Reactor Reax - Stories About Nuclear Power and its Associated Hazards

Stories question the safety and future of nuclear power.

Courtesy: wagingpeace.org

(WASHINGTON DC) - In this week's 'Reactor Reax', payments to the nuclear industry are waging a divisive voice in many states. Reactors may be growing smaller, but smaller nuclear reactors are raising questions over cost, and The National Interest looks at 'The Steep Path to a Nuclear Future'.

The Tennessee Valley Authority is told to stop building nuclear power program, and another article, 'Groups call for look at current 10-mile evacuation radius' by the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, questions whether last year's devastation in Japan has some people wondering whether the 10-mile evacuation zone that the U.S. government has mandated since 1978 -- before Three Mile Island, Chernobyl or Fukushima -- should be expanded.

Nuclear payment plan divisive in other states, Des Moines Register, April 23, 2012. "The nuclear industry and ratepayers are battling over who should take on the financial risk posed by building nuclear plants. The ratepayer revolt runs from the Iowa Statehouse to the Tampa Bay area of Florida. There, customers of two utilities have been asked to pay for plants with an estimated price tag of $43 billion, starting during the planning process, even though some experts doubt the reactors will be built."

Small nuclear reactors generate hype, questions about cost, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, April 25, 2012. "While some utilities are still pursuing full-scale plants, there is a parallel push for smaller reactors that could be easier for utilities to finance and minimize sticker shock for regulators and consumers. But despite a lower total cost, there's no evidence yet that tiny fission factories would be able to produce electricity at a competitive cost in an era of abundant, cheap natural gas."

The Steep Path to a Nuclear Future, The National Interest, April 25, 2012. "Unfortunately, this debate has taken place without much attention to the economics of electricity production. The critical question is whether nuclear power can be a cost-effective alternative as compared to renewables, investments in energy efficiency or even such long shots as carbon capture and storage. A look at the economic cost of the Fukushima meltdown suggests that the path to a nuclear future is steeply uphill."

Former board member told TVA board to stop building nuclear power program, Chattanooga Times Free Press, April 26, 2012. "S. David Freeman, a Chattanooga native and former TVA board member told the Tennessee Valley Authority board this morning they should stop building their nuclear power program. 'Maybe it's just so demanding that it just inherently will have more cost overruns. I'm not here to criticize, but to implore you to just stop'."

Groups call for look at current 10-mile evacuation radius, Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, April 22, 2012. "When an earthquake and tsunami caused a meltdown and radiation release at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant in Japan, authorities evacuated everyone within a 12-mile radius, and U.S. officials told Americans within 50 miles to get out. Last year's devastation in Japan has some people wondering whether the 10-mile evacuation zone that the U.S. government has mandated since 1978 -- before Three Mile Island, Chernobyl or Fukushima -- should be expanded. "

"Reactor Reax" is featured on www.NuclearBailout.org, a Web site maintained by Physicians for Social Responsibility.