Reactor Reax Top Stories - Why Go Nuclear When Efficiency, Renewables Fit the Bill?

Latest new from about our nuclear powered world.

Courtesy: thepaltrysapien.com

(WASHINGTON D.C.) - In this latest roundup of stories by the group Physicians for Social Responsibility, we learn the startling news that U.S. Labs Not Equipped to Handle Radiation Disasters, and the question is posed: Why go nuclear when efficiency, renewables fit the bill?

One story examines whether a Japan-level nuclear crisis is possible at the San Onofre nuclear plant in Southern California, and we discover that cleaning up a DIY repair at Florida's Crystal River nuclear plant could cost $2.5 billion.

The problems surrounding this deadly form of energy that devastated the population of Fukushima, Japan are myriad.

The experience of the Japanese show us once again that government and business are not concerned with human health and safety and the endangered children of that region are proof for us all that when it all comes down, the powers to be are strictly in nuclear energy for the money and that meeting the demands of shareholders is paramount, when safety should be the single overriding concern.

U.S. Labs Not Equipped to Handle Radiation Disasters, MedPage Today, October 12, 2011. "The U.S. state-based public health community is not ready to address a large-scale radiological event such as the one at Japan's Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant, according to recent survey results."

Why Go Nuclear When Efficiency, Renewables Fit the Bill, Sustainable Business, October 7, 2011. "What's the likely result if the more than 20 applications for new or expanded nuclear plants are approved by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission? That's the question addressed in the report, 'Big Risks, Better Alternatives,' by Synapse Energy Economics on behalf of the Union of Concerned Scientists."

Panel: Japan-level nuclear crisis possible at San Onofre, Orange County (CA) Register, October 12, 2011. "A nuclear calamity of the intensity that struck Japan on March 11 could happen at San Onofre, a series of speakers told San Clemente's elected leaders at a nearly five-hour community meeting Tuesday night."

Cleaning up a DIY repair on Crystal River nuclear plant could cost $2.5 billion, St. Petersburg (FL) Times, October 9, 2011. "The Crystal River nuclear accident is one of the most expensive in U.S. history. The reactor meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979 was far more serious, but just a little more costly, $2.6 billion in today's dollars, according to the Insurance Information Institute."

NRC, FirstEnergy concerned about a crack is Davis-Besse's outer containment building, Cleveland Plain Dealer, October 12, 2011. "Contractors preparing the Davis-Besse nuclear reactor for a new lid have encountered a problem that could keep the power plant idled longer than expected. Plant owner FirstEnergy Corp. shut down the Oak Harbor plant near Toledo almost two weeks ago in order to install a new, upgraded reactor lid, equipped with components more resistant to the heat and stress cracking that have plagued Davis-Besse in the last decade."

"Reactor Reax" is featured on www.NuclearBailout.org, a Web site maintained by Physicians for Social Responsibility. For more information, contact reactorreax@nuclearbailout.org.