Little to my knowledge, 10 percent of America's electricity comes from dismantled nuclear bombs. Parts of these old bombs, from Russia specifically, fuel 45 percent of the fuel in American nuclear reactors.
Take that in for a second... Materials from warheads aimed at the United States during the Cold War are now being used to fuel millions of American homes. I may be a nerd, but the underlying symbolism in that is something I can really appreciate.
Of course there is a catch. If more uranium from these nuclear bombs are not secured soon American customers could feel the ramifications. Massive plans to dismantle American stock-holds of nuclear arms hope to avoid a drain on the nuclear energy pipe-line.
A recent NYT article states that in total, the 34 tons to be recycled in a new factory in South Carolina are expected to generate enough electricity for a million American homes for 50 years! This fuel will be made available by 2017.
If you are looking for extensive coverage of environmental issues please check out Green Love, The Review's environmental blog.
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