If you live in the Lower Hudson Valley you have probably heard of Indian Point. Indian Point is a nuclear power plant located in Buchanan, NY. It lies less then 40 miles away from New York City. With the recent tragedy in Japan, and their licenses expiring in 2013 and 2015, the topic of keeping the plant open is once again in the forefront.
I want to like nuclear power. I really do. When you read about all the good things it can do while having little effect on the environment you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. You know the risks involved, but hey this is 2011. With technology and the good old American know-how we can make it work. Then you actually read more about the subject and the picture becomes a lot more cloudy.
Radiation leaks, poor warning systems, failed tests, and overall waste disposal problems all rear their ugly heads. Are these incidents limited to Indian Point? No of course not. First of all they can not dispose of the waste. We have all heard of the great radioactive waste dump in the desert of Nevada, but nothing is going there. How do you transport? More importantly, how do you get people to agree on the safest way to move it? You don't...so now it just sits in waste pools at the plant. They are coming up with new and better ways to store the waste but unfortunately for the time being, they still sit in those pools. Maintaining this pools exposes us to the greatest risk of leakage and disaster, which is is exactly what is happening in Japan.
The second and worst problem is that these power plants are exposed to the same cost cutting, money making, green eyed greed that your normal Wall Street bank drinks with a straw. This leads to over worked employees, degrading facilities, and oversights. Have I witnessed any of these? No I have not but there is plenty of evidence you can read about at the tip of your finger tips (http://www.ipsecinfo.org/).
All that being said, I just cant support nuclear power at this time. I especially can't support nuclear power at a plant I don't trust that sits on a river that I love. A plant that could destroy the wildlife and environment that is my back yard. Yes, an oil or coal power plant will destroy my back yard as well but that's not what I am advocating. I want us to do what American's used to do best...look at a problem and come up with a world changing answer. Is that answer solar power, methane, wind power? Maybe its all of them...hell maybe its nuclear power. Point is...lets find out the cleanest and best solution without all the red tape is and put it into action.
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