Nukes: privatized profits, socialized risk
by John Moyers on 3/15/2011 09:26:00 AM
Up late last night, preoccupied by events in Japan -- what looks like a full-on nuclear power plant disaster. Melt down. Explosions. Wind-blown radiation.
On NHK TV, a government spokesman offered some advice: Don't use air ventilators to heat your cold homes. Don't go outside. If your laundry is hanging outside, don't bring it in. "You should not be exposed to the outdoor atmosphere," he said.
But rest assured, Americans: if any such thing ever happens here, the for-profit nuclear power industry will be secure. They'll be off the hook for most of the cost of any similar accident, and we, the taxpayers, will cover the bulk of any cost.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price%E2%80%93Anderson_Nuclear_Industries_Indemnity_Act Even in the event of gross negligence or willful misconduct.
http://www.americablog.com/2011/03/nukes-privatized-profits-socialized.htmlWhat a relief. :sarcasm:
Price-Anderson has been criticized by many of these groups due to a portion of the Act that indemnifies Department of Energy and private contractors from nuclear incidents even in cases of gross negligence and willful misconduct (although criminal penalties would still apply). "No other government agency provides this level of taxpayer indemnification to non-government personnel". <12> The Energy Department counters those critics by saying that the distinction is irrelevant, since the damage to the public would be the same.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Price%E2%80%93Anderson_Nuclear_Industries_Indemnity_Act..................
Last night, I heard CNN reporters repeat the official line that the tsunami disabled the pumps needed to cool the reactors, implying that water unexpectedly got into the diesel generators that run the pumps. ... That they didn't work in an emergency is like a fire department telling us they couldn't save a building because "it was on fire."
http://www.truth-out.org/tokyo-electric-build-us-nuclear-plants-the-no-bs-info-japans-disastrous-nuclear-operators68457
Printer-friendly format
Email this thread to a friend
Bookmark this thread
(1000+ posts)
Send PM |
Profile |
Ignore
