nuclear-news

Nuclear ‘s problems unsolved, while taxpayer will pay up

President Obama’s Nuclear Reversal, THE HUFFINGTON POST, by Eric Pica 18 Feb 2010 President Obama announced Tuesday that the Department of Energy is awarding $8 billion in taxpayer dollars towards loan guarantees to build the United States’ first nuclear reactors in nearly thirty years. This move may be politically expedient, but for the public, it’s a raw deal.

As a candidate, Obama expressed openness to new reactors, but said, “Before an expansion… is considered, key issues must be addressed including: security of nuclear fuel and waste, waste storage, and proliferation.”

President Obama should heed candidate Obama’s advice. These issues have not been addressed. If anything, the challenges facing the nuclear industry have grown worse.

With Yucca Mountain a no-go, there is still nowhere to put the radioactive waste piling up across the country. New reactors would only add to the waste problem and could increase pressure to reprocess spent fuel, a dangerous and costly scheme that would increase waste streams.

There’s also still no way to ensure reactors’ safety. Reports of Homer Simpson-like lapses by staff at reactor sites abound, and the FBI has called nuclear facilities “target rich” environments for terrorists. More reactors also mean more weapons-usable material, increasing the risk of proliferation.

The fiscal implications of President Obama’s position are alarming. For decades, the industry has depended on taxpayer support. Investing in emerging technologies that can eventually thrive on their own makes sense, but the nuclear industry doesn’t fit the bill. After more than 50 years as one of the biggest recipients of federal subsidies, the industry should sink or swim on its own….http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erich-pica/president-obamas-nuclear_b_467423.html

February 19, 2010 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general | cancer, nuclear, nuclear costs, nuclear wastes, nuclear weapons, radiation