Growing Fruits and Veggies in the City New Air Pollution Rules Water Lessons from Israel Does Dirt Makes Us Smarter?The Pride of an Industrial Town Sunscreen Safety Questioned A Greener Way to Work?Saving Rainforests Helps U.S. Farmers D.I.Y. Cleaning Products New Smokestack Rules

Renewing Aging Nuclear Reactors (Part 1)

Watts Bar Unit 1 was the last nuclear power reactor to receive a new operating license in the U.S. in 1996. Reactors are licensed to operate for 40 years. After that, the utility has to apply for a 20 year renewal. (Photo courtesy of USNRC)

President Barack Obama has been stumping for nuclear power lately. He announced loan guarantees to kick-start construction of the first new reactor in 30 years. Those guarantees might lead to just a handful of new reactors in the next decade. Shawn Allee reports the real action in the nuclear industry is in old reactors we already have:

104 nuclear reactors in the U.S.

A list of nuclear reactor renewal requests