After dual natural disasters crippled Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant, countries around the world began to reconsider the safety of their own nuclear facilities. This month JOM asks, what steps should the United States take to ensure its nuclear power program operates safely?

I think the US should continue developing advanced nuclear energy technologies that can generate electricity while reducing the risk of a Fukushima type disaster. Those plants that are involved in Japan are several decades old and many safety advancements have been made since then. Aside from that aspect, there is a rich suite of current technologies under development that will make accidents like this a thing of the past. Nuclear is the largest generator of carbon free electricity and must remain a part of our future energy mix.