Here we go again: More welfare for Nuclear power

[RobertEarl]

What the hell is wrong with our government? We already have tons more nuclear waste than we can manage, and now they are throwing more welfare dollars at the nuclear power industry so they can create more 10,000 year deadly waste?

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Energy Department to Invest in Advanced Reactor Concept Development

The Energy Department will partner with industry to fund up to two awards of approximately $6.0 million each in FY 2015. The Energy Department will invest up to $3.6 million in each project, with a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) providing up to an additional $2.4 million. Recipients will be required to invest $1.5 million as part of the cost share. The funding opportunity allows for multiple-year funding for up to two awards with a total of $40 million in DOE cost share per award.


http://www.energy.gov/articles/energy-department-invest-advanced-reactor-concept-development

[Cleita]

1. I don't know why either. The whole nuclear industry should not exist.

Why don't people wake up to the real pollution and dangers?

[RobertEarl]

2. The DoE

DoE has this waste depository in New Mexico called WIPP: Waste Isolation Project Plant. The damn pace caught on fire and is now closed down, and that after billions of taxpayer dollars invested!!

The industry is rife with corruption and the government subsidizes them again and again even while we can't manage what waste we have. It's nutz!

[Cleita]

4. I live fifteen miles from the aptly named El Diablo plant.

I'm aware of all the Pollyanna happy clappy stuff their PR dept. and paid off scientists do to lie even smart people into complacency. This particular plant sits on three earthquake faults and is built to withstand a mag 7.5 quake. Fukushima anybody? Also all it takes is one event to poison the area and ocean abutting it for 50,000 years. And even they admit they are running out of storage for spent rods.

[Gregorian]

3. If I were president...

Rather than have nuclear, I would inspire people to choose between cutting down on use versus an increase in dirty energy production.

I'm just dreaming. But I can at least imagine people being inspired by the notion that being frugal is not only responsible, but appreciated by the generations that may come after us.

[RobertEarl]

13. But, but, but

Think of the mansion owners why don't you? And the big yacht owners and fancy car owners.... they need more power and they need it right now!!

That's what drives the nukes and the fusion desires: we need it right now!!

[HereSince1628]

17. The invisible hand of low wage income inequality can fix this without interference

or encouragement from any chief executive.

[Indydem]

5. Have you ever heard of nuclear fusion?

You know, the key that unlocks humanity's future, ends global warming, and takes us to the stars?

This grant is for advanced reactor development - including fusion.

Get over your bias and think before you complain.

These grants ought to be tens of billions of dollars.

[NuclearDem]

6. Yep.

Fusion is the future.

[RobertEarl]

7. Solar is all we need

As for my bias, yeah, I grew up believing the lies that 'nukes are safe'... 'we can handle the waste' ... 'we have to have it' .... 'too cheap to meter'.

And as far as I can tell, the nuke waste we presently can't handle, we can't afford, and is not safe for us or the next 30 generations.

So, humanity's future is locked into this death trap the pro-nukers sold a trusting public which now knows the real score.

Don't tell me you're one of those who think another Fukushima can ever happen and that it's all over and cleaned up?

[dsc]

8. Solar is natural fusion

that is literally how the sun works. If we could master fusion, it would end our energy problems and global warming pretty much overnight. Yes, I do recall the over selling of nuclear power. But fusion would be very different from fission since fission produces toxic waste while fusion produces no such waste.

[RobertEarl]

9. So we have free fusion

And now the corporates want us to try and make earth bound copies of the sun? Oh, sure, that'll work real swell....

The free fusion is 93 million miles away, I'd say that works fine for life here on earth.

[dsc]

10. except for times like right now

not much fusion going on here right now. The fact is solar can't work all the time everywhere. Tamed fusion could.

[RobertEarl]

12. Tamed fusion?

Ya know, that's what they say about fission. And we stand on the cusp of wiping out life in seconds. Yeah, we are real smart, ain't we?

Einstein said that mankind, with this power in its hands, was doomed unless we changed our way of thinking. We haven't changed our way of thinking.

[Gravitycollapse]

15. I would tell you Einstein is rolling over in his grave after reading your posts...

But, given your track record, you may actually believe such a feat is possible. So I suppose the comedy would be lost.

Albert Einstein deserves better than to have his words turned into such a parody of his thoughts by people who genuinely believe that a single nuclear reactor can heat the entire Pacific Ocean.

[zappaman]

16. !!!

[RobertEarl]

20. GC, where you been?

Allow me to ask a favor of you?

I don't mind my fan club members personally attacking me... goes with the job.

But please, when you do, in order to keep my club at the least appearing to be smart, make sure you have your facts straight?

See, you claim it was a "single nuclear reactor"

The facts are that it was at least 4, maybe 6 reactors that have dumped their loads and as many as 6 spent fuel pools that also dumped.

Too, this "entire Pacific Ocean" is also non-factual.

Please, in the future, since you are a member of my fan club, at least make sure you get the elemental, basic facts correct when exposing yourself here on DU, ok?

[SidDithers]

21. Woo woo credo #36

http://www.insolitology.com/tests/credo.htm

Quote Einstein, and do so often. Quote things he said if possible, but Einstein has been dead for ages now and so it's permissible to bring him up to date. Change the odd word here and there to make it clear that Einstein would have supported your argument if only he knew what you know. Act as if any arbitrary Einstein quote supports your position.

Sid

[NuclearDem]

11. Oh this is going to be fun...

[Rex]

19. You should not confuse fusion and fission.

People are working so dam hard on fusion, so we can move away from fission and all the dangers that come from it.

[PATRICK]

14. This does seem like chickenfeed

not directly aimed for the old nuclear pots. Even fusion would likely need something more serious- and targeted. Maybe this is all the Energy Dept. can spend without Congress getting involved.

As for fusion, since at present, as far as I know in my general state of ignorance, the bigger the project the more the output and efficiency. This seems right up the centralized infrastructure alley. Because of the massive expense of a (possibly)profitable prototype not only do nations shy away but rivals have an easier time of shoving it aside- to the point where the older ingenious developers just die off. As for cold fusion I bet there is more in the naval budget alone stuck on this than the current innovation contest. How is the Energy money really specifically targeted?

The inherent problems of nuclear far outweigh advantages if for no other reason than the human problem. Because of people today being ruled as they are: accumulation of archival waste for eons, costly maintenance, unacceptable accident threats, and most fun of all- its secret selling point as the source of atomic weapons. We should be suing, not funding.

[RobertEarl]

18. Indeed: suing, not funding

The whole mindset of the DoE is nutz. The WIPP place is a smoldering mess and the official statement is there was the wrong kind of cat litter in the waste containers. I Kid You Not.

And now they have a new toy they want to play with. Maybe since they have their fingers on atomic weapons, they feel they are so powerful they can do whatever they want? The earth ad the public be damned.