In last week’s paper, I published an article about the Unit 2 shutdown at Sherco. I know this is a divisive topic for many of our readers. While some are excited to energize our lives with renewable energy, some are skeptical about whether we are technologically advanced enough to make this jump. 

Here’s the crazy thing — both sides are right. 

Sherco has some of the largest outputs of energy in the nation, and largest in the state. The three units had a combined capacity of over 2,000 megawatts. That much energy can power over a million homes. I think people are right to be skeptical about whether or not we’ll be ok without that power. 

But on the other hand, the amount of coal and natural gas available is definitely finite. Eventually, reserves will run dry and we will have to change our method of creating energy. Not to mention the greenhouse effect that comes with burning so much carbon and releasing it into our atmosphere. 

So, yeah, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it a thousand times more (and if you know me or if you’ve ever read one of my columns on the matter before, you already know it): Minnesota needs to take a serious look at nuclear energy.

Right now we have a moratorium on nuclear. Minnesota currently has two nuclear plants that produce energy safely and reliably, but our elected leaders have decided that no more nuclear facilities may be created. Nuclear gets a bad rep from media, but in all fairness no one is actually going to hire Homer Simpson as a safety inspector. And there have been catastrophic nuclear failures in other areas of the world, yes, but those places had extenuating circumstances, such as there being a tidal wave, or a flawed design in the reactor. Meanwhile, the Monticello Nuclear Plant has been reliably powering homes for over 50 years. 

This is an election year. I know, everyone will be losing their minds over who should be the next leader of our country, but don’t forget about local and state elections. Let’s choose leaders who believe in reliability AND green energy. Because we CAN have both. It’s not an either-or situation.