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Explainer

Flood Risk at Nuclear Power Plants
Nuclear power plants need a plentiful source of water nearby for cooling. But this proximity to rivers, lakes and oceans creates serious flooding risks that the NRC has been too slow to address.
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Science and Democracy in the United States
Science and democracy have been inseparable since our nation was born. Here are some of the highlights of their paired story.
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Safer Storage of Spent Nuclear Fuel
Until permanent repository storage is available, spent nuclear fuel should be stored in dry casks, not overcrowded pools.
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State of Charge Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently asked questions about the UCS report Start of Charge.
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Cars, Trucks, and Oil Use
The US transportation sector consumes more oil than all other US sources combined, dirtying our air and costing billions.
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Cooler Smarter: Geek Out on the Data!
To figure out what parts of our lives have the greatest impact on global warming, our experts conducted two years of in-depth research using a computer model that tracked emissions in 500 separate spending categories.
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The Clean Air Act
The Clean Air Act
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Debunking Misinformation About Stolen Climate Emails
The international controversy over emails stolen from the University of East Anglia’s Climatic Research Unit has generated a lot of heat.
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Nuclear Crisis in Japan
UCS coverage of the crisis that developed at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in the wake of the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami.
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Fukushima FAQs
This FAQ answers questions about the nuclear crisis in Japan.
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What Is MOX Fuel?
MOX fuel, short for mixed-oxide fuel, is a mixture of uranium and plutonium oxide. It carries risks.
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Nuclear Reprocessing: Dangerous, Dirty, and Expensive
Factsheet on the Reprocessing of Spent Fuel from Nuclear Reactors.