If ever there was a question about how serious the consequences are from shutting down a nuclear power plant, it was dispelled with results of a study showing that electricity generating costs rose by $350 million during the year following the 2012 closing of the San Onofre nuclear plant in Southern California. Natural gas made up for much of the shortfall and as a result carbon dioxide emissions rose by 9 million metric tons, which is equivalent to putting 2 million additional cars on the road.
