Welcoming Progressives for Nuclear Progress to the Blogosphere

A new blog, started by Eric Schmitz, presents an increasingly common voice in the pro-nuclear blogosphere: the progressive liberal. Schmitz’s blog, called Progressives for Nuclear Progress, has the tagline of “Bringing the American left on board for a clean nuclear future.”

The blog marks a new trend as more political liberals have come out in support of nuclear. The Breakthrough Institute explains the phenomenon:

While historically conservatives have been the prominent supporters of nuclear energy, the urgency of climate change has recently compelled liberals and progressives to reconsider nuclear as the best zero-carbon source of baseload electricity for a world with rapidly rising energy demand.

Schmitz is a progressive proponent of nuclear and an engineer by trade. He reminds the reader that he is not a nuclear professional, and he has no education in the field. However, he does admit to be a “cheerleader” for nuclear progress simply by reading every nuclear-related article he comes across—along with a couple of books—and then posting anything substantial he might have to say.

The following statement of his says it all:

I have come to realize that we (liberals and progressives) cannot afford to continue sticking our heads in the sand when it comes to the one kind of power generation that is capable of providing ample energy at nearly zero carbon cost. And we cannot go on ignoring the real science behind nuclear power, especially while accusing others of being “anti-science” about issues such as climate change.

Schmitz’s voice is direct and clear. He calls out those who worry about climate change but do not accept nuclear as a viable energy source, and coherently argues his way through why those who have shunned nuclear power in the past must learn to accept it for the benefit of the environment. Please give him a read.