The United States needs a change in its energy sources. Oil, first of all, is a scarce resource that will run out sooner or later, and it also makes the United States dependent on the political situation of other countries, as evidenced by the frequent changes in oil prices due to the political situation in the Middle East. -East. Alternative energy sources are an important issue to consider, and nuclear energy is certainly the most controversial. There are currently 104 nuclear power plants operating in the United States, but the licenses for these plants will expire in the near future, the first as early as 2013 and the last in 2046 (Nuclear Energy Inst.). These deadlines start the discussion about whether licenses must be renewed to operate the plants, or whether they should be closed forever and, therefore, exclude nuclear energy from US energy sources. Especially the most recent disaster in Fukushima, Japan, has provoked even more objections to nuclear energy. However, despite the controversies and the recent nuclear disaster in Japan, the United States should continue to invest in nuclear power plants to support nuclear energy as an alternative energy source. Nuclear energy has greater economic and ecological advantages than other alternative energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydroelectric and geothermal energy. Therefore, the United States should invest in my research on maintaining existing power plants to extend their licenses and plan to build more nuclear power plants to turn nuclear energy into the primary energy source for the United States. groups that oppose nuclear energy as an alternative energy source. Harry Henderson mentions in his book Nuclear Power sever...... middle of paper ......te, 2011. Web. 11 April 2011. "Environmentalists". Nuclear Energy Institute. Nuclear Energy Institute, 2011. Web. April 11, 2011. “Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Energy Production.” World Nuclear Association. World Nuclear Association, nd Web. 11 April 2011. Henderson, Harry. Nuclear energy. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 2000. Print.Nuclear Energy Institute. Nuclear Energy Institute. NEI, 2011. Web. April 10, 2011. Nuclear Energy Institute. Electricity production costs in the United States (1995 – 2009). Nuclear Energy Institute, 2011. PPT file. April 13, 2011.Nuclear Energy Institute. Nuclear License Renewal Applications in the United States. Nuclear Energy Institute, 2011. XLS file. April 11, 2011. “Nuclear Reactor Safety.” World Nuclear Association. World Nuclear Association, nd Web. 11 April 2011. World Nuclear Association. World Nuclear Association. WNA and Web. April 10. 2011.