the Puyallup River. This affected 40 miles of river that the Chinook salmon migrate through, causing further damage to their dwindling population.

Not only are we ruining the natural environment, we’re causing the extinction of us as well.

Nuclear power is the cleanest source of energy that exists. And Satsop isn’t Fukushima Daiichi.

Let’s undam the damned rivers.

This story was originally published November 14, 2020 at 11:11 AM with the headline "Clean energy: Go nuclear and dismantle dams."