The weapon design and arms control communities agree that it is not the capability to design a nuclear device that determines the pace of a country’s acquisition of a first weapon, but, rather, the availability of nuclear weapons materials that can be turned to weapons purposes. For a nation-state, the material for weapons can come from uranium enrichment plants (highly enriched uranium), or reactors and nuclear fuel reprocessing plants (plutonium), or both.
Regardless of its isotopic composition, the minimum amount of plutonium required to make a pure fission nuclear explosive, with a yield equivalent to one to 25 kilotons of chemical high explosives, is quite small, on the order of 1 to 3 kilograms (kg), with the exact amount depending on the level of design expertise and the desired nuclear explosive yield. The minimum amount of highly enriched uranium required is a few times larger—5 to 10kg.
While far from ideal for military applications, the isotopic composition of the plutonium typically produced in civil power reactors does not pose a serious obstacle to fabricating efficient and powerful weapons, as well as crude terrorist devices.
http://www.nrdc.org/nuclear/power/power.pdf
The proliferation of nuclear weapons is inextricably linked to nuclear power by a shared need for enriched uranium, and through the generation of plutonium as a by-product of spent nuclear fuel. The two industries have been linked since the very beginning and a nuclear weapons free world requires a non-nuclear energy policy. http://www.cnduk.org/index.php/information/info-sheets/briefings.html#nuclearpower
HOPE AND HYPE VS. REALITY IN NUCLEAR REACTOR COST
THE ECONOMICS OF NUCLEAR REACTORS:http://www.vermontlaw.edu/Documents/Cooper%20Report%20on%20Nuclear%20Economics%20FINAL%5B1%5D.pdf
PLEASE SHOW UP TONITE AT YOUR PRECINCT CAUCUS AND SUPPORT RT RYBAK! TAKE THE TIME TO BE A DELEGATE SO YOU CAN GO TO THE CITY CONVENTION AND VOTE FOR RT TO GET THE DFL ENDORSEMENT!! THIS IS SO IMPORTANT HIS OPPONENT IS NOT A FRIEND TO THE ENVIRONMENT!
THANKS KIMI
WARD 7 / 7-4
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Parts of three remote and uninhabited Pacific island chains are being set aside by President George W. Bush as national monuments to protect them from oil and gas extraction and commercial fishing in what will be the largest marine conservation effort in history.
The three areas - totaling some 195,274 square miles - include the Mariana Trench and the waters and corals surrounding three uninhabited islands in the Northern Mariana Islands, Rose Atoll in American Samoa and seven islands strung along the equator in the central Pacific Ocean.
Each location harbors unique species and some of the rarest geological formations on Earth - from the world's largest land crab to a bird that incubates its eggs in the heat of underwater volcanoes.
All will be protected as national monuments - the same status afforded to statues and cultural sites - under the 1906 Antiquities Act. The law allows the government to immediately phase out commercial fishing and other extractive uses.
However, recreational fishing, tourism and scientific research with a federal permit could still occur inside the three areas. The designations will also not conflict with U.S. military activities or freedom of navigation, White House officials said.
"These locations are truly among the last pristine areas in the marine environment on Earth," said James Connaughton, chair of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, who added the resources the administration wanted preserved would be fully protected.
The president plans to make the designation official on Tuesday at a ceremony at the White House.
It will be the second time Bush has used the law to protect marine resources. Two years ago, the president made a huge swath of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands a national monument, barring fishing, oil and gas extraction and tourism from its waters and coral reefs. At the time, that area was the largest conservation area in the world.
The three areas to be designated Tuesday are larger, and came with some opposition. Northern Mariana Islands government officials and indigenous communities initially objected to the monument designation, citing concerns about sovereignty, fishing and mineral exploration.
Environmentalists were hoping for more. The protected areas will extend 50 nautical miles off the coral reefs and atolls at the three monuments, which will be officially called the Marianas Marine National Monument, Rose Atoll Marine National Monument, and the Pacific Remote Islands Marine National Monument.
Advocacy groups were pushing for 200 nautical miles, the full extent of the U.S. exclusive economic zone. Commercial fishing will also still be allowed in the waters over the Mariana Trench, the world's deepest underwater canyon. The monument will only protect the rim of the canyon and its depths. At 36,201 feet the canyon is deeper than Mt. Everest is tall and five times the size of the Grand Canyon.
"Commercial fishing was not relevant to the resource we wanted to protect," Connaughton said. He also said the science did not support protecting the full 200 nautical miles.
The move is a boost to the environmental record of a president who has been criticized for not doing enough against air pollution and global warming. He also lifted a moratorium on oil and gas drilling off the Atlantic and Pacific coasts.
It will be up to President-elect Barack Obama to hammer out how the areas will be managed, and to make sure the prohibitions are enforced.
"We and others in the environmental community have been at odds with this administration on lots of things, but if one looks at this one event it is a significant conservation event," said Joshua Reichert, managing director of the Pew Environment Group, which lobbied for the monuments' designation.
"In a more symbolic level, it sends a message that we have finally arrived at a point where we are beginning to think about the sea in the same way we have thought about the land - that there are special places under threat that need to be protected," Reichert said.
The protection of the Mariana Trench comes a century after President Theodore Roosevelt first protected the Grand Canyon as a national monument in 1908.
Over the past few weeks, Vice President-Elect Biden and I have announced some of the leaders who will advise us as we seek to meet America’s twenty-first century challenges, from strengthening our security, to rebuilding our economy, to preserving our planet for our children and grandchildren. Today, I am pleased to announce members of my science and technology team whose work will be critical to these efforts.
Whether it’s the science to slow global warming; the technology to protect our troops and confront bioterror and weapons of mass destruction; the research to find life-saving cures; or the innovations to remake our industries and create twenty-first century jobs—today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation. It is time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America’s place as the world leader in science and technology.
Right now, in labs, classrooms and companies across America, our leading minds are hard at work chasing the next big idea, on the cusp of breakthroughs that could revolutionize our lives. But history tells us that they cannot do it alone. From landing on the moon, to sequencing the human genome, to inventing the Internet, America has been the first to cross that new frontier because we had leaders who paved the way: leaders like President Kennedy, who inspired us to push the boundaries of the known world and achieve the impossible; leaders who not only invested in our scientists, but who respected the integrity of the scientific process.
Because the truth is that promoting science isn’t just about providing resources—it’s about protecting free and open inquiry. It’s about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient—especially when it’s inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us. That will be my goal as President of the United States—and I could not have a better team to guide me in this work.
Dr. John Holdren has agreed to serve as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. John is a professor and Director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, as well as President and Director of the Woods Hole Research Center. A physicist renowned for his work on climate and energy, he’s received numerous honors and awards for his contributions and has been one of the most passionate and persistent voices of our time about the growing threat of climate change. I look forward to his wise counsel in the years ahead.
John will also serve as a Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology—or PCAST—as will Dr. Harold Varmus and Dr. Eric Lander. Together, they will work to remake PCAST into a vigorous external advisory council that will shape my thinking on the scientific aspects of my policy priorities.
Dr. Varmus is no stranger to this work. He is not just a path-breaking scientist, having won a Nobel Prize for his research on the causes of cancer—he also served as Director of the National Institutes of Health during the Clinton Administration. I am grateful he has answered the call to serve once again.
Dr. Eric Lander is the Founding Director of the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard and was one of the driving forces behind mapping the human genome—one of the greatest scientific achievements in history. I know he will be a powerful voice in my Administration as we seek to find the causes and cures of our most devastating diseases.
Finally, Dr. Jane Lubchenco has accepted my nomination as the Administrator of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is devoted to conserving our marine and coastal resources and monitoring our weather. An internationally known environmental scientist and ecologist and former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Jane has advised the President and Congress on scientific matters, and I am confident she will provide passionate and dedicated leadership at NOAA.
Working with these leaders, we will seek to draw on the power of science to both meet our challenges across the globe and revitalize our economy here at home. And I’ll be speaking more after the New Year about how my Administration will engage leaders in the technology community and harness technology and innovation to create jobs, enhance America’s competitiveness and advance our national priorities.
I am confident that if we recommit ourselves to discovery; if we support science education to create the next generation of scientists and engineers right here in America; if we have the vision to believe and invest in things unseen, then we can lead the world into a new future of peace and prosperity.
Thank you.
Read more about the President-elect and the Vice President-elect.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Bush administration is trying to make sure in its final days that federal air pollution regulations will not be used to control the gases blamed for global warming.
In a memorandum sent Thursday, outgoing Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson sets an agency-wide policy prohibiting controls on carbon dioxide emissions from being included in air pollution permits for coal-fired power plants and other facilities.
The decision could give the agency a legal basis for issuing permits that increase global warming pollution until the incoming Obama administration can change it, a process that would require a lengthy rulemaking process.
"The current concerns over global climate change should not drive EPA into adopting an unworkable policy of requiring emissions controls," Johnson writes. And while the administrator acknowledged public interest in the issue, he writes that "administrative agencies are authorized to issue interpretations of this nature that clarify their regulations without completing a public comment process."
The White House has repeatedly said that the Clean Air Act should not be used to regulate carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases, even though an April 2007 Supreme Court decision determined that the EPA could do so under the law. But that hasn't stopped environmentalists from trying.
The Thursday memo from Johnson was an attempt to clarify the agency's position after an appeals board in November rejected a federal permit for a Utah power plant putting the fate of scores of coal-burning power plants and other industrial facilities in limbo.
In that case, the judges said the EPA did not make a strong enough case for not requiring controls on carbon dioxide, the leading pollutant linked to global warming. Environmentalists had challenged the permit saying that law makes clear that greenhouse gas emissions can be controlled.
Environmentalists on Thursday said the EPA's memo would allow power plants to be approved that increase greenhouse gas emissions. They also said the ruling would tie the hands of President-elect Barack Obama, who has said he wants heat-trapping gases to be regulated.
"What you have is a midnight declaration that is designed by edict to rewrite EPA's regulations to say categorically carbon dioxide can never be considered in permitting a new coal plant," said Vickie Patton, an attorney with the Environmental Defense Fund.
But EPA spokesman Jonathan Shradar said the opinion simply codifies existing agency policy.
"It had been the unspoken policy of the agency," Shradar said. "All it does is put into policy what the agency has done for 30 years."
Representatives of the electricity generators said Thursday that the EPA once again made the right choice. Scott Segal, director of the Electric Reliability Council, an association of power companies, said if agency determined Clean Air Act could be used to place limits on carbon dioxide, many other sources would have to get permits under the law.
Segal said that if the EPA had made a different interpretation the results would have been catastrophic for the economy and the environment.
after hearing that barrack invited prop8 pastor rick warren to give the invocation at his inauguration, i am canceling my trip to D.C. anyone who compares same sex marriage to incest or pedophilia does not belong on the same stage with a president who is SUPPOSEDLY dedicating his presidency to change!!!
i'm pissed off and i'm definitely not going to drive 13 hours (each way) to stand in the cold and cheer you on. i'm not going to walk door-to-door, in the snow, hundreds of miles from my own home, to get people out to vote for you when you run for re-election. i'm probably not even going to vote for you again. you have lost my faith. i no longer believe in you.
f you barrack!!!
jason girard (former obama volunteer and supporter)
Temo Figueroa, a former top Obama field organizer, said the volunteer base is "hungry" to be engaged on the most important issues.Role for Barack Obama's volunteer network still in flux, http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-obama-networkdec05,0,7403685.story"I don't think e-mails or YouTube videos from the president-elect are going to be enough," Figueroa said. "These people want to continue to be a part of whatever agenda comes out of the White House, and they want to be active participants in this government that they feel they have ownership of."
Around this time of year, there are lots of requests for our dollars. All good causes, like Kiva, of course. With the financial uncertainty of these times, I don't have a lot of spare cash to donate to Kiva at the moment. Participating in community Barack Obama events is another way for me to stay engaged. I signed up to participate in Voting Reform discussion and how Californians can help Barack Obama bring about the change for which we elected him. I look forward to both events. A lot of stuff is going on this month to choose from.
I encourage you to click on the Find Events link in your http://my.barackobama.com/ account to find a way to participate. If your schedule is too booked for this year, I'm sure there'll be other chances in 2009. "Be the change you want to see in the world"is more than just a slogan. Here's the opportunity to show and prove.
This grassroots movement that Barack Obama has set up using the Internet is a new and powerful tool to make change in America. He has brought back governing power to the everyday citizen and we need to continue to use it. That's why I've set up My.Bo even after his election to office.
One thought I've had is for government to set up bonds (something like ware-bonds during World War II) to fund the re-tooling of auto factories to create electric/energy efficient and affordable cars. I think that all U.S. citizens want to buy American cars and would reach into their pockets to fund this.
On another issue, I think we need to contact congress to implore them to put aside their personal agendas and egos and support Barack Obama's agenda with minimal interference. We are in a crisis and need to get this message across to our congress - they are employed by us and we desperately need them to pass legislation quickly to help President-Elect Obama to achieve his and our goals to save our country from environmental and financial ruin.
What do you think?
SECTION 60
A PLACE WHERE:
BABIES MEET THEIR FATHERS FOR THE FIRST TIME
CHILDREN WONDER
MOTHERS ARE REUNITED WITH THEIR ONLY CHILD
FATHERS LIE ON THE GROUND AND EMBRACE THE EARTH
WIVES MEMORIES STAND STILL
HUSBANDS STAND AND CRY
PARENTS WANT TO SWITCH PLACES
SOLDIERS COME TO RESCUE THEMSELVES
THERE IS A SEA OF WHITE MARBLE OVERFLOWING WITH BEAUTIFUL FLOWERS AND TRINKETS
LOVE, PEACE AND HARMONY TRIUMPH
A RIVER OF TEARS RUNS FREE
THE DIGGING NEVER STOPS
IRON DOORS LOCK AT FIVE UNTIL THE SUN RISES AGAIN
THIS PLACE IS ARLINGTON NATIONAL CEMETERY THE NEW HOME OF THE CASUALTIES FROM IRAQ AND AFGHANISTAN. WE MUST VOTE FOR OBAMA SO WE CAN STOP THE INSANITY.
THESE PEOPLE WILL NOT HAVE THEIR VOICES HEARD BUT WE WILL.
"Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves therefore are its only safe depositories." (Thomas Jefferson)"When Financial Institutions are the sole gatekeepers of America's hard earned income, savings and income placed in retirement and pension plans only to see these investments lost on Wall Street it's time the people step up themselves to impose safeguards on it's treasure." (Lezlyee A)With some reservation, the American people supported the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA). Both Houses voted to help stabilize the economy by infusing Wall Street and Financial Institutions with 700 Billion US dollars. In exchange for the vast infusion of American tax dollars, Financial institutions have been issued a "mandate" from the American people, Congress, and President O'Bama. This mandate requires eceivers of EESA funds to:Review all mortgage risks on their balance sheet Engage pro-actively in outreach programs with borrowers Provide home morgage refinancing to borrowers in troubleReduce monthly payments based on the current fair market value (FMV) of their home, and Offer refinancing at lower affordable interest ratesAnd, ease credit to the American people to stimulate the economy News reports have suggested that six major financial institutions participating in the program have plans to pay their executives billions of dollars. If financial institutions use EESA tax payer dollars inappropriately, to pay dividends or top Executive Salaries or Retirement Bonuses these violatons shall be considered a threat to national security and employees of these financial institutions shall be charged with embezzlement and fraud. EESA includes a variety of specific rules designed to protect taxpayers from having their taxes used to support excessive compensation at subsidized institutions. The Act also gives the Treasury Secretary broad discretion to set the terms and conditions of transactions under the Act. Since taxpayers have subsidized many financial institutions it’s important that these financial institutions ease credit. ASSISTANCE REESTABLISHING CREDIT FOR CONSUMERS Consumers who temporarily fall behind in making payments with creditors as a result of the recession, and are reported to Credit Reporting Agencies are now stigmatized by these reports for 7 years. Even after the debt is paid off consumers are harmed for 7 long years; a reflection of their credit worthiness, character, and reputation. How could we bailout defaulting Financial Institutions after they have defaulted and in good conscience do absolutely nothing to change lending and reporting practices for the American people. Now would be a good time for the American people to ask law makers in Washington DC to amend legislation to remove negative credit information within 6 months after a consumer pays off a deragatory mark on their credit report. By removing negative credit data from Consumer Credit Reports, after the consumer has satisfactorily paid paid-off their debt reward consumers for acting in good faith, not a bailout, raise their credit score, increasing their opportunity to qualify for new credit within 6 months. Now, if we can bail out the same financial institutions who failed to protect retirement and investments of the American people, Congress should use common sense and make it easier for consumers to pay off their debts and remove deragatory accounts in a timely manner. We can no longer allow the Corporations to run Washington.
"Every government degenerates when trusted to the rulers of the people alone. The people themselves therefore are its only safe depositories." (Thomas Jefferson)
"When Financial Institutions are the sole gatekeepers of America's hard earned income, savings and income placed in retirement and pension plans only to see these investments lost on Wall Street it's time the people step up themselves to impose safeguards on it's treasure." (Lezlyee A)
With some reservation, the American people supported the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 (EESA). Both Houses voted to help stabilize the economy by infusing Wall Street and Financial Institutions with 700 Billion US dollars.
In exchange for the vast infusion of American tax dollars, Financial institutions have been issued a "mandate" from the American people, Congress, and President O'Bama. This mandate requires eceivers of EESA funds to:
News reports have suggested that six major financial institutions participating in the program have plans to pay their executives billions of dollars. If financial institutions use EESA tax payer dollars inappropriately, to pay dividends or top Executive Salaries or Retirement Bonuses these violatons shall be considered a threat to national security and employees of these financial institutions shall be charged with embezzlement and fraud.
EESA includes a variety of specific rules designed to protect taxpayers from having their taxes used to support excessive compensation at subsidized institutions. The Act also gives the Treasury Secretary broad discretion to set the terms and conditions of transactions under the Act. Since taxpayers have subsidized many financial institutions it’s important that these financial institutions ease credit.
ASSISTANCE REESTABLISHING CREDIT FOR CONSUMERS
Consumers who temporarily fall behind in making payments with creditors as a result of the recession, and are reported to Credit Reporting Agencies are now stigmatized by these reports for 7 years. Even after the debt is paid off consumers are harmed for 7 long years; a reflection of their credit worthiness, character, and reputation. How could we bailout defaulting Financial Institutions after they have defaulted and in good conscience do absolutely nothing to change lending and reporting practices for the American people.
Now would be a good time for the American people to ask law makers in Washington DC to amend legislation to remove negative credit information within 6 months after a consumer pays off a deragatory mark on their credit report. By removing negative credit data from Consumer Credit Reports, after the consumer has satisfactorily paid paid-off their debt reward consumers for acting in good faith, not a bailout, raise their credit score, increasing their opportunity to qualify for new credit within 6 months. Now, if we can bail out the same financial institutions who failed to protect retirement and investments of the American people, Congress should use common sense and make it easier for consumers to pay off their debts and remove deragatory accounts in a timely manner. We can no longer allow the Corporations to run Washington.
OVER THE LAST FEW DAYS I HAVE BEEN GOING TO MCCAINS SITE TO TRY TO GET IN THE MINDS OF THESE "AMERICANS". THIS IS WHAT I HAVE FOUND TO THIS POINT:
1- MCCAIN SUPPORTERS ARE FOR FREEDOM OF SPEECH UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS AND FEEL WE NEED TO LIMIT CERTAIN BOOKS AND PUBLICATIONS IN LIBRARIES
2- MCCAIN SUPPORTERS ARE BACKERS OF THE CONSTITUTION EXCEPT WHEN THE PREZ THINKS WE NEED TO TWEAK IT A LITTLE AFTER ALL IF YOU ARE DOING NOTHING WRONG YOU SHOULDN'T MIND
3- MCCAIN SUPPORTERS TRULY HAVE NO GOOD WORDS FOR ANY MUSLIM ON EARTH THEY ARE ALL THE SAME IN THEIR EYES, TERRORISTS
4- MCCAIN SUPPORTERS THINK WARS ARE NECESSARY AND WE CAN NEVER ACHIEVE PEACE
5- MCCAIN SUPPORTER DO NOT BELIEVE IN ABORTIONS IN ANY WAY SHAPE OR FORM BUT THEY HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH TORTURE, KILLING INNOCENT CITIZENS IN IRAQ, DEATH PENALTY, OUR SOLDIERS DEATHS THEY THINK THAT IT IS PATRIOT TO DIE IN WAR
5- MCCAIN SUPPORTER MAIN INFORMATION SOURCE IS FOX NEWS, NEED I SAY ANYMORE
6- MCCAIN SUPPORTERS THINK THAT GOD WILL SAVE AMERICA, IF THIS IS TRUE DOES IT REALLY MATTER WHO IS ELECTED PREZ
7- MCCAIN SUPPORTERS ARE OUTRIGHT BIGOTS AND BLOG AGAINST, BLACKS, ASAIANS, HISPANICS, GAYS
I AM ASHAMED TO CALL THESE PEOPLE MY FELLOW CITIZENS. I TRIED TO ARGUE DIFFERENT POINTS OF VIEW AND I WAS CALLED A SOCIALIST, MARXIST, COMMUNIST, TRAITOR AND COMMITTING TREASON. CAN WE REALLY CHANGE THE MINDS OF PEOPLE LIKE THIS?
VOTE OBAMA / BIDEN
Nuclear Power Is Contraindicated as a Solution to Global Warming Because of Nuclear Mutagenesis. Watch: http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-4397307903287515932
Nuclear Power Is Contraindicated as a Solution to Global Warming Because of Excessive Cost: "When it comes to nuclear power specifically, every dollar invested in new US nuclear electricity will save approximately 2-11 times less carbon, and will do so roughly 20-40 times slower, than investing in the same dollar in energy efficiency and "micropower" (cogeneration plus renewables minus big hydro dams). Buying new nuclear capacity instead of efficiency causes more carbon to be released than spending the same money on new coal plants!
"These conclusions and the empirical evidence supporting them are summarized in "Forget Nuclear," and fully documented in "The Nuclear Illusion," available for download here, which is to be published in early 2009 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences' journal Ambio. (courtesy of rmi.org)
Dan Becker, director of the Sierra Club's Global Warming Program has said, "Switching from coal to nukes is like giving up smoking and taking up crack."
Here is the Natural Resources Defense Council's position on Nuclear Power: http://nrdc.org/nuclear/power/power.pdf.
Make a small statement. Join our My.BarackObama.com group, Nuclear Power?, here:
http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/NuclearPower
Barack Obama is a man of integrity. Our belief is that when all the facts about nuclear power are presented to him clearly, that he will reject it as an option.
The large utilities eager to build nuclear power plants are now suddenly pressing Congress about global warming. Very convenient. But is nuclear power a solution for the problem of global warming? Hmmm, No.
1)Nuclear power plants are too expensive to build. The nuclear power industry refuses to accept responsibility for the unique risks of nuclear power and demands massive federal subsidies so that they can rake in profits on their suspect investments. To quote the Rocky Mountain Institute (rmi.org) position on nuclear power: "Contrary to an argument nuclear apologists have recently taken to making, nuclear power isn't a good way to curb climate change. The power they produce is so expensive that the same money invested in efficiency or even natural-gas-fired power plants would offset much more climate change." Quoting the Natural Resources Defense Council(NRDC): "Our national electricity needs could be met, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 70 percent or more, through a combination of increased energy efficiency, wind power, solar power, advanced coal-fired plants with carbon capture and storage, and high-efficiency natural gas turbines."
2)Nuclear power is extremely unsafe. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has acknowledged in a reference document "that early containment failure cannot be ruled out with high confidence for any of the plants." Even with the most technologically advanced checks and safeties, eventually some critical part of everything man makes fails. If an explosion occurs at a gas-fired or coal-fired plant, this is not good. But if a nuclear reactor melts down and breaks through its containment vessel, we have at least a regional catastrophe. Large areas of necessary habitable land are rendered uninhabitable, and people die of radiation-caused cancer.
3)To again quote the Rocky Mountain Institute's position on nuclear power: "Nuclear power poses significant problems of radioactive waste disposal."
4)Quoting the NRDC: "Plutonium is a normal by-product of electricity production in conventional reactors. Thus, the same reactors and fuel-processing facilities that are used for energy production can also be used for the manufacture of weapons." "Perhaps the most serious of all the problems that would be exacerbated by dramatically increasing global nuclear capacity is the threat of nuclear proliferation."
Join our My.BarackObama.com group, Nuclear Power?, here: http://my.barackobama.com/page/group/NuclearPower
You betcha! Biden was as close to perfect as anyone could imagine--he did himself and the ticket proud.
