PBS News Weekend

Since the the partial meltdown of a nuclear reactor in 1979 on Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania, fears over potential nuclear disasters and unresolved disputes over how to dispose of spent nuclear fuel rods have stymied the industry's plans to expand capacity. Former President Richard Nixon once envisioned building 1,000 nuclear power plants across the country, but today there are only 99 commercial nuclear reactors still running in 30 states. Yet, the onset of climate change is, to a certain extent, tempering calls to reduce nuclear power because reactors don't emit the gases responsible for global warming. NewsHour Weekend's Christopher Booker reports on why some states are choosing to extend the life of nuclear power plants.