SAID NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS ARE 
ONLY AS SAFE AS THE PEOPLE 
OPERATING THEM. 
>> THAT'S RIGHT.
SO WHAT WE SHOULD DO FIRST IS 
LOOK AT THE RECORD.
SOLAR ENERGY, FOR EXAMPLE, THE 
RECORD IS TWO DEATHS PER 
TERAWATT HOUR OF ELECTRICITY 
GENERATED.
NUCLEAR POWER 0.5 DEATHS OF 
NUCLEAR POWER.
PEOPLE FALL OFF ROOFS WHILE 
THEY'RE INSTALLING SOLAR PANELS.
BUT I'M NOT AGAINST SOLAR 
PANELS.
I'M JUST POINTING OUT THAT THE 
NUCLEAR IS ACTUALLY MUCH SAFER.
IT HAS A VERY GOOD SAFETY 
RECORD.
AND THAT'S WITH OLD TECHNOLOGY. 
>> DALE, DO YOU BUY THAT?
>> YEAH.
I JUST DON'T THINK IT'S CREDIBLE
TO SAY THAT THE RADIATION RISK 
FROM FUKUSHIMA AND CHERNOBYL AND
FOR ANYBODY WHO READS THE 
NEWSPAPER AND PAYS ATTENTION TO 
THESE ISSUES IS DIM INIZING 
CANCER RATES.
EVEN IF YOU CAN'T POINT TO AN 
INDIVIDUAL PERSON AND SAY THAT 
PERSON HAS CANCER BECAUSE OF 
CHERNOBYL, WE KNOW THAT THERE 
ARE MORE CANCERS OUT THERE. 
>> YOU BELIEVE THAT NUCLEAR 
POWER IS LESS SAFE THAN -- THAT 
MORE PEOPLE HAVE DIED FROM THAT?
>> FROM ENERGY EFFICIENCY FROM 
RENEWABLES?
ABSOLUTELY.
I DON'T THINK IT'S EVEN CREDIBLE
TO SAY SUCH A THING.
AND WE CAN HAVE DIFFERENCE OF 
OPINION. 
>> CAN YOU POINT TO HOW MANY 
PEOPLE HAVE DIED FROM -- I MEAN,
THREE MILE ISLAND NOBODY DIED.
EMERGENCY PROCEDURES THERE 
WORKED, CORRECT?
>> YES.
>> I REMEMBER BEING A KID DURING
THAT TIME AND IT WAS VERY SCARY 
BUT YOU'RE SAYING IT WORKED. 
>> AT CHERNOBYL, YEAH, NOBODY 
DIED -- THERE'S A MINOR RELEASE 
AT THREE MILE ISLAND.
20% OF AMERICAN ELECTRICITY 
COMES FROM NUCLEAR POWER.
NOT A SINGLE DEATH HAS OCCURRED 
FROM COMMERCIAL NUCLEAR POWER IN
THE ENTIRE 50-YEAR HISTORY. 
>> AREN'T THESE PLANTS VERY 
EXPENSIVE TO BUILD?
>> THEY ARE EXPENSIVE TO BUILD 
BUT THEY OPERATE FOR A LONG 
TIME.
RIGHT NOW ELECTRICITY GENERATED 
BY NUCLEAR PLANTS IS ABOUT THE 
CHEAPEST ELECTRICITY IN THE 
COUNTRY.
AND CERTAINLY ONLY RECENTLY HAS 
NATURAL GAS TIPPED THAT SCALE.
BECAUSE THEY LAST SO LONG.
THE COSTS ARE ALL PAID OFF.
THE OPERATING COSTS ARE VERY 
SMALL, FUEL COSTS ARE VERY 
SMALL. 
>> JUST THIS YEAR, UTILITIES 
HAVE CLOSED FIVE NUCLEAR POWER 
PLANTS. 
>> BECAUSE OF NATURAL GAS. 
>> THEY CAN'T COMPETE IN THE 
MARKETPLACE. 
>> THOSE PLANTS THAT HAVE BEEN 
CLOSED ARE VERY OLD POWER 
PLANTS. 
>> ALL THE NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS 
ARE VERY OLD POWER PLANTS. 
>> IN THE FILM YOU'RE BASICALLY 
ARGUING THAT OIL COMPANIES RUN 
COMMERCIALS ABOUT ALTERNATIVE 
ENERGIES BECAUSE THEY KNOW THESE
WILL NEVER REALLY TAKE THE PLACE
OF OIL. 
>> YEAH.
IT'S NOT AN EXISTENTIAL THREAT 
TO THEIR BUSINESS MODEL.
ABSOLUTELY. 
>> BUT NUCLEAR IS?
>> NUCLEAR WOULD BE.
LOOK AT FRANCE.
FRANCE WENT FROM ZERO NUCLEAR TO
80% NUCLEAR IN 20 YEARS.
THAT'S THE KIND OF TIME FRAME 
THAT ACCORDING TO SCIENTISTS 
LIKE DR. HANSEN SAY THAT WE'RE 
GOT TO TRANSITION AWAY FROM 
FOSSIL FUELS.
THERE'S NO CASE OF RENEWABLE 
ENERGY OR EFFICIENCY DISPLACING 
FOSSIL FUELS ANYTHING LIKE THAT.
AS I SAID, 1/10th OF ENERGY 
EFFICIENCY FROM SOLAR. 
>> THAT'S NOT TRUE.
ALTERNATIVE -- 
>> THE WORLD'S ENERGY IS GROWING
RIGHT NOW.
THE WORLD DEMAND FOR ENERGY 
RIGHT NOW IS GROWING EQUIVALENT 
OF ADDING ANOTHER BRAZIL TO THE 
PLANET EVERY YEAR.
THE RISE OF THE DEVELOPING WORLD
HAS THROWN THE FUNDAMENTAL 
ASSUMPTION THAT 
ENVIRONMENTALISTS CAME UP WITH 
ABOUT ENERGY EFFICIENCY TO THE 
WIND. 
>> IF WE'RE GOING TO BRING T
