Remember Fukushima?

[Dementia_Madness]

One of the greatest gifts God has given humanity is our ability to learn from our mistakes...we can take lessons learned from Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima, and learn what not to do...and how best to design safer and more long lasting reactors, in more safe regions. I would argue that Fukushima will propel us further in the design and engineering effort to be even more safe and better prepared in the future, I do not see "the end of safe Nuclear" more like a new era of "safer" design and better nuclear power...which one will win out time will tell, but being in the industry and seeing the money that is being poured into it now, even after Fukushima, I have to say the future looks bright for Nuclear energy.

http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,14954037,00.html
http://www.denverpost.com/allewis/ci_17453511
http://mg.co.za/article/2011-05-27-bright-future-for-nuclear-power
http://www.ne.doe.gov/
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=planning-for-the-black-swan
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=piore-how-close-do-you-live-to-nuclear-reactor
http://brc.gov/index.php?q=library/documents/research-documents

[Jeremy Roenick]

I would argue that Fukushima will propel us further in the design and engineering effort to be even more safe and better prepared in the future, I do not see "the end of safe Nuclear" more like a new era of "safer" design and better nuclear power...which one will win out time will tell, but being in the industry and seeing the money that is being poured into it now, even after Fukushima, I have to say the future looks bright for Nuclear energy.

That's fine, and I entirely agree with that.  But what are we to do with the 104 reactors in the US that were all started in some form or fashion in 1974 or earlier?  Building codes for standard construction have progressed light years since then, not to mention something as highly dangerous as a nuclear power plant.  Fukushima has caused the US NRC to rethink many things, but to actually employ what's been learned is a herculean task and exacerbated by a broke treasury. 

In March of this year the "experts" told Congress in hearings that the lessons learned from Fukushima regarding the spent fuel pools alone need to be employed at all US facilities.  The implementation of just this one aspect has been a failure to this point.  Read more here: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/2011/0330/Fukushima-warning-US-has-utterly-failed-to-address-risk-of-spent-fuel  With close to 72,000 tons of spent fuel laying around in US reactors, I'd say this is a high stakes game of risk vs. time.  The US has no comprehensive plan for storing spent fuel rods off site from the plants, so they just stack up in the cooling pools at these facilities.

DM, we have a long, long way to go before our nuclear power program reaches any level of what I'd consider to be safe and efficient.  We're still operating the bulk of our reactors on 30-40 year old thought processes and procedures.  It's just a disaster waiting to happen.

[Dementia_Madness]

I agree JR but the first step of fixing a problem is recognizing there is a problem, acknowledging it, and then setting out to correct it. The important question is is any of our other forms of energy REALLY more safe and more efficient...the answer to that is debatable.

[Dementia_Madness]

http://www.cnn.com/2012/01/01/world/asia/japan-earthquake/index.html?hpt=hp_t3

(CNN) -- A strong earthquake with a magnitude of 6.8 struck off the coast of Japan on Sunday, the U.S. Geological Survey reported.

The earthquake hit 468 kilometers (302 miles) south-southwest of Tokyo at a depth of 348 kilometers, according to the USGS.

There were no immediate reports of injuries or damage.The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center did not issue a tsunami warning.

The USGS gave the quake a preliminary magnitude of 7.0 before downgrading it to 6.8.

Japan lies along the Pacific "ring of fire," an area of high seismic and volcanic activity stretching from New Zealand in the South Pacific up through Japan, across to Alaska and down the west coasts of North and South America.

Last year, a devastating earthquake and tsunami hit northeastern Japan, leaving thousands of people dead or missing. The March 11 earthquake triggered powerful tsunami waves and sparked a nuclear crisis.

[NCVol]

That's fine, and I entirely agree with that.  But what are we to do with the 104 reactors in the US that were all started in some form or fashion in 1974 or earlier?  Building codes for standard construction have progressed light years since then, not to mention something as highly dangerous as a nuclear power plant.  Fukushima has caused the US NRC to rethink many things, but to actually employ what's been learned is a herculean task and exacerbated by a broke treasury. 

In March of this year the "experts" told Congress in hearings that the lessons learned from Fukushima regarding the spent fuel pools alone need to be employed at all US facilities.  The implementation of just this one aspect has been a failure to this point. 

That's just another way of pointing out the MASSIVE public subsidies of nuclear energy that aren't counted in our messed up way of accounting for the true cost of energy..  The enormous risk of the spent fuel is simply offloaded onto the public for them (aka US) to bear, while the owners of nuclear power plants and users of the energy pay artificially low (massively subsidized) prices for their energy.  The fact is if we demanded that nuclear operators account for all the costs, and removed loan guarantees, and the public "insurance" of a disaster, and made private companies bear those costs (such as buying an insurance policy for the damage from an "accident"), we might not have nuclear energy in this country.  From what I've read, insuring them is literally impossible.  But even if the costs were bearable, we'd see a dramatic rise in the cost per unit of energy supplied by nuclear that would make the alternatives suddenly extremely competitive.  It's why I get a laugh when people complain about the subsidies for wind/solar/geothermal- they're a pittance compared to the annual uncounted subsidies to nuclear and especially oil and gas. 

[Jeremy Roenick]

What?!?!?  No earthquake. No tsunami. No natural catastrophe.....

http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2012/02/san-onofre-nuclear-plant-closed-after-radiation-leak/

San Onofre Nuclear Plant Closed After Radiation Leak

A small quantity of radioactive gas leaked inside one of the buildings at San Onofre nuclear power plant north of San Diego, according to a spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

The spokesman said the radiation levels were “barely measurable,” but the plant was shut down as a precaution.

“At no point were the public or our workers in any danger,” Southern California Edison spokesman Gil Alexander told ABC News.

I feel so much better.  From the same people who told us Fukushima was NOT MELTING DOWN.  "Alls well. Nothing to see here. Move along."   

[Jeremy Roenick]

Just think, when New Madrid decides to give us a wake up call, just how many Midwest reactors will be in peril. How many will have to perform emergency shutdowns, and how many will release ? into the atmosphere.

http://www.rrstar.com/blogs/brianleaf/x1157705472/Power-loss-at-Byron-nuke-plant-triggers-unusal-event

Power loss at Byron nuke plant triggers 'unusual event'

A loss of power coming into the Byron nuclear plant caused one of two reactors to automatically shutdown about 10:15 a.m. today.

Backup diesel generators were activated after the power outage and were being used for safety equipment that vents heat from the reactor, according to a spokeswoman from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission in Lisle.

According to the NRC, said smoke was seen from an on-site transformer, but no fire was found by responders. It said steam is being released from the plant to aid in the cooling process and does not represent a threat to the public. The steam contains tritium, a hydrogen isotope with low levels of radioactivity. Exeleon, in a press release, said tritium occurs naturally and is found in virtually all surface water, although it is found in greater concentrations near nuclear reactors.

[Jeremy Roenick]

Wonder what Cesium levels in Tokyo Bay 122 times greater than Chernobyl will do for the local population and food chain?  Bullish news for the world economy for sure.  Meanwhile, every Japanese resident with a means to do so is moving out of the country....

But remember, Fukushima wasn't melting down.  And we're not over there doing anything about this ongoing disaster....But that's o.k. We have Dancing with the Stars, the new Bachelorette is coming out and the NFL is just around the corner.

Minamisoma is 122 times more contaminated than mandatory evacuation zone in Belarus

http://fukushima-diary.com/2012/05/minamisoma-is-122-times-more-contaminated-than-mandatory-evacuation-zone-in-belarus/

[Shimmy]

Martin got about 100 times more coverage than Fukushima.  What is up with the socialist news media?

[Jeremy Roenick]

Shimmy, it's criminal.  Got to keep the masses asleep.

Remember how much more responsible the media was during the Chernobyl disaster?  Even with the restricted media access behind the iron curtain, the word got out, the danger was reported.

This has been one mass, complicit coverup orchestrated by not Japan's or even the USA's media, but the world media at large.  The only exception I would state has been the RT (Russia Today TV).  Funny how more truth comes out of Russia now than the rest of the world.

[MRM]

They (U.S. media) are to worried about someone being bullied 50 years ago.

[Dementia_Madness]

Which would you rather do go to High school with a young Romney, eat a home cooked meal with a young Obama, or duck hunting with an elderly Cheney?