Converting Everywhere Possible From Uranium to Thorium For Generation of Electricity in Nuclear Power Plants Would Ultimately Save Billions And Increase Our Safety A Thousand-Fold, So What's Holding It Up?

Implications: The waste production of nuclear power plants is a function both of the frequency of removing waste products and of refueling. Many reactors currently in use and with many years of operation remaining could be retrofitted to utilize thorium in place of much of or all of their uranium. This would eliminate ultimately the production of weapons grade material at those retrofitted plants. Thus the US, and the world, would be a safer place. In addition the fuel refurbishing and replacement cycle for thorium reactors is much less frequent than for pure uranium reactors, so less waste is generated.

Analysis: The United States has readily accessible deposits of thorium in California and Utah; the deposits in Utah are among the highest grade in the world and they are extensive.

The technology to mine and refine the thorium is well established and well-known to American companies.

Atomic Energy of Canada, Ltd and Westinghouse/Toshiba both have programs to build new or retrofit older reactors to 'burn' thorium.

If a thorium reactor program were instituted now by a consortium of private and public backers each new or retrofitted reactor as it came on line would reduce the need for expensive storage of reactor waste products and eliminate the danger of more fissile material with the capability of being incorporated into an explosive bomb being generated.

America could become self-sufficent in thorium based nuclear reactor generated electricity within 25 years; America has enough thorium to fuel enough reactors to provide all of its electricity needs for generations, if not centuries.

These reactors could produce hydrogen and feed it into a national distribution grid, which would eliminate the need for both coal and liquid petroleum hydrocarbons as fuel completely.

The US needs an educational initiative to teach its citizens that the solutions to the problems of global warming and of dependence on foreign oil already exist. It only now takes the will to make and carry out a long term program to safeguard the future and our standard of living.