Anti-nuclear industry to refurbish outdated poorly functioning units.

[NNadir]

As we know, the anti-nuclear industry is performing poorly lately, and many units (notably the exajoule) are deeply troubling to it.

A recent number of public failures in the last year, such as the decision in Canada to refurbish the Point Lepreau nuclear station, the start up of five new reactors in Japan, new capacity that easily outstrips the new world capacity for renewable energy worldwide and the inadvertent release of 7 or 8 billion tons of carbon dioxide, the filing of 13 COLs for new US nuclear stations, and the continued rise in nuclear power production, have led many to predict that the anti-nuclear industry cannot sustain itself.

Defenders of the anti-nuclear industry point out that the loss of life and property has been limited to the destruction of a relatively small (if famous) city in the US, and several unimportant countries on the Iberian peninsula, oh, and major droughts in several unimportant African countries, oh yeah and the melting of major glaciers worldwide, and, I almost forgot, the melting of the permafrost worldwide, but little else, unless one counts the desertification creeping across China, the bark beetles eating dessicated forests, the fires in Texas, and the unprecedented number of powerful hurricanes that everybody should forget about since wind is good for wind farms.

In spite of these relatively minor setbacks, the anti-nuclear industry is confident that it can revive its moribund fortunes, although many members concede that the usual arguments are in need of refurbishment. The arguments of the last 50 years including nuclear waste is the only form of energy waste that counts, that mining deaths only count if they're in uranium mines and that solar PV power, wind power and (my personal favorite) tidal power really are going pan out this time and that they were only kidding for the last 50 years, and terrorism, terrorism, Saddam Hussein and saying "nuclear weapons" as often as possible are still leaky arguments of course, but the anti-nuclear movement is confident that the leaks can be stemmed by piling the words "megawatts by 2050," "Chernobyl," and "Three Mile Island" after saying 5 "Hail Marys," 6 "Our Fathers" and 8 rosaries.

While critics point out that the anti-nuclear industry still has no approved repository for its spent promises, nor is any such repository likely to be approved, and while no new nuclear construction plan or license extension has been stopped for almost 20 years, the anti-nuclear industry is confident, even if global climate change gets out of control (and it could you know), the climate (if you don't look at the thermometer) is ripe for the construction of many new websites that all reference each other about why nuclear power sucks.

Here is a report from the Canadian Anti-nuclear industry recently stung by the Canadian decision to bring Bruce 3 back on line in 2003, the restart of Bruce 4 in 2004 and the recent (2005) decision to refurbish Point Lepreau and bring it back on line in 2008:

TORONTO – In an unexpected move, the anti-nuclear industry has announced a decision to undergo major refurbishment. The decision follows a lengthy review of the future need for anti-nuclear power in Canada, and the status of energy contrariness in general.

Some anti-nuclear groups have now been operating for 30 years and longer, despite being designed initially for 20-years' usefulness.

"Our whole basis was generational," says Normally Rude, co-founder of the Toronto-based watchdog group Everything is a Problem, "It's sort of a zeitgeist thing. We never intended to be around 30 years later, still saying the same old stuff."

The situation came to a head with the recent decision to refurbish the Pt. Lepreau nuclear station in New Brunswick.

"There's a case where due process was followed to the extreme," says Rude, "They looked at all the options, and still came out in favor of refurbishment. I mean, what could we do? We had nothing."

A news release from Everything is a Problem, shortly after the Pt. Lepreau announcement, attempted to denounce the decision.

"It was ridiculous. We pulled out all the old chestnuts. We even dissed the MAPLE project, for crying out loud. We had nothing relevant to say."

http://www.nuclearfaq.ca/refurbish.htm

While many people think that the anti-nuclear industry should be left for dead, clearly it intends to press on, providing lots of wind and huge piles of leaflets.

[poopfuel]

1. no further rebuke needed than this

http://news.independent.co.uk/environment/article351153.ece

[NNadir]

2. Like I said, the anti-nuclear industry needs refurbishing.

Since we're linking popular news reports, let's try this one on for size:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/05/AR2005090501144.html

Chernobyl was the only fatal accident resulting from the release of nuclear materials, in 50 years of nuclear operations. Any idea how many people die each year from fossil fuel operations each year, or how many may die from global climate change?

Don't know, don't care?

[poopfuel]

3. do we really know how many fatal accidents there were? Really?

Your friends in the industry have had all the money and power in their hands, the subsidies, etc.
Now we have thousands of plants b eing built because it is such a popular source of energy for all. OH, wait, that's right. We don't. We know that this is truly inexpensive fuel, don't we? Oh, wait, that's right. It isn't.

We could have run our cars on something other than fossil fuel. But your nuclear friends, all of whom are pals with fossil fuel polluters, made sure we didnt. Just like they made sure we were exposed to lead even though they knew it was harmful. Global climate change will not be saved by poison power, no way, no how. Or are you planning on mining and importing the uranium by hand yourself?

The people who post promoting nuclear power on this site? Ask them to move next door to a new plant. Take their kids and grandkids. Live next door to it. Store the waste in their homes. Then tell me how much they love it. Oh, heck let's just dump all the waste on Indian reservations, and pay 'em lots of bucks, that'll fix it.

http://www.nirs.org/factsheets/fctsht.htm

And you know I have an alternative, so don't start on the "we have no choice" bit. Nuclear is not a choice, it's industry blackmailing citizens.

[Odin2005]

5. "Nuclear is not a choice, it's industry blackmailing citizens."

Please excuse me while I laugh. :rofl:

The Nucleophobes can make up the most rediculous BS. Big Coal must LOVE you guys.

[Massacure]

6. If nuclear blackmails citizens, what does coal and oil do?

[Dead_Parrot]

7. Robs and murders them

then destroys thier houses, food & water supplies.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

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

[jpak]

4. Pathetic

*yawn*

[NNadir]

9. I guess we disagree on what is pathetic.

I find the failing anti-nuclear movement pathetic, as does the majority of the planet, but in case, the die is cast, as the wolf is at the door. People have to put their flesh where the mouthes are now, and that, more than anything, will decide the issue.

That fact is making me look far more prescient than I seemed some twenty years ago, when first I became an advocate for more nuclear power. In fact, twenty years ago, most people were predicting the end of nuclear power, (using the same dumb arguments that they recycle today) and the intellectual scam of saying that solar was enough someday was not quite so desperate and shrill.

But the climate is scaring people back to reality, as well it must if reality - at least reality percieved my large hominid mammals - is to persist.

[Odin2005]

10. I rember hearing some conspiracy theory about the Anti-nuclear people.

According to it the real reason certain people are against nuclear power is because they want only hard-to-implement engergy sorces so there is an energy shotage and people are force to have spartan lifestyles and live in a "Green Paradise". It's probably just wing-nut BS to tar the entire enviromentalist movement by the actions of a few crazies, but it gave me a laugh.

[jpak]

11. Curses!!!! You have unmasked our evil plan!!!

What horseshit....

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[NNadir]

12. I actually think we will have to live spartan lifestyles no matter what.

This is probably a function of the fact that the earth is past its carrying capacity.