Little-Acorn
02-09-2012, 01:32 PM
Kudoes to the Obama administration. After thirty years of fear and paranoia spearheaded by various enviro-whacko groups, the govt has finally gotten back on track for building nuclear power stations. For more than 50 years, fewer people have been killed or injured by nuclear power, than by ANY other source, including hydroelectric, geothermal, solar, and windmills.
The Obama administration has done the right thing. For a change. My hat is off to them.
I do wonder about the statement in the article that says the govt encourages use of "pre-approved" designs rather than "custom" designs. Doesn't that mean they will be using OLDER designs, and shutting out modifications that might make the reactors safer in the event of earthquakes, floods, etc.? New designs have been worked on since Japan's Fukushima reactor problems after a big earthquake cause tsunamis that knocked out the reactors and caused major leaks. Does this policy mean that those newer designs will NOT be used?
Still, it's good to see them finally making the (overall) right move. Hopefully the issues of safety will not be discouraged for long.
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http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-02-09/us-nuclear-reactors-approve/53027204/1
U.S. approves 1st nuclear reactors since 1978
by Mary Ann Chastain
Updated 7m ago
WASHINGTON (AP) – The first new U.S. nuclear power plant in a generation won federal approval Thursday.
By Mary Ann Chastain, 2010 AP photo
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved Southern Co.'s request to build two nuclear reactors in the southern state of Georgia.
STORY: Regulators approve nuclear reactor design
The NRC last approved construction of a nuclear plant in 1978, a year before a partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania raised fears of a radiation release and brought new reactor orders nearly to a halt.
The NRC approved a new reactor design for the Georgia plant in December. Utility companies in Florida and the Carolinas also plan new reactors that use the same design by Westinghouse Electric Co.
The planned reactors are remnants of a once-anticipated building boom that the power industry dubbed the "nuclear renaissance."
President Obama has offered the Georgia project $8.3 billion in federal loan guarantees as part of its pledge to expand nuclear power.
Obama and other proponents say greater use of nuclear power could cut U.S. reliance on fossil fuels and create energy without producing emissions blamed for global warming. A new government permit process strongly encourages utilities to use pre-approved reactor designs rather than building custom models, a strategy intended to make construction easier and less expensive.
The Obama administration has done the right thing. For a change. My hat is off to them.
I do wonder about the statement in the article that says the govt encourages use of "pre-approved" designs rather than "custom" designs. Doesn't that mean they will be using OLDER designs, and shutting out modifications that might make the reactors safer in the event of earthquakes, floods, etc.? New designs have been worked on since Japan's Fukushima reactor problems after a big earthquake cause tsunamis that knocked out the reactors and caused major leaks. Does this policy mean that those newer designs will NOT be used?
Still, it's good to see them finally making the (overall) right move. Hopefully the issues of safety will not be discouraged for long.
-----------------------------------------------------
http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/story/2012-02-09/us-nuclear-reactors-approve/53027204/1
U.S. approves 1st nuclear reactors since 1978
by Mary Ann Chastain
Updated 7m ago
WASHINGTON (AP) – The first new U.S. nuclear power plant in a generation won federal approval Thursday.
By Mary Ann Chastain, 2010 AP photo
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission approved Southern Co.'s request to build two nuclear reactors in the southern state of Georgia.
STORY: Regulators approve nuclear reactor design
The NRC last approved construction of a nuclear plant in 1978, a year before a partial meltdown of the Three Mile Island nuclear plant in Pennsylvania raised fears of a radiation release and brought new reactor orders nearly to a halt.
The NRC approved a new reactor design for the Georgia plant in December. Utility companies in Florida and the Carolinas also plan new reactors that use the same design by Westinghouse Electric Co.
The planned reactors are remnants of a once-anticipated building boom that the power industry dubbed the "nuclear renaissance."
President Obama has offered the Georgia project $8.3 billion in federal loan guarantees as part of its pledge to expand nuclear power.
Obama and other proponents say greater use of nuclear power could cut U.S. reliance on fossil fuels and create energy without producing emissions blamed for global warming. A new government permit process strongly encourages utilities to use pre-approved reactor designs rather than building custom models, a strategy intended to make construction easier and less expensive.