There seems to be ever less doubt that nuclear power should play a greater rôle in the future, for coal is a dire substitute in view of climate change, but much needs to improve on both sides of the power debate before a satisfactory resolution can be found. Unfortunately, the two recent mishaps in German nuclear power plants only cloud the issues (“Nuclear Fallout,” August 4, 2007). While the environmentalists may have overreacted to the mishaps, their opponents have surely underreacted. Designers, builders, and operators of nuclear power plants must make every effort not only to develop and implement a much safer technology, but they also must assure the general public that everything has been done to make that technology safe for generations to come. Given that the latter is sorely lacking, it is difficult to be sanguine about the former. The environmentalists thus have a useful rôle to play in the debate, which you fail to fully acknowledge. For mishaps can easily turn into disasters, as Chernobyl readily reminds us.