Welcome to 2009, a year when renewable solar and wind power are widely expected to begin supplanting the old, destructive energies of the past, like high-polluting oil and dangerous nuclear power. Er... maybe not so much nuclear power. Despite the meltdown at Three Mile Island in Pennsylvania a generation ago, politicians are now actively pushing for more nuclear power, including Senator Mark Udall, a Colorado Democrat who says nuclear power will help---not harm---the environment. During a tour of Rocky Mountain National Park yesterday with Senator John McCain, an Arizona Republican, Udall told reporters, "If we want to respond to climate change, nuclear has to be part of the solution" (via the Fort Collins Coloradoan). The Denver Post notes that while McCain has long supported nuclear power as helpful in cutting heat-trapping carbon emissions, Udall (pictured) was previously reluctant. His support for nuclear power has "alarmed environmentalists, who see the risks posed by uranium mining and nuclear power plant construction as far outweighing any benefits to be derived from expanding the contemporary nuclear industry," writes The Colorado Independent.