Nuclear Waste Container Tips Over
Two trains collided yesterday in Buffalo, NY. No one was hurt, but a container tipped over. A container that is used to hold nuclear waste. It was empty, on a return trip to pick up more spent fuel from the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.
No radiation was released and this type of accident is very rare. Jim Carey, a spokesman for the DOE's Pittsburgh Naval Reactors Office, said that about 750 of these containers have already been shipped without incident. They're not shipped frequently, though. This fuel comes from nuclear-powered warships that only need refueling about every twenty years.
Per the request of Representative Tom Reynolds (R-NY), the proximity of nuclear waste containers to other rail traffic will be investigated, along with whether or not this particular accident violated operational or security procedures.
This accident happened near a neighborhood. No local authorities were aware that any radioactive material was being shipped through their area. According to Buffalo deputy fire commissioner J. Gregory Love, "We should not know. The package should just go right through." But what if it doesn't, Deputy Love? What if a serious nuclear accident occurs in your juristdiction and you have no plan to deal with it?
Just think... What if this had happened when the container was full and on its way back? Sure, tests show that they're designed to withstand a fall like this, but what if it didn't? What if this happens to any of the shipments that are proposed for storage at Yucca Mountain? Clearly local authorities aren't prepared to deal with nuclear accidents.
No radiation was released and this type of accident is very rare. Jim Carey, a spokesman for the DOE's Pittsburgh Naval Reactors Office, said that about 750 of these containers have already been shipped without incident. They're not shipped frequently, though. This fuel comes from nuclear-powered warships that only need refueling about every twenty years.
Per the request of Representative Tom Reynolds (R-NY), the proximity of nuclear waste containers to other rail traffic will be investigated, along with whether or not this particular accident violated operational or security procedures.
This accident happened near a neighborhood. No local authorities were aware that any radioactive material was being shipped through their area. According to Buffalo deputy fire commissioner J. Gregory Love, "We should not know. The package should just go right through." But what if it doesn't, Deputy Love? What if a serious nuclear accident occurs in your juristdiction and you have no plan to deal with it?
Just think... What if this had happened when the container was full and on its way back? Sure, tests show that they're designed to withstand a fall like this, but what if it didn't? What if this happens to any of the shipments that are proposed for storage at Yucca Mountain? Clearly local authorities aren't prepared to deal with nuclear accidents.
posted by Sara Ch. at 8:39 AM
2 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
[Grammar edit]
Christ.
Tests do not show a design. They show performance. Fully loaded, the container tips over and doesn't break. Wonderful devices known as 'barrels' have been doing this for years. The only reason that it didn't break open is that it's physically impossible.
Furthermore, why should every terrorist in the world be told that something is there if you don't want them to attack it?
How does this prove unpreparedness, and how is this a "nuclear accident?"
I sometimes wonder why y'all publish stuff like this.
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