US to build nuclear power plants

[Bugs]

The US is going ahead, building two new nuclear power plants.

President Barack Obama has announced more than $8bn (£5bn) of federal loan guarantees to begin building the first US nuclear power stations for 30 years.

Two new plants are to be constructed in the state of Georgia by US electricity firm Southern Company.

Mr Obama said the plants would be "safe and clean" and were needed to meet the country's future energy needs.

There have been no new nuclear power plants started in the US since the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island.

The accident was caused by the partial core meltdown of one of the reactors at the site in Pennsylvania, which resulted in a release of radioactive gases into the atmosphere.

While the president said the US had not "broken ground on a ... new nuclear power plant in 30 years", some US nuclear plants only became operational in the 1980s, despite construction beginning years earlier.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/low/business/8518670.stm

The idea that wind and sun can power a 21st Century society would last as long as it takes to get to our first set of rolling brownouts stops TV, music systems, and streetcars. Where do these supporters of electric cars think the power will come from? Even if climatescam has been revealed as a fraud on the public ... it doesn't seem to me to be a good idea to go on putting carbon (on this scale) into the air.

What are the rational arguments, anymore, against nuclear reactors? In fact, they have been safe, and the nuclear wastes have been safely handled.

Comments?

[Shady]

Comments?

In this case I have to give Obama a lot of credit. Not only does this provide a lot of good jobs via 2 large construction projects, but it also helps America become more energy independent.

[sharkman]

I was quite surprised to here of this development after Obama preached green energy and picked on the tar sands during his campaign. No doubt the tree huggers in his base are freaking out right about now.

[William Ashley]

The US is going ahead, building two new nuclear power plants.

The idea that wind and sun can power a 21st Century society would last as long as it takes to get to our first set of rolling brownouts stops TV, music systems, and streetcars. Where do these supporters of electric cars think the power will come from? Even if climatescam has been revealed as a fraud on the public ... it doesn't seem to me to be a good idea to go on putting carbon (on this scale) into the air.

What are the rational arguments, anymore, against nuclear reactors? In fact, they have been safe, and the nuclear wastes have been safely handled.

Comments?

But what if they are used to make nuclear weapons? Sanctions?

Edited February 17, 2010 by William Ashley

[Wilber]

I was quite surprised to here of this development after Obama preached green energy and picked on the tar sands during his campaign. No doubt the tree huggers in his base are freaking out right about now.

What is "green energy" anyway? There seem to be environmental trade offs regardless of how you generate electricity. If you just want to reduce CO2 and atmospheric polution, nukes are as green as anything else.

[Michael Hardner]

What is "green energy" anyway? There seem to be environmental trade offs regardless of how you generate electricity. If you just want to reduce CO2 and atmospheric polution, nukes are as green as anything else.

They're also cheaper and a proven workhorse that can deliver. There are risks, though, and ViceTV's excellent travelogue series recently went to Chernobyl to determine whether rumours of mutant animals roaming the forest were true. ( They didn't find any.)

[bush_cheney2004]

While politically exciting, this "news" is not unexpected given the rising demand for electricity generation and the age of existing nuclear power plants, many of which are seeking NRC license extensions. On-site waste storage in dry casks has become the norm because a permanent storage solution at Yucca mountain in Nevada is losing favor.

The USA is the world's largest producer of commercial nuclear power. It has also constructed dozens of naval reactors for carriers and submarines since the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island.

T_ave is always in the green band.

[sharkman]

But what if they are used to make nuclear weapons? Sanctions?

Uh, they already have nuclear weapons.

At any rate, I'm in Obama's corner on this one, strange that there isn't a barrage of critics in this thread from the left who tend to hate nukes and nuclear power unless Iran's the one in question.

[GostHacked]

Thorium Reactors !!!1

[Bugs]

While politically exciting, this "news" is not unexpected given the rising demand for electricity generation and the age of existing nuclear power plants, many of which are seeking NRC license extensions. On-site waste storage in dry casks has become the norm because a permanent storage solution at Yucca mountain in Nevada is losing favor.

The USA is the world's largest producer of commercial nuclear power. It has also constructed dozens of naval reactors for carriers and submarines since the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island.

Actually, I havwe been trying to document the dissolution of the coalition that -- opportunistically or not -- provided the backbone of Obama's Cap & Trade support. It was a big-money thing, a few short months ago. This is another little piece of that coalition breaking away. (I have to be sneaky because the powers that be already barred one of my posts on this topic. The censors of this board seem to think that we should treat the enviro-frauds with respect, as if they were honest but misguided, like Stalin's communists, and so ... you can't really hold them responsible for the millions they murdered ... I remember how they said the science was settled, and turned off the microphones. They're still at it. But, if readers don't believe there's a media blackout on this, just read the British press for contrast.

The still-growing Climategate scientific fraud scandal has already started to move public opinion against global warming alarmism. And even people who believe in looming climate catastrophe aren’t too happy about cap-and-trade legislation that would force them to pay more (and in reality, much, much more) for energy. What has kept cap-and-trade legislation alive in Congress is strong support from big business. Many major corporations have figured out that they can make billions of dollars in windfall profits if a cap-and-trade scheme is enacted that will give them free ration coupons and force consumers to pick up the bill.

Big business support began to crumble on Tuesday — and in a big way. In separate announcements, BP America, Conoco Phillips, and Caterpillar dropped out of the main lobbying group for cap and trade, the U.S. Climate Action Partnership (USCAP). BP sent a letter to its fellow coalition members, Conoco Phillips sent out a press release, and Caterpillar had its name taken off the USCAP website and then confirmed that it was dropping out when media inquiries were made. [...]

The global warming ship has run aground on some very nasty rocks. BP America, Conoco Phillips, and Caterpillar are only the first big corporations to decide to jump ship before it founders and sinks.

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/big-business-jumps-ship-from-the-s-s-climate-change/?singlepage=true

[William Ashley]

While politically exciting, this "news" is not unexpected given the rising demand for electricity generation and the age of existing nuclear power plants, many of which are seeking NRC license extensions. On-site waste storage in dry casks has become the norm because a permanent storage solution at Yucca mountain in Nevada is losing favor.

The USA is the world's largest producer of commercial nuclear power. It has also constructed dozens of naval reactors for carriers and submarines since the 1979 accident at Three Mile Island.

T_ave is always in the green band.

Who needs storage when you have DU wars?

Heck pick any old non technological low population country and you can get rid of your nuclear waste in days.

[Oleg Bach]

The US is going ahead, building two new nuclear power plants.

The idea that wind and sun can power a 21st Century society would last as long as it takes to get to our first set of rolling brownouts stops TV, music systems, and streetcars. Where do these supporters of electric cars think the power will come from? Even if climatescam has been revealed as a fraud on the public ... it doesn't seem to me to be a good idea to go on putting carbon (on this scale) into the air.

What are the rational arguments, anymore, against nuclear reactors? In fact, they have been safe, and the nuclear wastes have been safely handled.

Comments?

Having experienced blackouts caused by failure to pay the electrical bills- Did notice one thing as far as family life- the family never had such a wonderful interactive times as the few days we spent in the dark in the country....as long as it is not winter I see no great crisis on a personal level- and my kids are too old to be stolen by child protections services...so let the power fail..camping is not so bad.

[Bonam]

A step in the right direction, but far too small of one. The US needs hundreds of new nuclear power plants, not two.

[sharkman]

Unfortunately none will be built since Obama has put the funding in a bill that has a lot of tree hugging crap in it and level headed folks on both sides of the aisle will not vote for it.

[BubberMiley]

I heart trees.

[Smallc]

I heart trees.

Me too. Just this morning I wen out and gave one a really big hug.

[sharkman]

As long as the trees don't start talking to you. But I guess that would depend on what you're smoking...

So anyway, I could be wrong, but I suspect that the Obama administration isn't as serious about building nuclear plants one would be led to believe. After all, all they are willing to do is make some loan guarantees for 8 billion, not actually spend any of that wonder stimulus money on theses types of jobs.