by Sidney Goodman Author of “Asleep at the Geiger Counter”
Is there a nuclear solution to climate change?
The nuclear folks boast that nuclear power is cleaner than coal.
The opposite is true when considering uranium mill tailings, the debris of making nuclear fuel. These tailings release deadly radioactive gases, which blow clear across the United States. The book “Asleep at the Geiger Counter” (Blue Dolphin Publishing Inc.) documents why this aspect of our nuclear power program is far more poisonous than the dirtiest coal plants.
The Climate Scientist James Hansen believes that nuclear power is a solution to climate change problems. Nuclear promoters always say that nukes eliminate fossil fuel emissions. However, enormous amounts of coal have been consumed in the nuclear fuel cycle. The nuclear fuel cycle, in its entirety, has one of the largest carbon footprints in industry. Furthermore, a scandal of low net energy yield of nuclear power has been swept under the rug.
Independent investigations of net energy yield of nukes have been made. My own investigation cut through weasel worded contradictions and used official summary data. The Department of Energy showed me how to make an analysis using this data. Very little calculation was in their example. I noticed they made an algebraic mistake, they used a discredited yield rating, and they left out the largest source of energy losses. After making corrections, I came out with a net energy yield of less than 4%. So, nuclear power has never delivered anything close to what has been claimed as its energy contribution when all factors are taken into account. Government officials lied under oath repeatedly, wildly exaggerating claims about actual yield. Lies were so brazen; they violated elementary principles of thermodynamics. Details are in the mentioned book.
As an engineer, one of the first things that struck me about nuclear claims and. specifications were violations of physics, engineering, and common sense. For example, they discovered a new law of physics. When you have a nuclear plant disaster, the wind stops blowing. Poisons from actual disasters blew hundreds and thousands of miles. Yet, the industry is satisfied with a mere ten-mile evacuation zone. That ridiculously small zone cannot be properly evacuated in most cases.
Contrary to deceitful cover-up, millions of people have already been harmed from accidents at Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukishima. Millions more will be harmed from poisons which remain deadly for hundreds of thousands, and hundreds of millions. of years. In addition, there are poisonous radioactive emissions from normal plant operations. Denials that harm has occurred are like the claims that the Nazi Holocaust never happened.
Nuclear poisons are so toxic they must be isolated from the environment with aperfection of containment that is 99.999% for hundreds of thousands of years. A mere .01% lack of containment is hazardous. But, in the first thirty years of the nuclear age, about 3% of nuclear wastes leaked. Thus, the industry has already been thousands of times less reliable than it has to be to make good on its assurances about cleanliness and safety. To truly solve the nuclear waste problem requires that all leaked poisons must be retrieved and re-isolated for immense amounts of time. The industry can never do that, so they lie instead, saying that hardly anybody has ever been harmed.
Behind closed doors, big guns in the industry do not really believe one word of their own assurances. They are afraid to operate nuclear plants without the existence of a federal law called the Price Anderson Act. This law limits the liability of nuclear operators to a microscopic fraction of the harm they will cause. Operator liability for a trillion dollar disaster at one of our Indian Point nukes is limited to about $10 billion dollars. This amounts to reparation of one cent on each dollar of damage inflicted.
Price Anderson abolishes everyone’s property rights to protect the property rights of a nuclear operator. How do you like being worth only one cent on the dollar? Are you patriotic? Do you have but one life to give to a nuclear utility?
The same factory that enriches uranium for nuclear weapons is used to make fuel for nuclear plants. Nations have made weapons from their so-called peaceful programs.
The government report “Threat to nuclear facilities” admitted that nuclear plants are vulnerable attractive targets and recommended police state methods to protect them. The report went on to say that even with a complete police (Fascist) State, there is no way to predict what the chances are for a terrorist induced catastrophe.
No other energy source has this problem or requires the likes of the Price Anderson Act.
There is more than one problem created by nukes. Nuclear power means cancer everywhere, birth defects forever, the uncontrolled proliferation of nuclear weapons, the loss of civil liberties, the undermining of our national defense, and un-ending multi billion dollar subsidies which take funding away from cleaner, safer, less costly energy sources.
Without government bailouts, nuclear power cannot survive or compete because it is dirty, risky and too expensive. It is no solution to climate change problems or anything else. It exists because the horror of
nuclear weapons. Politically, a friendly face for nuclear technology is needed. Nuclear power is not friendly.
Sidney J. Goodman, P.E., M.S.M.E.
Author of “Asleep at the Geiger Counter” http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1577331079
Author of website www.elsidsgreenspace.com
The nuclear folks boast that nuclear power is cleaner than coal.
The opposite is true when considering uranium mill tailings, the debris of making nuclear fuel. These tailings release deadly radioactive gases, which blow clear across the United States. The book “Asleep at the Geiger Counter” (Blue Dolphin Publishing Inc.) documents why this aspect of our nuclear power program is far more poisonous than the dirtiest coal plants.
The Climate Scientist James Hansen believes that nuclear power is a solution to climate change problems. Nuclear promoters always say that nukes eliminate fossil fuel emissions. However, enormous amounts of coal have been consumed in the nuclear fuel cycle. The nuclear fuel cycle, in its entirety, has one of the largest carbon footprints in industry. Furthermore, a scandal of low net energy yield of nuclear power has been swept under the rug.
Independent investigations of net energy yield of nukes have been made. My own investigation cut through weasel worded contradictions and used official summary data. The Department of Energy showed me how to make an analysis using this data. Very little calculation was in their example. I noticed they made an algebraic mistake, they used a discredited yield rating, and they left out the largest source of energy losses. After making corrections, I came out with a net energy yield of less than 4%. So, nuclear power has never delivered anything close to what has been claimed as its energy contribution when all factors are taken into account. Government officials lied under oath repeatedly, wildly exaggerating claims about actual yield. Lies were so brazen; they violated elementary principles of thermodynamics. Details are in the mentioned book.
As an engineer, one of the first things that struck me about nuclear claims and. specifications were violations of physics, engineering, and common sense. For example, they discovered a new law of physics. When you have a nuclear plant disaster, the wind stops blowing. Poisons from actual disasters blew hundreds and thousands of miles. Yet, the industry is satisfied with a mere ten-mile evacuation zone. That ridiculously small zone cannot be properly evacuated in most cases.
Contrary to deceitful cover-up, millions of people have already been harmed from accidents at Chernobyl, Three Mile Island, and Fukishima. Millions more will be harmed from poisons which remain deadly for hundreds of thousands, and hundreds of millions. of years. In addition, there are poisonous radioactive emissions from normal plant operations. Denials that harm has occurred are like the claims that the Nazi Holocaust never happened.
Nuclear poisons are so toxic they must be isolated from the environment with aperfection of containment that is 99.999% for hundreds of thousands of years. A mere .01% lack of containment is hazardous. But, in the first thirty years of the nuclear age, about 3% of nuclear wastes leaked. Thus, the industry has already been thousands of times less reliable than it has to be to make good on its assurances about cleanliness and safety. To truly solve the nuclear waste problem requires that all leaked poisons must be retrieved and re-isolated for immense amounts of time. The industry can never do that, so they lie instead, saying that hardly anybody has ever been harmed.
Behind closed doors, big guns in the industry do not really believe one word of their own assurances. They are afraid to operate nuclear plants without the existence of a federal law called the Price Anderson Act. This law limits the liability of nuclear operators to a microscopic fraction of the harm they will cause. Operator liability for a trillion dollar disaster at one of our Indian Point nukes is limited to about $10 billion dollars. This amounts to reparation of one cent on each dollar of damage inflicted.
Price Anderson abolishes everyone’s property rights to protect the property rights of a nuclear operator. How do you like being worth only one cent on the dollar? Are you patriotic? Do you have but one life to give to a nuclear utility?
The same factory that enriches uranium for nuclear weapons is used to make fuel for nuclear plants. Nations have made weapons from their so-called peaceful programs.
The government report “Threat to nuclear facilities” admitted that nuclear plants are vulnerable attractive targets and recommended police state methods to protect them. The report went on to say that even with a complete police (Fascist) State, there is no way to predict what the chances are for a terrorist induced catastrophe.
No other energy source has this problem or requires the likes of the Price Anderson Act.
There is more than one problem created by nukes. Nuclear power means cancer everywhere, birth defects forever, the uncontrolled proliferation of nuclear weapons, the loss of civil liberties, the undermining of our national defense, and un-ending multi billion dollar subsidies which take funding away from cleaner, safer, less costly energy sources.
Without government bailouts, nuclear power cannot survive or compete because it is dirty, risky and too expensive. It is no solution to climate change problems or anything else. It exists because the horror of
nuclear weapons. Politically, a friendly face for nuclear technology is needed. Nuclear power is not friendly.
Sidney J. Goodman, P.E., M.S.M.E.
Author of “Asleep at the Geiger Counter” http://www.amazon.com/books/dp/1577331079
Author of website www.elsidsgreenspace.com
