Seven Nuclear Power Plants Go Offline

NECKARWESTHEIM, GERMANY - MARCH 21: General view of the reactor building at the Neckarwestheim nuclear power plant on March 21, 2011 near Neckarwestheim, Germany. The Neckarwestheim I reactor is among seven nuclear power reactors built before 1980 that the government of German Chancellor Angela Merkel has chosen to shut down for three months for a heightened safety and security review following the disaster at the Fukushima plant in Japan. Merkel is fending off criticism for the move, which represents a radical reversal of her government's previous policy, citing new circumstances due to the Fukushima meltdown. Nuclear power has long been a highly charged, controversial topic in Germany and opponents are seizing on the new political climate to push for a rapid abandonment of nuclear energy. (Photo by Thomas Niedermueller/Getty Images)