It doesn't sound like much but when you're talking about radioactive contaminated water it's a different matter. The Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant had to be shut down with a small leaking pipe on Sunday. Technicians had to wait 13 hours for the system to cool before repairs could begin. The company that owns the power plant Entergy wants to extent its' license another 20 years. A few slight problems though. The plant has been cited for leak violations by the state environmental department and the governor is against relicensing the plant. That's not the fundamental and most important issue. The more important issue is that nuclear power plants have a 25 year life span thirty at max. This plant is almost 40 years old! In 2007 one of it's cooling towers collapsed due to corroded bolts and structural components.
And now the 64 thousand dollar question. The Vermont Yankee plant produces 35% of the states' electricity. It takes about 10 years to get a plant certified. There is no way it could remain functional long enough and hold until another plant was built. But this is just an indication of yet a larger problem. Most of the nuclear plants in this country were built over 30 years ago, many in the early 1970s. It's just a matter of time before they start to fail. This couldn't have come at a worse time. With republicans deeming such projects as pork (we saw that with the tunnel between NY and NJ) there'll be no federal funds for replacement or alternatives.
9 comments:
I suggest that you become a generator salesman.
Meanwhile, it's okay that we are forced into seeking other better ways, and learning to conserve. Yes?
It would be pretty cool if on a clear night we could see Vermont, hahahah
Hanford exists because of the Manhattan project and there's lots of other scientific work going on there now not related to nuclear stuff.
Are there any other nuclear power plants in this state?
Billy the bulk of what's going on at Hanford is spending billions to try and figure out how to contain all that radioactive waste that's headed for the Columbia river.
I have no idea how money (or how much) at Hanford is being spent, but I guess it keeps folks employed.
I said, "and learning to conserve", hahaha, sometimes I forget what planet I'm on.
Talk about lack of foresight. It's not like these service-life facts suddenly snuck up on Vermont.
Regarding Republicans, they seem to be all for nuclear power plants, the more the merrier. If Vermont wants a new one, the only reasons I can think of that would cause Republicans to say no are Bernie Sanders and Howard Dean.
LOS ANGELES – A tiny desert town whose plight was made famous by the movie "Erin Brockovich" has seen a dramatic increase in the size of a toxic plume of chromium as it has spread to multiple groundwater wells
Are we having fun yet?
I bet that tiny desert town grows giant boobs.
Randal opined, "I bet that tiny desert town grows giant boobs."
For those you have to go to that conservative stronghold, Orange County. :)
President Mitch McConnell will handle it...Obama is to busy sulking...;)
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