With the Union of Concerned Scientists declaring Thursday in a report that if policies, such as carbon taxes or low-carbon electricity mandates, aren’t put in place to help financially struggling nuclear plants stay open, the country’s carbon emissions would likely rise 6 percent by 2035, spelling serious consequences for the climate.

Wade Marcum, an expert in nuclear power at Oregon State University College of Engineering, is available to answer your questions about nuclear power plants.

Research expertise: Supporting the development of new fuel technology from a thermal-hydraulics perspective to make existing reactors more economic to run.