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Re: Consequences of attack on nuclear facility- Matt Bivens "Special Report"
In a message dated 10/10/01 6:44:53 PM Eastern Daylight Time, David_S_Hyder@RL.GOV writes:
All we can do is respond with the facts.
>>=====================================
>>Special Report
>>
>>Nuclear Safety
>>by Matt Bivens
>>
Is this the Matt Bivens that was the Editor at the Moscow Times until last
January?
>>
>>What happens if a suicide bomber drives a jumbo jet into one of America's
103
>>nuclear power reactors? What happens if a fire fed by thousands of tons
of jet
>>fuel roars through a reactor complex--or, worse, through the enormous and
>>barely-protected containment pools of spent nuclear fuel found at every
such
>>plant?
>>
From www.boeing.com a 747-400, which is the largest commercial jet that came
to mind, can hold about 54,000 gallons of jet fuel..... 54,000 gallons
of jet fuel weighs about 200 tons. And, the airline folks don't like to
waste money by flying extra fuel (weight) around. So, thousands of tons of
jet fuel equals millions of pounds of just fuel (not including the weight of
the jet), a 747-400 has a maximum take off weight of 875,000 pounds.
>>
>> The 767s that hit the trade
>>center weighed 150 tons, and were probably moving at top speed.
>>
======
Radsafe:
Immediately after seeing the "Special Report" which appeared in The Nation by Matt Bivens whose bio at The Nation Website indicates he used to be editor of The Moscow Times, I sent a letter-to-the-editor of The Nation criticizing the gross inaccuracies of this "Report" by Bivens which their publication choose to publish.
A copy of my letter to the editor, as sent is copied below:
======
MATT BIVENS | Nuclear Safety
Given the extraordinary events, we're taking extraordinary measures to
protect our nuclear plants, right?
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=special&s=bivens_wtc_20010916
Click here to view Nuclear Safety "Feature" in The Nation
=====
My letter to the editor in reply is below:
Subj: Letter reply on "Feature" Nuclear Safety by Matt Bivens
Date: 9/18/01 9:24:55 PM Pacific Daylight Time
From: RadiumProj
To: letters@thenation.com
Dear Editor:
The recent so-called "FEATURE STORY | Special Report" Nuclear Safety by MATT BIVENS is little more than an antinuclear rant by a person who can't get even basic facts straight.
One quick example since space is limited. He writes in his first paragraph that:
"What happens if a suicide bomber drives a jumbo
jet into one of America's 103 nuclear power
reactors? What happens if a fire fed by thousands
of tons of jet fuel roars through a reactor
complex........."
A Boeing 757 fully fueled at takeoff carries 11,500 gallons of fuel or about 40 tons. So he immediately exaggerates the fuel load of a jet by a factor of at least 50 or assumes more than 50 Boeing 757 are crashed into a reactor simultaneously.
His entire so called "Feature" is filled with exaggerations, half-truths, and outright falsehoods to use the tragedy of this past week in New York and Washington to advance a self-serving antinuclear agenda. Bivens' column isn't that of a journalist, but worthy of a propagandist.
The terrorists on 9/11/01 had undoubtedly considered crashing a commercial jet into a nuclear reactor containment -- a 120 foot high cylindrical hemispherical target with reinforced concrete walls 3 feet thick, and discarded as having little likelihood of breaching containment and having guaranteed serious consequences than the targets they chose. Using our national tragedy to advance an anti-nuke agenda by giving a scaremonger like Bivens an open forum for propaganda like his "Feature" makes The Nation an accomplice in agenda journalism.
Stewart Farber, MS Public Health
Public Health Scientist
172 Old Orchard Way
Warren, VT 05674
NOT FOR PUBLICATION BUT ONLY FOR VERIFICATION if required:
(802) 496-3356
email: SAFarberMSPH@cs.com