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UCS Publications | Nuclear Power

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UCS reports are available online whenever possible. Online ordering is available for select UCS publications. In the meantime, for print copies of reports, books, and videos unavailable at our online store, please complete this order form and send it to UCS Publications, 2 Brattle Sq., Cambridge, MA 02138-3780 or fax it to 617-864-9405. For orders under $50, add 20% for shipping & handling; over $50, add 10%. UCS members are entitled to a 20% discount on all prices listed.

U.S. Nuclear Power Safety One Year After Fukushima

The Fukushima nuclear plant disaster of March 2011 cast a long shadow over U.S. nuclear power policy. A year later, what have we learned, and how well are we putting those lessons into practice?

By David Lochbaum and Edwin Lyman. UCS, 2012. 54 pp.

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The NRC and Nuclear Power Safety in 2011: Living on Borrowed Time

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission, the federal agency responsible for ensuring that U.S. nuclear plants are operated as safely as possible, gets mixed reviews again in our second annual assessment of NRC response to safety problems. The report examines 15 “near-misses” at U.S. nuclear plants during 2011 and evaluates the NRC response in each case.

By David Lochbaum. UCS, 2012. 54 pp.

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Big Risks, Better Alternatives: An Examination of Two Nuclear Energy Projects in the U.S.

According to this 2011 report, two new nuclear power projects—a new power plant near Gainesville, FL, and an expansion of the Alvin W. Vogtle plant in Burke County, GA—expose taxpayers and ratepayers to costs and risks that are both excessive and unnecessary, because safer, more cost-efficient energy choices are available.

By Max Chang et al. Synapse Energy Economics/UCS, 2011. 53 pp.

Available as PDF only.

U.S. Nuclear Power after Fukushima: Common Sense Recommendations for Safety and Security

The United States must take concrete steps now to address serious shortcomings in nuclear plant safety and security that have been evident for years. Toward this end, UCS nuclear power experts have put together a list of 23 recommendations that could significantly improve our ability to prevent or mitigate the impact of accidents and terrorist attacks at nuclear power plants.

UCS, 2011. 12 pp.

Full report [PDF]
Executive summary [PDF]
Print copy: $10:00

The NRC and Nuclear Power Plant Safety in 2010: A Brighter Spotlight Needed

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission gets mixed reviews in The NRC and Nuclear Power Plant Safety in 2010. The report chronicles 14 "near-misses" at U.S. nuclear plants during 2010 and evaluates the NRC response in each case, showing that the agency is capable of acting effectively to protect the public, but too often doesn't.

Executive summary and full report [PDF]

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Nuclear Power: Still Not Viable without Subsidies

Government subsidies to the nuclear power industry over the past fifty years have been so large in proportion to the value of the energy produced that in some cases it would have cost taxpayers less to simply buy kilowatts on the open market and give them away. Nuclear Power: Still Not Viable without Subsidies looks at the economic impacts and policy implications of subsidies to the nuclear power industry—past, present, and proposed.

Executive summary and full report [PDF]

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Nuclear Power Loan Guarantees: Another Taxpayer Bailout Ahead?

With potentially 1.6 trillion dollars in risk exposure, both industry and Wall Street consider nuclear power plants too risky to finance. Our latest report urges Congress to be cautious about committing public funds to new nuclear plants, and identifies several critical steps the federal government must take before shifting the financial risks of new nuclear plant construction onto the taxpayer.

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Nuclear Power in a Warming World

Because nuclear energy results in few heat-trapping emissions, an expansion of the nuclear industry could help curtail global warming. But a new report by UCS shows that safety and security risks—including a massive release of radiation due to an accident or terrorist attack—would also accompany an expansion of nuclear power unless the industry, regulators, and Congress adopt reforms.

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Walking a Nuclear Tightrope: Unlearned Lessons of Year-plus Reactor Outages

This report identifies common themes among extended nuclear power reactor outages and outlines steps the Nuclear Regulatory Commission should take to avoid a catastrophic (and avoidable) nuclear accident.

By David Lochbaum. UCS, 2006. 39 pp.

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U.S. Nuclear Plants in the 21st Century: The Risk of a Lifetime

This report shows that aging U.S. nuclear power plants have an increased risk of serious accidents and that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission must adapt its regulatory regime to monitor plants at all points during their lifecycles.

By David Lochbaum. UCS, 2004. 27 pp.

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