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Today and tomorrow we may witness the untimely death of the myth that France tidily recycles its nuclear waste. Apparently, Electricité de France, the world's largest producer of nuclear power, is in the unfortunate position of having to deny reports in the French newspaper Liberation that it is using open-air containers in a town in Siberia to dump its radioactive waste. According to Liberation, the town is closed to journalists. Liberation also said that only 10-20% of the waste stored in this town is recycled and sent back to EDF for use in power plants.
Bad news for the nuclear industry, eh? That's the way it's been around here lately. For example:
- Just when I was rejoicing that we (Entergy Vermont Yankee ) were getting rid of Wackenhut Security Services so that our security forces wouldn't be operating in southern Vermont under the taint of charges of rape, murder, and the like, four old ladies walked with their lawn chairs through two of our security gates and sat there, obtusely and picture-perfectly, until arrested. Our guards did try to close exit gate and trap them, in the hopes of maybe wrestling them to the ground, but they didn't know how to do that.
- Just when things started looking good for Enexus (the Department of Public Service approved the spinoff plan), things also started looking bad. Greenpeace pointed out that Enexus benefits Entergy shareholders at the expense of Vermonters. It's a charge that's hard to deny given that Money.cnn.com has started going all goo-goo eyed over how great it is going to be for Entergy to be out of that shaky, awful, unpredictable, who-wants-this-crap-anyway, don't-let-the-door-hit-you-in-the-butt nuclear power business. Which might set the Vermont legislature to wondering just what the economic benefit to this area is of handing VY a license to polarize thie community for another 20 years and divert resources away from a green revolution.
- Even if Electricité de France is able to refute the Liberation story, recycling nuclear fuel is beginning to look terribly dangerous. In Europe, where recycling is de rigeur, they're apparently contracting the mafia to blow up radioactive waste on boats and sink it in the ocean. And so it's probably making Vermonters increasingly nervous that, even if Vermont Yankee doesn't get a license extension, spent nuclear fuel will remain at Vermont Yankee for 100 years or more, where it will be vulnerable to attack by plane. (I'm assuming that's a bad thing because, at Connecticut Yankee, each of their casks contains a Cesium and Strontium inventory equal to 10 Hiroshima bombs.)
- Don't even get me started on the report featured this morning in the Reformer predicting that shutting down Vermont Yankee would result in a job increase in the area.
So, Lord, it's been a hard week or so for me, though I do try to maintain my God-given sense of humor.
Lawyer: I have some good news and some bad news.
Client: Well, give me the bad news first.
Lawyer: The bad news is that the DNA tests showed that it was your blood they found all over the crime scene
Client: Oh no! I'm ruined! What's the good news?
Lawyer: Your doctor saw the test results. Your cholesterol is down.
We do have good news. It is this:
- Governor Jim Douglas doesn't care a hoot about whether Vermonters get a good price for energy from Entergy.
Life is still beautiful. Kiss me!
Amen,
Fake-Rob
