No time for interim nuclear storage 

I was heartened to hear that Senator King is supportive of nuclear energy as a carbon-free energy source. He wants the nuclear waste from Maine Yankee relocated to a storage facility, as do I, and the government needs to speed up its efforts to make that happen. But first let’s look at what is called “waste.” The used nuclear casks in Wiscasset still contain 95% usable fuel, and the next-generation nuclear reactors can use it to create energy. Bill Gates’s TerraPower is just one of the companies that are designing nuclear reactors that recycle the “waste” as fuel. It would be more appropriate to refer to the “waste” as “stored nuclear fuel.” The casks in Wiscasset are actually a valuable commodity.

We need to transition to a carbon-free energy economy as soon as possible, and the proposed Nuclear Energy Leadership Act would accelerate the next generation of nuclear reactors. Wind and solar are needed but work only 30% of the time. New nuclear reactors could back them up by providing the other 70% of energy. We don’t have time to wait for an interim nuclear storage facility to tackle climate change. We need to do it all now. 

Philip Weyenberg, 

South Portland  

Legislation would help education centers find employees 

I am the director of the Bath Area Family YMCA Enrichment program, where we focus on early care and education for children ages 3-5. I recently spent 6 months trying to hire someone with an early childhood education certificate and had 0 people apply. We have a workforce shortage in Maine and need policies that will help us recruit and retain early childhood educators. 
Our state licensed and NAEYC accredited Enrichment Program provides an inclusive, play-based environment, where we focus on social-emotional, cognitive, and physical development. 
Through our partnerships with RSU1 and West Bath, we also provide public Pre-K to approximately 20 children each year. We are able to facilitate this program by promoting and hiring staff with the appropriate credentials and certification. 
This week there will be a public hearing for L.D. 1584, which would provide scholarships towards credentials and degrees, focus on fair compensation, and create career pathways for early educators. These supports would enable teachers and child care center directors, like me, to focus on providing quality early learning for children and families. Policies focused on early childhood educators would have the additional benefit of attracting new educators to our profession.

Annie Colaluca, 

Director Bath YMCA