mwm@ea.UUCP (05/02/84)
#R:decwrl:-737600:ea:10100045:000:2421 ea!mwm May 2 11:11:00 1984 /***** ea:net.politics / decwrl!dyer / 5:03 am Apr 27, 1984 */ > The big problem seems to be that people *STILL* persist in thinking (at a gut > level) that Nuclear power plants are *BOMBS* and that they can *BLOW UP*!!! You have got to be kidding. I have *never*, repeat *never* met anyone who believes this. Have you? <_Jym_> | Jym Dyer | Nashua, NH | ...{allegra,decvax,ucbvax}!decwrl!rhea!vaxuum!dyer | /* ---------- */ Yes, I have. Such people aren't rare, they just aren't involved in the anti-nuke movement. Everyone I've run into who was participating in the anti-nuke movement was well-educated enough to realize that this wasn't going to be a problem. So, Jym, why don't you like nukes? Let me try to answer some of the obvious complaints: Radiation. The big bugaboo of the nuclear industry. This is a non-problem for a nuke plant. Waste disposal. There are three good solutions I haven't seen mentioned on the net: 1) Dump the stuff into the sun. Expensive, but permanent. 2) Dump it in a crater on the back side of the moon. Less expensive, and less permanent. Besides we may want that crater for something someday. 3) Dump it in either the L4 or L5 point of the earth-moon system. I like this one because I'm a pack rat. It gives us the option of getting the waste back should we ever want it. These solutions could equally well be used on conventional wastes, but the volume of waste precludes reaching even LEO with it using current technology. Gas leakage. This is a minor addition to the problems we've already got with gas leakage in the liquid fossil fuels industry. Only this time, we know enough to do things safely. Disasters. Whether you know it or not, the nasty scenarios leading to many deaths after a disaster at a nuke plant would lead to many deaths at a conventional plant under the same conditions. The difference is that a nuke disaster runs slower in all phases, so you have time to evacuate people, etc. Of course, putting the plant back on line takes longer - but I think that's a fair trade for peoples lives. As for whether a nuke plant could succeed in a free market, I'd like to find out. No government subsidies, no harassment in court, and safety standards that are in line with the standards for other large power plants Or maybe the same set of standards for them all. Love to see conventional plants trying to cut down their radiation levels. <mike