Now voodoo economics goes nuclear says Friends of Earth

[OKIsItJustMe]

http://www.tribunemagazine.co.uk/2008/06/06/now-voodoo-economics-goes-nuclear-says-friends-of-earth/

Now voodoo economics goes nuclear says Friends of Earth

June 6, 2008 12:00 am

by Keith Richmond

FRIENDS of the Earth has attacked the “voodoo economics” of nuclear power as the government gets set to give the go-ahead to a new generation of nuclear power stations.

The environmental pressure group issued a stark warning that the massive sums of public money needed to guarantee the building, running and decommissioning of new nuclear reactors will be a total waste of taxpayers’ money.

In a new report examining 50 years of nuclear power in Britain, FoE concludes that nuclear energy in this country is a sorry story of technical failure and financial disaster.

The report – called Voodoo Economics and the Doomed Nuclear Renaissance – was compiled by former Guardian environment correspondent Paul Brown. It exposes what he describes as five decades of “disastrous performance, broken promises and escalating bills for the taxpayer”. It also highlights the failures of nuclear technology and the growing problem of toxic waste.

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[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Dogmudgeon]

2. Of course we won't need nuclear energy

We're going to put all our new efforts into biofuel and "clean coal", except for a small financial "wedge" to build wind generators near highways and in other high-visibility locations. You can bet there will soon be several prominently placed in Washington, DC.

Serious development of nuclear energy -- and wind/solar/tidal/orgone/kundalini, for that matter -- would cut into the coal and biofuel bonanza. It will be ridiculed out of existence faster than you can say "South Park". And if industry can recruit the Starbucks contingent to work the (anti-)nuclear angle, so much the better.

So just forget those fears of nukes and the possible failure of wind and solar energy. The Powers That Be have got it covered. Because no matter how cynical we think we may be, when there is significant money at stake, we're strictly wankers.

--p!

[bananas]

3. Another warning about the nuclear boondoggle.

[Dead_Parrot]

4. And another blank alternative

other than "Friends of the Earth, which believes..."

Religion got us us into this shit - it's not going to get us out of it.

[bananas]

5. And "Moody's, which believes..."

Oops, Moody's isn't a religion.

[Dead_Parrot]

6. That's the thing, Bananas...

...we need to give up on the "I believe"s, and concentrate on the "I knows"s and the "I can prove"s.

[bananas]

8. So prove that Moody's is wrong.

Don't prove it to me, prove it to them, they're ones who count.
I'm sure you'll be able to convince them.

[losthills]

7. Amazing how every environmental organization

is immediately and violently attacked in this forum at the mere mention of their names. Amazing, because this is supposed to be a forum for Democrats, environmentalists are one of the core constituencies of the Democratic party, and the majority of Democrats consider themselves to be environmentalists.

Amazing, but not surprising when you realize that EVERY major environmental organization is opposed to nuclear power. Not surprising when you realize how many millions of dollars the nuclear power industry is spending lobbying the Democratic party right now. They've had a comfy relationship shacking up with the republicans these past few years and now they're feeling like their sugar daddy is leaving town. They NEED to entice Democrats away from their home fires. But if you want to listen to these whores, you better be aware of what you might catch.

[SergeyDovlatov]

9. Nuclear Power plants would not exist in a free market

I notice a lot of republicans and free market leaning individuals are propping nuclear power.
But they are forgetting that no insurance company in the world were willing to insure nuclear power plants against damages due to nuclear accidents that can happen.

Until: Price-Anderson Nuclear Industries Indemnity Act

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price-Anderson_Nuclear_Industries_Indemnity_Act

The main purpose of the Act is to partially indemnify the nuclear industry against liability claims arising from nuclear incidents while still ensuring compensation coverage for the general public. The Act establishes a no fault insurance-type system in which the first $10 billion is industry-funded as described in the Act (any claims above the $10 billion would be covered by the federal government). At the time of the Act's passing, it was considered necessary as an incentive for the private production of nuclear power — this was because investors were unwilling to accept the then-unquantified risks of nuclear energy without some limitation on their liability.