To Err is Human

Taxpayers in the UK will be footing the bill for the clean-up of the Dounreay Nuclear Complex in Caithness. According to this article from the BBC, an operator failed to make sure a drum was sealed before pouring highly radioactive waste into it.

Please don't tell me that this couldn't happen in the U.S. And don't tell me it couldn't be a lot worse. The bottom line is people make mistakes. I don't care how safe you think it is, it's just not.

Nuclear Iran

From the October 15 Washington Post:

The United States and France jointly warned Iran Friday that it continues to face the danger of referral to the U.N. Security Council if it does not quickly end a boycott of negotiations on its nuclear program.

I think talks with Iran regarding their nuclear programs are probably futile. Obviously they're going to do what they want to do regardless of what we tell them to do.

Technorati Tags: nuclear,Iran

Nuke the Moon

I know this isn't a new idea, but Discussions about storing our nuclear waste on the moon are always interesting. Out of sight, out of mind, right?

Energy Bill Blues

This article from the Palm Beach Desert Sun inspired me to take a look at what could be good about Bush's new Energy Bill. I went to the Department of Energy website and found a list of things that are supposed to be positive for the people. However, all of the perks for those wishing to use alternative, renewable energy sources are for energy sources that really aren't currently feasible. For instance:

"Consumers can receive a credit of up to 30% of the cost, or up to $2,000, for installing solar-powered hot-water systems used exclusively for purposes other than heating swimming "pools and hot tubs."

I live in Washington State where it essentially rains for nine months out of the year. We can't exactly collect sun to use for heating purposes. But since there's such a great lot of perks for nuclear energy I was thinking I could put a nuclear reactor in backyard. That way I'd have hot water to wash my tail and extra limbs whenever I wanted. I know, I'm exaggerating, that's the point. This bill is a gross exaggeration helping no one except big companies who want to make massive profit on dangerous, overpriced reactors.

What scares me most are the little things. The Desert Sun article I mentioned earlier ends with this:

"The energy bill's relaxed insurance provisions will facilitate the inevitable risk taking by the new project's investors. But like the badly needed oil refining capacity, nuclear utilization will also have to stand the test of profitability. Unlike every other one of the world's nations utilizing nuclear power, American nuclear power stations are not subsidized by the government and must be able to function profitably in the private business sector."

What Bush is doing is making it almost impossible for private businesses not to profit from nuclear power stations. He's essentially throwing money their way and relaxing all sorts of rules to push this nuclear renaissance. If he's making regulations more lenient in one area what is going to stop him from making them lenient in others? Safety, for instance.

IAEA's Nobel Peace Prize

Dr. Mohamed ElBaradei and the IAEA were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. The Nobel committee's comments on the decision included:

"At a time when disarmament efforts appear deadlocked, when there is a danger that nuclear arms will spread both to states and to terrorist groups, and when nuclear power again appears to be playing an increasingly significant role, IAEA's work is of incalculable importance."

I couldn't agree more. I find it highly entertaining that Condi Rice sent her congratulations after the U.S. completely lobbied against his third term as IAEA Director General. Less than a year ago the Bush administration asked ElBaradei to step down when his term ended. The U.S. only gave their endorsement grudingly in June when it became clear that everyone else was in favor of ElBaradei continuing at his post. Apparently the Bushies thought ElBaradei was a little soft on Iran and Iraq. Either this opinion has changed or the Bush administration doesn't want to come off all sour grapes.

I'm obviously not a fan of the IAEA on many fronts, but I think they're a very important watchdog in the face of the reemerging nuclear arms race. ElBaradei's official statement can be found here.

Nuke Retro

Funny! But not really.

Nuclear Information and Resource Service

"NIRS/WISE is the information and networking center for citizens and environmental organizations concerned about nuclear power, radioactive waste, radiation, and sustainable energy issues."

They also have a petition up currently to promote a sustainable energy future. Go sign it!

Touring the Exclusion Zone

I've always thought that photos of the ferris wheel in Pripyat were particularly haunting. I suppose everything about Pripyat - the young, exciting city built to house those who worked at Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant - is a little haunting. Something about a thriving city being completely abandoned in a matter of days is just terrifying to me. Probably because I feel like it could happen to any of us, at any time, really. Anyway, I read something this morning that made this Pripyat contraption even creepier: it was never used. According to this article in the Washington Post, it was set to open on May Day 1986. By May Day there weren't really any citizens of Pripyat there to celebrate. That article, by the way, is quite like most articles written by those who've paid for tours of the exclusion zone. It's still an interesting read, though. And, please, don't tell me how much more efficiently we could run our ferris wheels with nuclear power...or how much faster it would turn.

Renewing Plymouth's License

There is a lot of spent nuclear fuel sitting at Pilgrim Nuclear Power Plant in Plymouth, MA. Approximately 2600 assemblies, in fact. It's been building up since 1972. Their license expires in 2012, but they'd like to extend it for another twenty years. While safety issues regarding the plant's operation don't appear to be in question, safety from terrorist attack does. Dr. Ed Lyman from the Union of Concerned Scientists said at a forum on Thursday night:

"Fact: a well-planned terrorist attack on nuclear plant with ground, air or water forces can result in a core meltdown containment failure or large Chernobyl-type radioactive release, and anyone who says otherwise is either misinformed or lying. If Indian Point were hit, up to 44,000 fatalities within 50 miles from the place of exposure would occur, along with up to 500,000 cancer fatalities in the long-term and economic damages exceeding two trillion."

If terrorists hit Pilgrim hard, the reactor itself could release up to five million curies of radiation and the waste pool could release a staggering 25 to 30 million curies. To put it in perspective, the Chernobyl accident is estimated to have released two-and-a-half million curies.
So why are they considering adding even more to the waste already on site? Apparently nuclear energy is solely responsible for our quality of life in the United States. Dr. Gilbert Brown of UMASS Lowell said:

In my reality space, nuclear energy is not only a safe way, but an environmentally safe, sound and economical way to make electricity. Most people don't have a quality of life a tenth of what we have."

He may be right. But how will our quality of life be affected if one of our nuclear plants is attacked by terrorists?