make sure its safe the us also has no longterm plan for managing or disposing the hazardous waste and there remains the danger of accidents or targeted attacks lyman said nuclear disasters at pennsylvanias three mile island chernobyl and more recently fukushima japan in 2011 provide an enduring warning nuclear power already provides about 20 of electricity in the us or about half the nations carbonfree energy the nuclear regulatory commission has approved just one of the new small modular reactor designs from nuscale power in 2020 gates company terrapower wants to build an advanced reactor in wyoming which has long depended on coal for power and jobs as utilities quit coal wyoming is tapping into wind but glen murrell executive director of the wyoming energy authority said its unrealistic to expect all the nations energy to be provided exclusively through wind and solar georgia maintains that its nuclear reactor expansion will provide ample clean energy for 60 to 80 years new hampshire said the regions environmental goals would be impossible to meet as affordably without nuclear energy agencies in alaska and maryland are planning for small modular nuclear reactors other officials mostly in democraticled states said theyre moving beyond nuclear power some said they never relied heavily on it to begin with and dont see a need for it they said the cost of new reactors compared to installing wind turbines or solar panels the safety concerns and the unresolved question of how to store hazardous nuclear waste are dealbreakers some environmentalists oppose small modular reactors for similar reasons new yorks future energy grid will be dominated by wind solar and hydropower said new york state energy research and development authority president and ceo doreen harris nevada officials dont consider nuclear power a viable option because of the failed plan to store the nations commercial spent nuclear fuel at yucca mountain instead they see potential for energy storage and geothermal energy a focus on shortterm gains cant alleviate the longterm issues with nuclear energy david bobzien director of nevada governors office of energy said in a statement california is slated to close its last remaining nuclear power plant diablo canyon in 2025 as it turns to cheaper renewables to power its grid by 2045 officials plan to sustain the expansion of clean electricity generation at a recordbreaking rate california also imports power from other states skeptics have questioned whether the plan can work in a state of nearly 40 million people jason bordoff cofounding dean of the columbia climate school said there is good reason to think about extending the life of diablo canyon to keep energy costs down and reduce emissions quickly nuclear energy isnt risk free he said but the risks of falling short of our climate goals exceed the risks of including nuclear energy as part of the zero carbon energy mix