In Historic Vote, Vermont Senate Blocks License Renewal for Nuclear Plant
I'm absolutely thrilled that the good people of Vermont who organized the opposition to this plant were so successful, since the plant was leaking radioactive tritium into the water.
However, Vermont still has to figure out how it's going to replace that energy:
The Vermont Senate blocked efforts by Entergy Corp. to win a 20-year license renewal for its Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant, an action that could encourage opponents of nuclear energy in other states.
The Senate vote, which was 26 to four, marks the first time a license renewal has been thwarted, and it sets the stage for the plant's closure by 2012, when the license expires.
The vote was striking because the state relies on the plant for a third of its electricity. In the past, license renewals have been routine, allowing energy companies to squeeze more life out of aging plants. To date, the NRC has renewed 59 reactor licenses, and 19 are pending.
The vote, which reflected fears about safety after leaks of radioactive tritium were discovered at the plant last year, is a blow to Entergy, which had planned to spin off six reactors, including Vermont Yankee, into the nation's first stand-alone nuclear power company, to be called Enexus Energy Corp.
They LEAK.
They are RADIOACTIVE.
They are TOXIC.
The danger lasts for a HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS.
Live WITHOUT them, develop alternatives, and use less electricity.
No-brainer.
And yet man has not yet figured out how to live with his fellow man.
What could possibly go wrong...
"Parachutes are allowed in checked or carry-on baggage, but may not be worn in flight."
---Southwest Airlines
But what you mean is burn coal and oil for electricity because we can't meet demands with 'alternatives'...
Currently there is nothing to substantially replace coal and oil except nuclear.
Nuclear technology means that we must accept the large numbers of workers killed by mining uranium, entire regions poisoned for centuries by mine tailings leaching mutagenics into the aquifers, the massive Federal socialism required by the Free-Market (who won't go near nuclear power without 100% taxpayer bailout at all levels), and incredibly deadly radioactive waste having to be guarded and protected for hundreds of thousands of years.
Once we accept all that, then nuclear is great.
I am not opposed to nuclear technology, I am opposed to how society has done it so far. Nuclear technology is the single most expensive source of power ever devised. A deadly Rube Goldberg contraption just to boil water.
Sorry, but that's just utter nonsense.
of a loser mentality.
Stop listening to Fux News.
I've been saying for the last 5 years:
No matter what your personal beliefs are regarding nuclear energy, THIS plant has reached the end of it's lifespan and MUST be closed as scheduled.
Jimmy Carter was the first and the last President to call for alternate energy together with energy conservation.
If we had listened to him then, we would not be headed towards the crash head on as we now are.
Oh well, Dmitri Orlov: No country is worse prepared for the energy and resource crash than the US. The collapse gap: here
statusquObama, change you can only pretend in
to start building modern nuclear plants.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
In 2008 they achieved fossil fuel energy independence. Without nukes.
well... the US could have been developing alternate fuel for the last 30+ years... but that would have made sense.
The plan to deindustrialise the US started 41 years ago when David Rockefeller more or less ordered it. It's come to pass, hasn't it?
when offshoring began in earnest.
Thanks. I needed that.
Corruption favors the wealthy.
If you continue to operate a motor vehicle in an unsafe manner and you reject all warnings and citations to do so, they will eventually yank your driver's license. I see this as long overdue but otherwise, not dissimilar.
Barack Obama: Change we can only imagine
Replace the energy with Bloom Boxes:
http://www.bloomenergy.com/
Seriously, with the money that would've otherwise been spent on the NUclear Reactors, Vermont could buy enough boxes to supply the power, and then offer rebates to taxpayers within ten years!
big energy will put the kabosh on home based power plants, they might use them in sub stations, but you ain't gonna have one.
No, these "bloom boxes" are a fraud or, more accurately, their marketing claims are fraudulent.
Don't think so, they're using them
http://www.dailytech.com/Is+the+Magic+Alterna...
Yes, they're being used however they don't live up to the claims, they produce way less power than their marketers claim, just like HHO claimants for gasoline milage boosters.
THe link doesn't support the claim that they produce way less power than advertised, just that the systems currently are WAY more expensive than solar.
BUt with economy of scale, they can get way cheaper within a decade.
The best and quickest way to scale this tech and get it into consumers' hands? Statewide use - Vermont could be the test site for the "Landfill gas" intake method, among other methods. And I'm willing to bet that the NASA-trained scientist will be willing to shave margin in exchange for the foothold and publicity, bringing the immediate cost to Vermont down even further.
I should amend that (and would if I could.)
The "bloom boxes" marketing claims don't live up to real world results. Any time there is proclamations of "break throughs" or "revolutionary technology" or claims that something is going to destroy forever the world's way of thinking or break the lock of OPEC et al., one should consider the claims highly critically.
Nuclear power was the same way. Remember we were all going to get clean energy for only pennies a year? I do. I remember when those claims were made as well. Nuclear power was going to revolutionize the world, irrigate our deserts, desalinate our oceans, no end of bullshit.
will buy Bloom up and the product will be shelved anyway
You mean like how steam power was touted in the 18th century? And the electric light bulb? And the automobile? How about the airplane? No technology hits the market totally perfected. You always get an early prototype that is continually improved.
^^^
that is staring commercial trials but is still ludicrously expensive and because SOFC runs at high temperature is subject to frequent breakdowns. Still, it has a great future.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
Good grief. Republican corporate crooks deliberately poisoning Americans and then lying about it.
Just think how much electricty could be saved, just by cutting them off from the webs!
I'm telling your wife you're eyeballing those ads with the bras and panties!
Am I the only one getting distracted by all those ads with big busted and/or bra and pantie women on this site?
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
All I need is for my wife to think I'm looking at a pron site.
http://www.howtocookfish.info/recipes/crustac...
Very good.
*
This site could use some Page 3 Girls.
Diabolus est Deus Inversus
Not so good news for Georgia.
NY Times Feb 16: U.S. Supports New Nuclear Reactors in Georgia
.. clean energy?
.. I gotta bridge I'll sell ya!
Democracy is too important to be entrusted to politicians.
Rise Up!
Protest!
Billions down the drain, loads of construction workers and engineers get paid, outdated by the time they're finished
REALLY PISSED ME OFF!
But it'll never go away. The nuclear gift that keeps on giving.
in the country. It gas WOODEN cooling towers. One of which collapsed due to rot a couple of years ago. Entergy lied about a whole host of problems and accidents at the site. Entergy has not set aside as much money for decommissioning of the plant as required by their previous license.
At least some of the power lost by it's closing is available from Hydro Quebec. We will find a way to make the rest. And with any luck that will open up the opportunity for me to get a green energy construction job.
are going to have a rather hefty increase in their electricity rates. Score one for Quebec Hydro.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
to believe that Entergy wasn't going to have to raise their rates to keep that falling apart disaster up and running? And to finally get around to setting aside the money they by law were supposed to have already set aside for it's closing? Also the rate that Hydro Quebec will be getting is in line with what was being paid to Entregy so where is this "hefty" increase you're making up?
is going to say they paid for it but it will be the taxpayers problem in the end.
And the same thing would happen 20 years from now if they were allowed to let it run another 20 years. And it would cost much much more then. And yes I do know that's the Republican way, put the cost off onto future generations. But we're not really into that sort of thing around this parts. We're more into responsibility and all.
It's common in business for the customer to dictate what price they'll pay for any good. Hydro Quebec will charge whatever they can get away with. Plus there are delivery charges. Of course the sensible low cost solution would be to build gas fired plants but that'll take awhile and I believe it may cost some money to do that. Which the customers will pay for. That's the way it works. They could just rely on the spot market I suppose. Then they'd pay through the nose.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
By your astute reasoning the rate payers aren't already paying for construction and maintenance costs. Which would rise as much or even more relying on an old falling apart junker then with new and better system. And yes I know you'll keep lying and say that there is no new and better way. But reality says otherwise.
Just because you think your 38 year old Ford Farlaine with the rusted out fenders, missing bumper and dragging exhaust is just great doesn't mean a new Mini won't run circles around it on the track or the street.
No problem, just build a big ass hydro-electric dam..oops no wait
No problem, just build a big ass coal.. no wait, mercury green house
No problem just build a lot of gas fired..no wait, green house still
I got it, thousands of windmills...except not in my backyard
Solar..oops a little too far north
I get a kick out of how many of the folks here get on the case of the anti-science crowd, yet when it comes to that scary old atom they absolutely freak out. If you want green house gas free power you will have to deal with nuclear. I agree that the consumption side need to be vastly improved, but to turn your back on this because of fear is no argument.
Obama is going to build a nuclear plant in YOUR back yard and we'll get the power from there for next to nothing. No one here is "freaking out" but actually discussing the science and the hazards of that science rationally. You should try it sometime.
Then you can see for yourself why it is being retired. It is 38 years old and literally falling apart.
You might want to read this. Please be sure to pay close attention to the dates. Some are from way back. Some, not so far back.
What is your conceptual, continuity?
The ignorance about how power is generated and distributed is appalling.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
That someone has understood that the danger far out weighs the benefit.
republicanism/conservatism is a mental illness, it has almost totally destroied our economy, our morals, and the sprituality of America!
That if every home and structure had solar panels on them, we wouldn't need any nuclear energy plants.
Think about it. You don't need to store the energy in batteries(unless you want to be off of the grid)and by using them(panels) that way you'd be sending power back to the grid.
You take what you need, and what you don't use goes back to the grid.
That makes every home with panels mini power stations.
Of course this won't alleviate the need for big power plants.
But it would eliminate the need for nuclear plants.
Some states would need more help than others. But if Germany can make it work, surely we can too.
No, they want to irradiate the drinking water. How the F do you neutralize something like irradiated water tables?
What is your conceptual, continuity?
We would be free from middle east oil now. There would be no reason to be fighting a war for exxon to have the right to sell us Iraqi oil.
But these stupid fucking bought off republicans needed to pilfer some money. So here we are.
republicanism/conservatism is a mental illness, it has almost totally destroied our economy, our morals, and the sprituality of America!
the Federal Government has total control over nuclear plant licensing.
Wanna bet on that? I could use the easy cash.
Natural gas, solar, wind, geothermal etc.
Obama is lying when he says we need nuclear power.
Republicans are liars and simply cannot be trusted.
For the price of one nuke plant they can put in enough wind generators to meet all of their needs far into the future, plus enough to export serious amounts of power to the grid.
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