IF one were to list all the uncertainties that go into a decision to build a nuclear power plant, and pile them up one on top of another, you would find yourself in the middle of an NRC licensing process.
Several new reactor designs have been submitted to the NRC within the last year including Areva's and Mitsubishi's new designs. The process of certification of a reactor design is intended to reduce uncertainties, and costs, all the way through the license application process, construction, and operations. That's the theory. The success of the so-called "nuclear renaissance" will depend on how well these principles are put into practice.
The debate over public relations is interesting, but the real challenges are in engineering, construction, and operations.
DJY Idaho Samizdat http://djysrv.blogspot.com
It's true! There are so many businesses and services out there who are just slacking when it comes to protecting our environment. It's really sad that they are allowed to continue doing business with practices that are harmful to our Earth and detrimental to important social issues. Everyone in the green community should be able to rate/review their local businesses and services so that we can opt to only use the ones that are Earth friendly. I use this site http://www.izzitgreen.com as a way to do this. It also breaks down what exactly these businesses are doing to protect the environment and why it makes a difference.
For every new registration on the site, www.izzitgreen.com donates an organic meal to a family in need! I hope this helps!
-Crystal
Your reply is interesting. I'll respond to the various parts of it.
First off, the bad news . . . I disagree with the characterization of Mr. Moore as failing to disclose that he is a paid industry consultant. Of course he is. That's one of the ways he makes a living. If anything, Mr. Moore is probably suffering, at this point, from some degree of <em>over exposure</em> having worn thin the line "I used to be at Greenpeace."
I agree his affiliation is in the "increasingly distant past," but so is everything else. Some people wear affiliations as life time signatures. I think that kind of engagement with an organization like GP has a lasting impact.
Second . . . I agree that some press reports of Moore's talks have not reported affiliation with CASEnergy. However, anyone who does a search on the Internet for information about him runs into the link to CASEnergy on the first page of results.
Also, I think you misunderstood my comment about Ms. Cravens. Her current PR effort is to promote her book. She's a novelist, and hitting the road to push a publication is what she does.
I agree she has obvious PR value for the nuclear industry. That's why NEI invited her to speak at their annual meeting. It was a no-brainer from a PR point of view.
However, in talking with her a few months back, when she was here in Idaho Falls, it became clear to me her primary concerns are global warming and the role that nuclear energy can play in cutting down greenhouse gas emissions. She does not dismiss other non-carbon energy sources like solar, wind, etc.
I'm pleased to see dialog taking place here in the web pages of PRW. Thanks for your comments.
DJY Idaho Samizdat http://djysrv.blogspot.com
That's the correct link, and that page still has all the documents that the Pentagon has made public. There are some 8,000 pages of documents, not 8,000 separate documents, but it's true that so far they're only from 2007 and 2008.
While I'm responding to other comments here, I wanted to thank you, Rod, for adding your perspective. No one is trying to make bogeymen out of anyone, and I agree that the way in which federal energy subsidies (like farm subsidies) are allocated is often illogical.
I also agree that there are problems with continuing to rely on coal and natural gas for electricity. And I understand that potential investors in nuclear power are scared off by the long and uncertain lead times for new plants -- as well as the industry's tendency (historically in the U.S. and currently around the world) to have nuclear plant construction projects go significantly over budget and over time. As we have [:node/7506|noted], the NRC has responded to such concerns by streamlining the new plant licensing process -- unfortunately in ways that reduce opportunities for public input.
At the same time, I think that nuclear power plants raise specific issues -- waste storage, safety and environmental, not to mention changing reactor designs and a current shortage of skilled labor experienced in building new plants -- that warrant a rigorous oversight process.
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