Some Thoughts on Why Nuke Power is NOT Cool!

We who live here in Florida live under the gun and that weapon is the stealthy and destructive Nuclear Energy. Using it is like playing Russian Roulette. The chamber spins and spins but eventually it will misfire. Here in Florida we had two nuclear power plants that were recently shut down because of problems. Turkey Point near Miami and Crystal River, north of Tampa.
More here:
TURKEY POINT:
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSN3045043020091130
http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/articles/djf500/200912031701DOWJONESDJONLINE000709_FORTUNE5.htm
CRYSTAL RIVER:
http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/23/a-nuclear-reactor-shows-its-age/
http://www.citrusdaily.com/local-news/gap-crystal-river-nuclear-power-plant-containment-prompts-public-hearing/2009/11/15/16487

As if it was synched to create a critical mass of awareness, at the end of last month, Three Mile Island in New Jersey leaked yet again, exposing some of it's workers to radiation, reinforcing the fact that this source of energy is just not safe for anything living. http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2009/11/22/2009-11-22_three_mile_island.html
http://i3.democracynow.org/2009/11/25/as_us_probes_radiation_at_three (video and transcript)

The use of Nuke Power is expensive, risky and uses too much water, making it an unsustainable source of energy. Cost, risk and the environmental liability result in too much money, illness and long term damage to the environment, therefore this source of energy is in no way GREEN and there is no way to successfully "GREENWASH" it.

Money is the big factor...the economic source of the planned Levy County project in the rural big bend area of Florida near woods and pristeen wetlands was not financed by funding corporations or banks wanting a piece of the action. They obviously thought it was too risky to do that. So BIG ENERGY is getting the money from the customers of Progress Energy, a little bit at a time added to their bills so it will look like it isn't too costly. This is just for the PLANNING of the Nuclear Power Plant in Levy County, not for the actual construction of it.

The planning of the Levy County Nuclear Power Plant does not have a system for eliminating the waste. (Local people here still do not know where Crystal River's waste goes.) Levy County's plans also do not have specifications which include anything more than minimal surge levels should a catastrophic storm hit the area. What are the toxins being emitted from the stacks? The only difference between high impact toxins and waste and the low level is whether one or the other has the fuel rods included. It is all lethal. Where does the water go? What about the sludge? How can any plant guarantee that it will be contained? Would water and sludge be contained if there was a high level storm surge? Would the plant be able to sustain itself in the event of a Category 4 or 5 storm? This question has to be asked since most of the hurricanes in the Gulf of Mexico do hit the Big Bend area of Florida.

A group of grassroots activists, local politicos and experts met in the woods in Marion County this past weekend for a NUKE TEACH IN. We discussed the next steps on what we need to do to fight this giant behemoth that threatens to do us in here on the west coast of Florida. The beautiful land of the Nature Coast of Florida needs to be left alone, the wildlife cared for and the humankind allowed to thrive without catastrophic illnesses and/or early death. If you could see this land, you would know in your heart and in your soul that it must be preserved! Instead of being subjugated by fear, those that are under the gun have sprung into action!

More to come...

***Photography by Anita Stewart
1) Our group learning
2) Mary Olsen of NIRS (Nuclear Information and Resource Center)
3) Cara Jennings, Florida Green Party and City Commissioner of Lake Worth, FL
4) Our group by the sign
5) Closeup of the sign with Turkey Point and Crystal River marked on the map.