The horrible problems happening at the Japanese nuclear reactor have caught everyone’s attention, and have understandably spooked a lot of people about the dangers of nuclear energy. First, some facts about nuclear energy in the US. There are currently 104 nuclear reactors licensed to operate at 65 plants in the United States, which generate about 20% of the nation’s electricity. The plants are located in 32 different states, with the majority of them being east of the Mississippi river. The state with the most reactors is Illinois with 11 reactors in 6 plants. ((http://www.nrc.gov/reactors/operating/list-power-reactor-units.html))