The Great Nuclear Industry Bailout

Greetings Readers...about to head out the door to camp here, and looking forward to taking a break from my blogs. If you have not visited my other blog project started back on December 26th, 2006 I would encourage you to give Green Nuclear Butterfly a read.

On a more serious note, am sharing an article I posted up on that site earlier today over my morning coffee...

I would ask EVERY AMERICAN, every WORLD CITIZEN to give some serious thought to the Wall Street financial tragedy we have all watched over the past few weeks. Fact is, if we do not rein in the Nuclear Industry, if we do not say NO TO THEIR LOAN GUARANTEES, if we do not get the NRC and the IAEA to restrengthen the regulations they have WEAKENED year after year in their quest to keep this industry on LIFE SUPPORT, Wall Streets near collapse will look like a beautiful drive through the fall foliage as the leaves change. Buffett bought into the nuclear industry because he spied a BARGAIN, is a HAWK swooping down and eating the weak for his own financial gain, not because he believes nuclear to be a safe alternative energy source, and if he thinks it is, I'm sadly disappointed at his lack of adequate research of BOTH sides of the issue. He bought a nuclear company that was UNDER CAPITALIZED, a company on the verge of failing...is Entergy or Exelon next?

Simply stated, we as a nation, and as a world are at GRAVE RISK as a result the IAEA and the NRC's lack of oversight, lack of adequate security, and WEAKENED REGULATORY CONTROL. The IAEA is all but bankrupt, the NRC has admitted to a SEVERE shortage of qualified workers for this dying industry, and many regulations meant to protect Human Health and the Environment have been weakened to a point where America's 104 Nuclear Reactors are being run in an extremely unsafe manner, begging a cataclysmic accident that America and the World will never fully recover from.

The industry seeks literally TRILLIONS in the form of a bailout, labeling the taxpayer funded gifts as NECESSARY, claiming every penny will be returned to us...remember the promise of the nuclear industry...ENERGY SO CHEAP IT WILL NOT BE WORTH METERING. 50 years later, the industry cannot stand on its own, the industry has not disposed safely on one singular ounce of their waste streams. Because of the DOE and NRC's inability to figure out the science and technology necessary to build a long term storage facility, 104 nuclear reactor sites in America have become DEFACTO radioactive waste DUMP SITES, yet our government refuses to take action, refuses to be accountable to America's MAIN STREET citizens being forced to live on the edge of impending doom.

Both Presidential candidates (Obama and McCain) have delivered campaign trail rhetoric of new clean, green energy...problem is, nuclear is neither CLEAN, OR GREEN. We have a choice, but only if we make our voices heard. Imagine the giant forward strides that would occur if we took those TRILLIONS of dollars the nuclear industry wanted, and invested them in solar, wind, geo thermal and clean coal technologies, research and implementation. If you are truly green, if you truly want to reverse global warming, if you want to leave this world a better place for your children and grand children, then the time has come to TAKE A STAND...say no to Nuclear Energy, say no to Nuclear Industry Bailouts, and say no too the Rubber Stamping of the NRC's License Renewal Application Process...fact is, by relicensing these aging, dilapidated reactors, the NRC is playing Russian Roulette with our health, safety and financial well being.