Because US consumers have ignored the lack of national energy policy, while others have moved forward, invested in research, created jobs, reduced consumption, the solutions are complex and urgent.
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There are no simple answers, but to nuclear proponents, it seems a little homework is necessary before proclaiming nuclear as part of the solution.
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There are no simple answers, but to nuclear proponents, it seems a little homework is necessary before proclaiming nuclear as part of the solution.
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The simple-minded solutions (offered in the Washington Post article) that Senator McCain touts to satisfy Big Energy are disappointing, like the following that neglects reality:
The simple-minded solutions (offered in the Washington Post article) that Senator McCain touts to satisfy Big Energy are disappointing, like the following that neglects reality:
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On the stump, McCain talks frequently about electric power, a subject that energy experts say will do little to affect gas prices. His plan to build 45 nuclear power plants, which he will highlight with a visit to a Michigan plant Tuesday, would take decades.
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Previously posted information on Greenwashing Nuclear does not bode well, but that ignores the industry in the US.
On the stump, McCain talks frequently about electric power, a subject that energy experts say will do little to affect gas prices. His plan to build 45 nuclear power plants, which he will highlight with a visit to a Michigan plant Tuesday, would take decades.
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Previously posted information on Greenwashing Nuclear does not bode well, but that ignores the industry in the US.
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Vermont Yankee Nuclear failures and Entergy's plans to distance itself from an aging nuclear plant close to 'decommissioning' should give taxpayers pause because they'll bear the costs of the hundreds of billions needed to address the cleanup and storage issues --- and they'll receive no power to boot!
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... rather than getting top-notch industry expertise and management, Vermonters saw a spate of mishaps at the plant. Just last year a spent fuel rod went missing and there was the spectacular collapse of cooling tower sections. The bad news led Republican Governor Jim Douglas to say that it seems as if “Homer Simpson is running the place.” CorpWatch (emphasis mine)
Vermont Yankee Nuclear failures and Entergy's plans to distance itself from an aging nuclear plant close to 'decommissioning' should give taxpayers pause because they'll bear the costs of the hundreds of billions needed to address the cleanup and storage issues --- and they'll receive no power to boot!
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... rather than getting top-notch industry expertise and management, Vermonters saw a spate of mishaps at the plant. Just last year a spent fuel rod went missing and there was the spectacular collapse of cooling tower sections. The bad news led Republican Governor Jim Douglas to say that it seems as if “Homer Simpson is running the place.” CorpWatch (emphasis mine)
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How does one misplace a fuel rod?
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To those who argue that nuclear power is benign, this seems to substantiate arguments otherwise:
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In Vermont, some of those stakeholders are less than pleased with hosting an aging nuclear power plant with a shaky safety record. When Vermont Yankee was built in 1972, its life expectancy was 40 years. With 2012 looming, it is seeking an extension to operate an additional 20 years. In 2006, despite protests, it was granted permission to produce 20 percent more power than it was originally designed to generate. That output boost means it sucks in more water from, and pumps hotter water out into, the nearby Connecticut River. Some critics have pointed out that the original plant was not designed to run so hard for so long, and, indeed, a recent study fulfilled predictions that radiation emissions would increase along with power. CorpWatch (emphasis mine)
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CorpWatch also offered FRANCE: Pipe Break Causes Leak Of Uranium at French Plant, FRANCE: Areva mishandled uranium leak: safety body .
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Before we accept and believe propaganda offered by others to support ANY source of energy, let's consider the impending bailout Entergy will leave for taxpayers with a staggering price tag.
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And someone needs to explain that nuclear is finite.
3 comments:
On August 28, 1991 while I lived in Virginia a truck carrying circulation pump from a nuclear reactor tried to go under a bridge that was not tall enough. The circ. pump hit the bridge and fell off the truck. The pump had some slightly radioactive water in and it spilled onto the highway. After the clean-up the Virginia highway department removed a section of the breakdown lane about 20 inches wide by 20 feet where the water had spilled. The level of radiation of the section that was remove was about what you would received if you got a chest x-ray if you laid on that section of road for over a year. The nuclear industry does need to be regulated, but with some logic. If you used the same logic as shown above we would need to evacuate much of New Hampshire due to the high radiation in granite.
P.S. I have worked in the Nuclear industry and have visited the Chernobyl museum in Kiev, Ukraine. I like the photos you used from Chernobyl when you talked about France.
bolshoi Bob, In order not to confuse people about a topic most know very little about, I don't want to get mired in the 'not all radioactivity is created equal' discussion.
Several years ago, you may recall, a cat owner had his cat treated for an overactive thyroid (a common feline problem)with the radioactive isotope of iodine, which is absorbed by the thyroid. Along with the treatment, thorough instructions are provided that explain the appropriate method of disposing of the kitty litter. The pet owner disregarded the instructions and disposed of the kitty litter so that it ended up triggering alarms at SEMASS. As I recall, the iodine isotope has a half life of 28 days, so holding the kitty litter for several months would have avoided the problem.
Brookhaven Lab, filled with scientists well versed in the potential damage have so thoroughly contaminated area water, that a worker who was poaching deer on the property set off the alarms on entering the premises.
And you might want to consider the consumer bailout of Shoreham.
The present record of nuclear power plants is being mostly silenced to defend an industry that receives the greatest taxpayer subsidies of any other industry and are generous campaign donors.
It has been analyzed in depth by business experts who recognize that wind energy is cheaper than nuclear or coal NOW.
When capital markets refuse to invest in nuclear, that speaks for itself. And when Entergy is seeking to distance itself from an elderly Vermont plant 4 years from decommissioning, when they haven't set aside adequate funds for that purpose, their goal is rather transparent.
Rep. Roscoe Bartlett indicated that $325 million had been appropriated this year for nuclear research, still searching for the Holy Grail of fission/fusion coupling to solve the vast waste problem after 60 years.
So if an identical amount were appropriated for wind, solar, tidal/wave, thermal power generation.....?
Nuclear is not benign and never has been, and as the posted article points out, the Simpsons seem to be running Vermont Yankee.
The best use the US has found so far has been employing depleted uranium on weapons which aerosolizes the radioactivity for inhalation or wind dispersal to contaminate large areas. Because it can't be seen, we can pretend it's not problematic in returning veterans, as we did with Gulf War Syndrome. And DOD can deny culpability for chromosomal damage, rare cancers and other unusual health issues.
To suggest that radon is equivalent in this discussion is specious and I'm disappointed that you included it.
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