Obama Stands by Nuclear Power

[brentspeak]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703363904576200973216100488.html?mod=WSJ_hp_MIDDLTopStories

Obama Stands by Nuclear Power
MARCH 14, 2011, 11:44 P.M. ET

WASHINGTON—Obama administration officials Monday brushed aside calls for a freeze on new U.S. nuclear power development, and sought to reassure the public the nation's nuclear facilities are safe and the threat of harmful radiation reaching U.S. soil from Japan is minimal.

snip

The Obama administration has said it wants to speed construction of nuclear-power facilities as part of a strategy to support sources of energy that emit little or no carbon dioxide or other gases linked to climate change.

White House spokesman Jay Carney said Monday that Mr. Obama continued to support nuclear power, and that the administration would incorporate lessons from the Japanese accident into regulations.

But some in Mr. Obama's party want to evaluate the U.S. nuclear industry's safety practices and record in light of the crisis in Japan. Some lawmakers have proposed a halt to new nuclear construction.

[DisgustipatedinCA]

1. How disappointing and unsurprising

I know, I know...3D radioactive chess.

[Cleita]

2. Of course he does.

:eyes:

[Skittles]

3. why not?

he stands by torture and CEOs, too

[still_one]

4. Even lieberman thinks we should put nuclear on hold /nt

[meow mix]

5. stupid. build something else.

have lost all respect for him

[golfguru]

6. No surprise...Jeff R Immelt has big stake in nuclear

he is the GE corporation chief.

[Mimosa]

46. I was thinking the same thing

That plant in Japan was G.E. designed.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[craigmatic]

8. The nuclear lobby is strong in this country but that doesn't make them right.

[Arugula Latte]

14. Oh, come on. What's a giant dead zone toxic for generations compared to corporate profit?

Who will think of the poor shareholders? *wrings hands*

[chill_wind]

9. rec.

Shouldn't we be talking about this?

[Safetykitten]

10. Is this a surprise? Really?

[hlthe2b]

11. I'm gonna need a bigger barf bag...

Clueless... Does anyone in the administration think through these things?

[Clio the Leo]

21. .

[ClarkUSA]

12. Pres. Obama has invested more money in green tech than any other president in history.

It is also a fact that nuclear energy is the safest energy source of all the major forms. Furthermore, no part of the US is prone to tsunamis due to active tectonic plates near offshore.

Ultimately, it is up to Congress to approve new construction of nuclear facilities, just as it was up to them to fund the closing of Gitmo.

Josh Marshall, William Saletan, and Yglesias all concur in this piece at The Atlantic: "Nuclear: Still Better Than Fossil Fuels": http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2011/03/nuclear-the-best-of-bad-options.html

[brentspeak]

16. ClarkUSA: "no part of the US is prone to tsunamis due to active tectonic plates near offshore."

http://walrus.wr.usgs.gov/tsunami/CIHH.html

Tsunamis & Earthquakes: Could It Happen Here?

U.S. West Coast

The historic record of tsunamis along the U.S. west coast includes mainly teletsunamis, generated from large earthquakes around the Pacific Rim. However, using detailed Japanese historic accounts, scientists have determine that a tsunami was generated n January 26, 1700 by a local earthquake close to magintude 9, offshore the Pacific Northwest (the Cascadia subduction zone). Analysis of geologic deposits indicates that a number of earthquakes, possibly of magnitude 8-9, have occured in the past, indicating that future tsunamis from the Cascadia subduciton zone are possible. Of the teletsunamis that have struck the West Coast, the 1964 Gulf of Alaska tsunami caused the most extensive damage, particularly in Crescent City, California. Overall, approximately 28 tsunamis with runup > 1 m have occurred along the U.S. West Coast since 1812.

In an earthquake zone: San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station





(Thanks to Fledermaus for pointing this out)

[ClarkUSA]

18. I stand by what I said. Speculation about an alleged 1700 event is meaningless.

"runup > 1m"??? lol! When has there ever been a 10m high tsunami in Crescent City, CA that travelled 6 miles inland?

Where are the active tectonic plates close to the coast of California that is comparable to the Ring of Fire epicenter of the recent Japan earthquake?

[arcos]

24. Where are they? Ever heard of the North American plate?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_American_Plate



Sure, it is unlikely that a 9 magnitude earthquake will happen in California. But a much less powerful one could also trigger a tsunami.

Also, as the previous poster said, the Cascadia subduction zone IS capable of causing a much bigger, 8.5 or bigger earthquake. Such an event could also cause a tsunami.

Oh, and by the way, the California coast is part of the Ring of Fire... basically all of the Pacific coasts are!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pacific_Ring_of_Fire

[tpsbmam]

27. Why does the phrase (I paraphrase) "we never could have foreseen people would

fly planes into the World Trade Center."

Sorry, it's a threat and denying it by platitudes about safety while ignoring what's happening in Japan and could very well happen here is even more dangerous than ignoring all of the intelligence warnings the Shrub administration had before 9/11.

[IsItJustMe]

45. Horrible ideal. Not only are there horrific ecology concerns with nuclear power but the security

concerns are just as horrific. And on top of that, they still have not even figured out a way to safely store the waste products that remain radioactive for thousands of years.

Is it extreme greed or just insanity that people of supposed intelligence and consciousness could be for something like this?

It's probably just me, you decide.

[Mimosa]

47. There's big money in generating energy as cheaply as possible

We can see corners are cut unless we remain blind because we have an agenda.

We can go past the present technology and we should. How much more proof do we want that the present technology is too dangerous to human beings and the environment?

[jillan]

13. Why am I not surprised.

[ClarkUSA]

15. TPM's Josh Marshall, William Saletan, & Yglesias all concur w/President Obama and write about why ->

Read why they all agree with President Obama in this piece at The Atlantic: "Nuclear: Still Better Than Fossil Fuels":
http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/the_daily_dish/2011/03/nuclear-the-best-of-bad-options.html

[bananas]

20. What crap. nt

[Marblehead]

17. we should build

power plants out in the gulf, nevermind

[Scottybeamer70]

19. sought to reassure the public

uh huh...........haven't we been hearing that the past few days that
"everything is under control"? Obviously it wasn't under control.
.....and climate change won't make much difference if your body
is radiated will it? Such arrogance by someone who certainly should
know better.

[Clio the Leo]

22. I'm sorry, I dont have time to read this....

.... as I'm busy building my titanium reinforced shelter to protect me should a tsunami wave ever take out my nuke facility ..... here in Tennessee.

[Chris_Texas]

23. good

[lunatica]

25. Sometimes he seems to have lead feet

At others he can dance like Fred Astaire. It's hard to trust someone who simply isn't consistent.

[JoePhilly]

26. Today's outrage, nuclear power.

[Bluenorthwest]

30. First thing I heard about Obama ever: the Senator from Excelon

That is how my Democratic family in Illinois saw him, as in the pocket of the nuclear power industry. This was before his 'famous in a day' convention speech, before all of it.

[Cherchez la Femme]

33. Yeah, with what reason?

:sarcasm:

I'll tell ya, Joe Philly... you're consistent, I'll give you that.

You are always outraged when somebody dares to disagree with The Precious.

[tekisui]

43. Today's apologia.

[Vinca]

28. Well, of course he does.

Certain people might not like him anymore if he says otherwise.:sarcasm:

[Donald Ian Rankin]

29. You can have global warming, total economic collapse or nuclear power.

I think Obama has made the right choice out of those three.

[GeorgeGist]

36. HOW ABOUT A TRIFECTA ...

or is that above your math skills?

[truth2power]

31. Nuclear power is NOT safe in terms of the catastrophic consequences of failure..

and given Murphy's Law, it WILL fail, eventually.

I don't understand why some people are willing to assume such a risk for a technology which performs such a simple task (turning a turbine). We could be working 24/7 on improving solar, wind etc.

As far as Obama goes, anything he says is motivated by expedience first of all. Just MHO, which I'm entitled to have, given my observations of him over the past couple of years.

[Cherchez la Femme]

32. I've got an idea

why doesn't some enterprising soul figure out a way to scoop up that mega-continent of junk plastic we've got floating in the Pacific and turn it into energy?

Now that would be a '(un)natural resource' these Daddy Bigbucks could fight over & I'd have no complaint.

[uponit7771]

34. ******GOOD!!!!******

Don't keep running 40yr old technology as if it's relevant today and this shit is less likely to happen.

[Arugula Latte]

39. "Less likely" does squat when it actually does happen.

And we've seen that it does indeed happen.

[Zoeisright]

35. That is very disappointing.

[polichick]

37. Like he stands by more offshore drilling - shameful and stupid. nt

[Ikonoklast]

38. Let's close all nuclear power plants TODAY.

Oh, wait a minute, the country would immediately go into a steep economic recession, major cities would have rolling blackouts, and businesses employing millions would be shut down?


Everything is a compromise, everything.

[JoePhilly]

44. shussh!!!!

The "manufactured outrage machine" runs 24/7, providing each day's "Obama outrage".

Who are you to disrupt the churning of its gears??

[NorthCarolina]

40. He's still issuing drilling permits in the Gulf, albeit at deeper depths than Deepwater Horizon,

so if the BP disaster in the Gulf didn't give him pause on drilling, why would one think that a nuclear disaster in Japan (or anywhere for that matter), would cause him to turn from nuclear energy. Free Market baby.....that's where it's at!

[fatbuckel]

41. People are sheep. Scared sheep.As soon as something goes "boo" on one side of the corral, they run..

To the other side. 10.2 million people died as a result of motor vehicle accidents in 2008. Let`s ban autos. Seem a little silly? Keep screaming, you oil-corporation trolls.

[cherokeeprogressive]

42. Now watch this drive... n/t