The money pit -- nuclear energy (Essay by Kim Hunter, October 31st, 2001)

To: president@whitehouse.gov
From: "Russell D. Hoffman" <rhoffman@animatedsoftware.com>
Subject: The money pit -- nuclear energy
Cc: governor of California, California Senators


October 31st, 2001

To Whom It May Concern;

The following essay from Kim Hunter in Southern California hits on a number of important points that are being overlooked today regarding nuclear power.

Russell Hoffman
Concerned Citizen
Carlsbad, CA

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From: Kim Hunter:

Our public funds are being spent by the utility and nuclear research industries to keep the public in the DARK.

How scary that our officials and Utilities purposely mislead the public about nuclear energy safety, while the whole time they had technical reports and documents validating every public fear and beyond, in their possession. Even more negligent is their rhetoric that sirens would allow vicinity residents ample time to evacuate, when in fact sabotage or attack could kill thousands quickly with more deaths following over time.

What other nuclear propaganda and cover-ups pave the money trail for tens of billions of public funds to reach a few pockets in the nuclear industry?

For one, even with exports to other Nations, our spent fuel and refined plutonium stockpiles have grown out of control. Now as other Nations, in the wake of 9-11, are scrambling to phase out nuclear plants entirely, we need to recognize that export of plutonium is coming to a stand still. Every speck of our nuclear waste is here to stay. Yet we have nowhere to safely store this highly toxic stuff that will remain a USA nightmare for eons to come. Right now it is unsafely piling up in less sturdy vessels outside of main containment domes.

We need to quit making more by shutting down our nuclear plants and spend nuclear money instead on moving the waste out of populated areas and into high-tech terrorist and disaster proof vessels.

2nd, economically nuclear power is a bust. Sure the wide spread promises we were spoon fed 20 years ago offered hope, but once put to the reality test, these deadly high cost toys proved excessively expensive. Economic reports, like safety reports were paved over along the money trail. Norman F. Dressel, Ph.D., Emeritus Professor of Physics, reviewed Federal physics studies and documents and after performing further analysis, concluded  that our USA reactors do not produce a net positive electric energy. Summarizing, he steadfastly maintains that "The electric energy used in the cradle-to-grave life of a nuclear reactor electric generation plant, and its fuel processing, is greater than all of its produced electric energy during its useful life time. If we add the electrical energy cost of proper maintenance of wastes to the bill, no nuclear plant comes even close to being a net electric energy producer.  Hence, the often published untruth that these nukes contribute 20+% of world electric energy is patently false. Worse, it makes no economic sense at all.... "

Now add the new public cost of protecting nuclear plants and their toxic waste from terrorists.  We are sinking deep into the money pit here!!

On the local San Onofre level, we have Edison and SDG&E preying on our California energy concerns, to lull us into falsely believing we cannot do without SONGS, no matter the safety threat to California, our citizens, and National armed forces. Yet THEY can shut down reactors for extended maintenance periods without disrupting our energy supply.  And in the meantime, THEY continue to add thousands of new home hookups to developers throughout California. Go figure?

As San Onofre ticks away in our back yard, we must recognize rationally, economically, and world-wide that Nuclear energy is obsolete. But we do have a  rich future to embrace. Think of employment of hundreds of thousands in the renewable energy market that in turn will provide for a whole new era of prosperity that frees our Nation from the threat of Nuclear Homeland disaster and foreign oil interests as well.  Now that is a freedom plan worthy of our public funds.

Kim Hunter
Elfin Forest

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11th hour protest against nuclear power:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/no_nukes/11thhour.htm
For more information please visit:
http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/onofre/index.htm

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http://www.animatedsoftware.com/environm/no_nukes/tenw/nuke_war.htm
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First posted October 31st, 2001.

Webwiz: Russell D. Hoffman