About six months ago, the world watched as Japan struggled to contain a nuclear crisis in the aftermath of a devastating earthquake and tsunami. Memories of the Chernobyl disaster came flooding back, as developments at two separate nuclear plants along the Japanese coastline prompted the evacuation of more than 200,000 people.Now, while Japan is still recovering, the rest of the world continues on an economic roller coaster ride. Unemployment is still hovering at a high rate; and, despite record-low interest rates, the real estate market’s comeback is slow. And with hints of inflation, Wall Street investors don’t know whether to buy or sell. The bottom line: People are keeping a close watch on their bank accounts and trying to make every dollar count.How far are people willing to go to save a buck? Four Falconites answered this month’s Streetwise question: “If it meant drastically reducing energy costs, would you be willing to have a nuclear plant built on the prairie near Falcon?”
| Pat Jeffery FalconI would say yes because the safety procedures today are far ahead of what they were 50 years ago. The plants in Japan were built in the 60s and withstood a 9.0 (earthquake) with difficulty, but with today’s advancements and standards I wouldn’t see a problem. |  |
 | Brittany McDonald FalconYes, if it meant gas prices going down then most certainly I would be in favor of it. I may have some concern about how it would affect some of the cattle and antelope out here, but other than that I’m OK with it. |
| Jaime Cecil PeytonOff the top of my head I would say no. I would need more information – the pros and cons. How would it affect our community; our children? I would need more facts. I don’t know enough about it to make an informed decision. |  |
 | Kim Chown FalconNo. Definitively no. I wouldn’t want one near me and even Pueblo would be too close. And they talked about doing that. I would be willing to do other things – like put a big windmill on top of my house; solar panels. You bet! But a nuclear plant? No! After seeing what happened in Japan and the fact that it wasn’t even a human error, I would hate to see that happen here. |
