Statement by Scientists and Engineers Concerning Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

[bananas]

"immediately stop the four units of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Plant"
"scholars who previously denied the possibility of nuclear power accidents should not be in charge of the safety review"

Much more...

http://www.cnic.jp/english/topics/safety/earthquake/fukukk23mar11.html

Statement by Scientists and Engineers Concerning Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant

March 23, 2011

Our Views of the Accidents at the Fukushima Nuclear Plants after the Earthquake

From: The Group of Concerned Scientists and Engineers Calling for the Closure of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant
Toda Building, 4th Floor, 1-21 Yotsuya, Shinjuku, Tokyo 160-0004
http://kkheisa.blog117.fc2.com/

Over ten days have passed since the Tohoku Pacific Offshore Earthquake hit the Fukushima Daiichi (No.1) Nuclear Power Plant on March 11, 2011. The progress of cooling the reactor cores is slow. The situation remains serious, and we do not yet know how this catastrophic accident will end.

The current situation clearly demonstrates the high vulnerability of nuclear plants throughout Japan to earthquakes and tsunamis. If a similar scale of earthquake hits other nuclear plants, it is quite possible that one or more accidents of a similar catastrophic scale may occur. Two nuclear plants in Japan are of particular concern to us: the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Plant, which was damaged by the 2007 Niigata Chuetsu Offshore Earthquake, and the Hamaoka Nuclear Plant, which is located on top of the potential source fault of the expected "Tokai Earthquake." We suggest that the possibility of another large-scale accident similar to the one at Fukushima Daiichi should not be underestimated.

We, the members of The Group of Concerned Scientists and Engineers Calling for the Closure of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, have discussed how the current situation should be evaluated, and what kinds of demands need to be made to the electric power companies and the government. The following is the summary of our views.

<snip>

3. LESSON FROM THE KASHIWAZAKI-KARIWA NUCLEAR PLANT ACCIDENT WAS WASTED
It is clear that the past accident at the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Power Plant, which narrowly escaped turning into a major accident, was a warning about Japanese nuclear plant policies. For the past four years, we have been making this point. Unfortunately, the Japanese government and TEPCO did not learn the lesson from the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa accident. We are angry and extremely disappointed by this.

<snip>

4. DEMANDS ABOUT THE FUTURE OF THE KASHIWAZAKI-KARIWA NUCLEAR PLANTS
Three local groups that are against the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nucelar Plant, as well as the Prefectural Residents' Group to Protect Peoples' Lives and Hometowns from the Nuclear Power Plant (Genpatsu kara Inochi to Furusato o Mamoru Kenmin no Kai) have requested that the governor of Niigata Prefecture, the mayors of Kashiwazaki City and Kariwa Village, and the president of TEPCO listen to their call to immediately stop the four units of the Kashiwazaki-Kariwa Nuclear Plant. We strongly support their demand.

We also support their claim that scholars who previously denied the possibility of nuclear power accidents should not be in charge of the safety review as members of the Prefectural Technical Committee. It is necessary to reorganize this committee and appoint new members. The new committee should consist of scholars who have raised concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants, engineers who are familiar with nuclear plants, and representatives of prefectural residents.

<snip>

[kristopher]

1. This is an excellent move.

"We also support their claim that scholars who previously denied the possibility of nuclear power accidents should not be in charge of the safety review as members of the Prefectural Technical Committee. It is necessary to reorganize this committee and appoint new members. The new committee should consist of scholars who have raised concerns about the safety of nuclear power plants, engineers who are familiar with nuclear plants, and representatives of prefectural residents."

[bananas]

3. It seems like common sense. nt

[RC]

4. Sure, stack the committee with Luddites, that will take care of our power problems.

If we can't learn to cope mentally with these powerful modern technologies that are more capable than fire and windmills, then we will face a bleak, troublesome, dull future indeed, one which will probably mean an end to civilization down the road rather than our long-term survival.
Any other fuel and this story in Japan would have quite literally fizzled out in a day or two, just as the earthquake and tsunami that killed almost 20,000 people, are doing now.

People fear what they do not understand and the fear of anything nuclear sinks to the level of superstition for them.

[caraher]

5. How about removing the whitewashers?

No responsible scientist or engineer would say there's no possibility of an accident; if such people exist on a safety committee it's not "stacking with Luddites" to replace them with people prepared to undertake responsible risk analysis.

There is a middle ground between having a safety committee of Luddites and a safety committee of the willfully blind. It's clear that the regulatory environment was too lax, and it might not be a bad thing to have some voices more skeptical of the nuclear industry asking pointed questions in an official role. That is how to cope with powerful technologies - not just pretending nothing of consequence happened!

[kristopher]

6. The problem wasn't that the regulatory body was too lax imo.

The worst Japanese bureaucrat is dedicated to public safety in a manner that puts our best regulators to the test. There may be problems with regulation, but it shouldn't be written off as "Japan is a rotten egg" type lesson. I think it is far more likely that the issue is more tied to an ultimately profit motivated group-think among the tightly knit world of those in control throughout all aspects of using fission to boil water - in the entire global industry.

[GliderGuider]

7. Group-think is a well-known corporate problem.

It extends to virtually all large corporations, as they come to believe that any activity that furthers or removes restrictions from the bottom line is legitimate. It happens in the fossil fuel industries, agribusiness, the financial industry, mining, and heavy manufacturing of all kinds as well as the nuclear industry. It's an example of our limbic-mediated herding instinct at work.

One of the insidious things that has happened especially in the USA is that since the publication of the (right-wing/corporate/fascist) Powell Memo in 1971 the corporatist influence has penetrated the schools and all communications media. This spreads the group-think infection of unquestioning approval of corporate bottom-line "progress" to all of us - politicians and proles alike.

[kristopher]

8. I think what is at work in the nuclear industry has an additional, deadly facet to it.

It's called the genius trap. It manifests itself when the experience of intelligent people teaches them that even in the face of opposition they are usually proven correct in the long run. The problem emerges when they are wrong in a big way and persist in their self certitude in spite of overt evidence that should make them re-examine their beliefs.

Blend that into a small group that, as a class, have
1) a high percentage of otherwise highly intelligent people who
2) have a social and/or economic stake in protecting their industry
3) who are also engaging in "normal" group-think ...

...and you have the makings of a rather unique echo chamber.

[GliderGuider]

9. Excellent point!

Hubris is the deadly addition to the brew.

[Gregorian]

2. Well what do you know. Those protesting the building of the plants were right.

It's like the people just don't count.

I wonder how many more problems we'll have before we turn off the energy generation facilities that run the risk of similar problems. Ie, nuclear.

[WheelWalker]

10. Rational self-interest.