Image
Description
This 2012 photograph taken by Carol Highsmith shows a nuclear power plant in a field in northern California. As of late 2016, there are 60 commercially-operating nuclear power plants with 98 nuclear reactors in the United States. But the state of California has been phasing out the use of nuclear energy and its legislature voted in 2018 to close the state's last remaining nuclear energy power plant.
Source-Dependent Questions
- Describe the photo above. What man-made features do you notice?
- What type of energy is being produced in this image?
- What are a few ways that this land has been changed by humans?
- This photo address nuclear power. Compare this image to coal mining, wind power and hydro-electric power. Describe how each impacts the land. Which seems to have the most impact on land? Which seems to have the least? What are the benefits and drawbacks for each type of power?
Citation Information
Highsmith, Carol M., "Nuclear Power Plant in Northern California," 2012. Courtesy of Library of Congress