[ RadSafe ] What's Killing The Nuclear Industry?

[JPreisig at aol.com]

Hmmmmm,
 
     What you write is probably quite correct.
 
     The track record of nuclear power in the USA is  quite good.  TMI was 
not good.  Fuel uncovered and one
reactor was lost.  No major releases.  No loss of  farmland, no high doses 
to population etc.
 
     Chernobyl....Operator error.  Plant severely  breached.  Loss of life. 
 Local or more farmland not
usable.  Much of local population had to be moved out of the  area.  
Original containment of reactor not very
good.  Ouch. 
 
     Fukushima.  Reactors probably OK in  fundamental design.  Bad design 
to put reactors close to shoreline in  pretty severe earthquake country.  We 
shouldn't do this again.  Bad  backup of electrical power systems.
No tsunami stormwall.  Ouch.
 
    Other power reactor accidents not large compared to the  preceding.
 
     Currently EPA regulations making it not very  viable to build new 
reactors in the USA.  Relatively cheap coal, oil,  gasoline, natural gas, 
methane,etc. also make it difficult to build new nuclear  plants.
 
     So, what now???  Current USA reactors will  operate for next 20-40 
years.  Will new ones be built during that time  span???  Will Fusion ever come 
on line???  We've been waiting on  Fusion for 50+ Years now....Ouch.  
Reactor spent fuel, if reprocessed,  could significantly add to Human ability to 
make power/energy for 100's of  years.  Coal and methane may be around for 
100's of years.  I don't  see much of an energy crisis.
 
    High school kids/university kids/grad students could  probably be 
coaxed to build robotic systems to reprocess spent fuel.  Heck,  there could be 
student assistantships for grad students to sit at a robotic  reprocessing 
station for 15 hours a week (with low dose rate, as  designed)...we'll see.
 
    What's going on with modular reactors???
 
     Regards,    Joe Preisig
 
 
   
 
 
In a message dated 5/13/2013 1:43:11 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  
doctorbill34 at gmail.com writes:

As a  supporter of nuclear power, who retired after working 26 years at a
nuclear  power plant, it is frustrating to read the many postings and
arguments  regarding LNT, hormesis, mutated tomatoes at Fukushima, the
dangers of  coal,  etc.  You don't get it!

The future of nuclear power  will NOT be decided by whether low level
radiation exposure is good or bad,  whether the media is biased, whether our
government is controlled by  antinukes, or whether other ways of producing
electricity are just as  hazardous.

There is only one question that the public cares  about:  Can the nuclear
industry be trusted to manage the  technology?

I dare anyone to answer, "Yes," to that.

Going  forward, discussions should focus on what we can do to change  this
situation.  The burden of proof is on us.

Bill  Lipton
It's not about dose, it's about  trust.
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