Return of the nucle-heads
I see that voters in Oregon may be asked to revisit whether we want nuclear power. For decades, the standing answer has been no, but the push to get away from fossil fuels can make atom-busting look better than it used to.
Even if you assume that new plant designs will eliminate operational safety concerns – and that's quite an assumption in earthquake country – the problem remains that there is no responsible way of dealing with the extremely dangerous waste that nuclear power generates in mass quantities. The government has been irresponsible in dealing with it, and even if those folks did the right thing, there are limits to what you can actually do. Not the smallest of which limits is greed.
If this proposition makes it to the ballot, I hope the kids do their homework before voting on it. It's a tough call, and if it passes, the industry will have to be watched with hawk-like intensity. They are not to be trusted.
The current argument is the waste isn't that much. A tennis ball's worth of stuff will supply enough power for one person's lifetime!
ReplyDeleteStill haven't heard where we'll store the 300M tennis balls this would require. Details, I suppose.
Right now it's in those casks in the photo. Will they last thousands of years? Er, no.
ReplyDeleteOrange Caligula may well have us in WW3, and I doubt the world survives that. Sadly, means all we need is about 4 years.
DeleteWandered through France last summer. They seem to be comfortable with nuclear powered electricity. Maybe we should ask why.
ReplyDelete