tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062615889003930092.post6324165600802071794..comments2023-10-09T17:16:56.724+01:00Comments on Blue Island Almanack: Time for NukesDavidhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14509853932305428602noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062615889003930092.post-77948001777048642892009-06-30T21:58:46.308+01:002009-06-30T21:58:46.308+01:00Chris, after reading your post, I think that I'...Chris, after reading your post, I think that I'd like to include a unit in my "population, resources and change" class, to get the students to think seriously about nuclear power as a future option. Could you recommend websites/readings that I could include in that unit? Can I use portions of this post (properly credited to you of course) in that lesson?sgreerpitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764262558160301061noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062615889003930092.post-48532078698561155152009-04-12T19:52:00.000+01:002009-04-12T19:52:00.000+01:00Until a month ago, Yucca Mountain was the designat...Until a month ago, Yucca Mountain was the designated site for rad waste disposal. However, the Obama Administration has decided not to use this site. I am surprised by the decision because Yucca Mountain has been studied thoroughly for decades and is demonstrably safe. However, the NIMBY forces in Nevada are strong and it appears that they have succeeded in getting that site shut down. So we have to go back to some of the other sites that have been considered. My guess is that we'll continue to screw around with this nonsense, flitting from site to site, with nobody willing to accept the rad waste, until an accident at a temporary storage facility leaks lots of radioactivity into the environment and there's a big stink. At that point people will finally find the political gumption to settle the issue; my guess is that it will include the selection of several sites so that nobody feels picked on.Chris Crawfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14926445098765433310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062615889003930092.post-46835610291099892742009-04-12T14:46:00.000+01:002009-04-12T14:46:00.000+01:00please map out where you plan to put all this "was...please map out where you plan to put all this "waste" chris for me. though i am with you, as for being in favor of the most effective and reliable form of energy (whatever that may be), i fear the biggest arguers against nuclear power may be your fellow "enviromentalists"!!..... i hope the whole blue island almanack's crew has a happy easter!Pat Jenkinshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18142174423986806144noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062615889003930092.post-44604229400538820752009-04-07T16:30:00.000+01:002009-04-07T16:30:00.000+01:00Yes, mining is probably the most dangerous link in...Yes, mining is probably the most dangerous link in the nuclear fuel cycle -- not waste disposal. The problem is that the tailings contain elevated amounts of uranium and, because the deposits are all in the arid West, we get dust blowing from the tailings, and if the dust is inhaled, it creates an elevated risk of cancer. The only solution is to create a big unpopulated zone around all such operations. Usually, this isn't difficult because the open pit mines are in unpopulated areas anyway. However, when most of these mines were first opened in the late 40s and 50s, obtaining uranium was considered a national security priority, so little thought was given to such niceties as protecting the locals. The fact that some of these mines were on or near Indian reservations made it even easier for operators to dismiss safety concerns.<BR/><BR/>The bottom line: there are some real skeletons in the closet here, but these represent the idiocies of the past rather than the capabilities of the present.Chris Crawfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14926445098765433310noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7062615889003930092.post-8831522872121729482009-04-07T00:07:00.000+01:002009-04-07T00:07:00.000+01:00A strong and very persuasive argument. I would lik...A strong and very persuasive argument. I would like to hear a bit about mining, however, as anything involving scraping stuff out of the earth has complicating factors.sgreerpitthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07764262558160301061noreply@blogger.com