Energy group shares information
How nuclear plant will affect residents on the minds of forum attendees
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Daniel Rojas, a 61-year-old retiree, came to the nuclear power forum to see how a nuclear power plant would affect him.
“It could affect me both ways: good, economically for the community,” Rojas said. “And bad, with the dangers involved.”
Thursday night’s forum at the Leo J. Welder Center for the Performing Arts was the first time Rojas attended a meeting to get more information. The Victoria resident, who keeps a house at Magnolia Beach, doesn’t like hearsay and he hasn’t made up his mind yet about nuclear power.
Texans for a Sound Energy Policy Alliance brought Arjun Makhijani, president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research, to inform residents of the health risks and costs of nuclear power as Exelon Nuclear proposes to build two reactors near McFaddin in Victoria County.
“So far in Victoria, there’s only been one side of the story that’s talked about,” said Jim Blackburn, an environmental attorney from Houston, introducing the speaker. “And there’s definitely two sides.”
Nuclear fission poses a lot of risks, Makhijani said. If so many other choices for energy didn’t exist, it would be harder to not go in the direction of nuclear power.
Makhijani doesn’t like how supporters of nuclear energy down play the health risks. He showed a television clip where Exelon’s Thomas O’Neill, vice president of new plant development, said although the Braidwood plant in Illinois leaked tritium water, it was still below levels harmful to human health.
“Every increment of exposure, no matter how small, causes a proportional cancer risk,” Makhijani told an audience of about 150 people, including students as far away as Austin.
As Exelon has said before, the leaks of tritium didn’t pose a health risk and all the leaks have been remedied, Bill Harris, public outreach manager, said Thursday night.
Makhijani also talked about lack of some monitoring on behalf of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He couldn’t find anything on how the agency monitors tritium in rainfall.
“If tritium is leaked into the air, your rainfall may become radioactive,” he said.
But tritium is naturally occurring in the air and there is no more risk living by a nuclear plant than anywhere else, Ray Juzaitis, department head of nuclear engineering at Texas A&M University said. He listened in the audience.
Makhijani is confusing isotopes with the effects of radiation, Juzaitis said. Tritium dilutes easily and it takes a large concentration to produce harmful effects.
Such a concentration releasing outside the controlled environment of a nuclear plant wouldn’t happen, Juzaitis said.
Health risks aren’t the only cost of a nuclear plant, Makhijani said.
The electricity generated by the proposed plant would go to people in other cities like Houston, he said. Yet, the water used to generate that electricity would come from the Guadalupe River.
About 15,000 acre-feet of water a year would be lost to evaporation, Makhijani said.
“All it is, is a device to boil water,” Makhijani said.
Makhijani questioned using a type of generation that poses health and safety risks when solar and wind energy will continue to become more affordable. He questioned what investors would do given such options and he challenged Exelon to reveal who would buy its electricity.
“It’s quite possible and I think it likely that these reactors will become economic lemons,” he said. “There may be no buyers for this electricity.” More importantly, who would want to invest in electricity where the issue of spent fuel and nuclear waste has not been solved, he said.
“This stuff is forever,” he said. “Nobody can look you in the face and say we’re going to isolate this for thousands of years. It’s going to leak. Nobody has a very good answer to that.”
But Yucca Mountain is the solution, Harris and Juzaitis said. They said it’s not a matter of science, but of politics.
“It’s contained,” Juzaitis said. He added with additional reinforcements, nuclear waste would be, too.
But Makhijani would rather invite a solar manufacturing plant than nuclear spent fuel.
“I think there is a very serious debate to be had,” he said. “There is a question whether we should be going in this direction in the country or not.”
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Some of you people make me sick.A VERY good doctor might be able to cure your 1 track mind.Lets see if any of you old timers are still living ,DUPONT built a plant in Victoria well it will kill us all. We are down wind from it.The chemicals from the plant will kill us if the explosion doesnt. Oh yea I forgot about AlCOA,FORMOSA,the old CARBIDE theres no way we can survive all these plants.Yet a majority of you went to work at 1 of these plants,fed your families and made a damn good living doing it AND THEY HAVENT KILLED YOU YET.You just keep your one sided view and continue to enjoy all that these plant have offered to this community.Because I worked at a NUKE PLANT and I KNOW how safe they are and I CANT WAIT TILL THE CONSTRUCTION OF THIS ONE STARTS.HEY heres a thought,because im for this plant I must work for them.Do you think I can expect a check in the mail.
October 10, 2008 at 10:22 p.m.Saying no to nuclear power is not a "sound energy policy." If nuclear power isn't a "sound energy policy," then why the heck are John McCain and Barack Obama endorsing nuclear energy? During the October 7 debate, Mr. McCain said nuclear power is "a vital element" for America's energy independence. He wants to build 45 nuclear power plants by the year 2030. Also during the October 7 debate, Mr. Obama said nuclear power should be "one component of our overall energy mix." So, is this Arjun Makhijani guy mixed up about the benefits of nuclear power? Yep.
October 10, 2008 at 3:30 p.m.Mark, I think your friend gave you false information on Waste Management being able to transport spent fuel rods. The transportation of spent fuel rods is heavily regualted and requires a license from the NRC to do so, which involves special equipment and other safety provisions. Currently Waste Management does not hold a license to transport spent fuel rods therefore they are unable to do so. There is a lot of these spent fuel rods being transported on US Highways, and to date, there have been 7 accidents during the transportation process. This information is courtesy of NRC.
October 10, 2008 at 3:29 p.m.Mark,
October 10, 2008 at 1:34 p.m.I'll be checking your blog for the results. I worked on the construction of the South Texas Project in the late 70's and lived 13 years with it practically in our back yard (Palacios). They were/are good neighbors, good employers, and contributed lots of money thru their property taxes to the palacios school district (who became a "rich" district overnight). They grow mighty big gators in their cooling pond and we never saw any 3 armed or legged animals. No mass killings, no scares. We were very nervous when they went online, but it is apparently a well-run operation - so far. We have always wondered what happens with the spent fuel, though.
well, at least we know golden crescent can read the exelon brochures...there is nothing like spewing out words based on no first hand knowledge. Your statement proves yet again another example on why they choose towns like us.
October 10, 2008 at 10:35 a.m.While public debate is healthy and necessary, the folks behind TSEPA need to get their facts straight. Arjun Makhijani is nothing more than a hired gun -- ready to take aim at anyone who doesn't see things his way. Think about who's really getting paid here.
October 10, 2008 at 10:25 a.m."If you want facts, be sure to attend Exelon's Community Information Night"... resident...are you serious ? Anyone thinking they are going to get the truth that night is exactly the reason why they are picking Victoria. Exelon has had so much litigation with residents in Braidwood and the other cities in Illinois that they have "bought and paid for" anyone they bring down here. They have been paying off residents for the last several years since the leaks. The fine folks of Braidwood that are left, have been told by their attorneys that if they want their settlement from Exelon, they can't speak out against them. What about our elected officials here in Victoria, they should be asking the hard questions, and getting "independent answers" on all the hard questions, but instead, they roll out like a door mat, and then spew out lies and attack the very citizens they were elected to represent that either oppose it or saying "not so fast". This is exactly why Exelon preys on towns like Victoria. They come in as a hero, saving the city from economic disaster, only to set the stage for an environmental one.
October 10, 2008 at 9:49 a.m.build it...
October 10, 2008 at 9:23 a.m.Sadly, last night's fiasco WAS an anti-nuclear rally, but few of the unknowing that were there could get past their emotion to realize it. If you want facts, be sure to attend Exelon's Community Information Night, Tuesday, Oct. 28, from 6-9 p.m. at the Victoria Community Center. There will be a host of people there from nuclear stations and citizens that live around them. You could even meet a family from Braidwood that will give you the truth about the situation there, as Tom O'Neill and Bill Harris have repeatedly. Not the version TSEPA spews from their hidden agendas. Hmmm, I wonder how much Jim Blackburn, Arjun M., and John Figer are actually making to stir up their make-believe reality? That would be a good question to ask, wouldn't it?
October 10, 2008 at 9:12 a.m.Unfortunately this article paints last nights event as an anti-nuke rally. There were some very strong water arguments and other serious questions raised, both by the citizens and Arjun Makhijani. Why didn't Bill Harris stand up when it was asked if anyone from Exelon was in attendance to help answer a question? This was a forum, it helped raise more questions as it delivered facts and truth. And on the Yucca Mountain subject,Yucca Mountain doesn't exist and it won't for years. And when it does, it will not be able to contain waste from any new reactors like the one they are proposing to build here.
October 10, 2008 at 8:40 a.m.Dr. Juzaitis, a real, respected expert in his field, is paid only by his employer who doesn't happen to be Exelon, or NET. However, both organizations would be proud to have such an outstanding individual on their payroll.
October 10, 2008 at 8:06 a.m.This so-called forum was just one more opportunity for those opposing the project to spread fear with misinformation and hide not only the people behind this sham, but their true motivations, which have nothing to do with like, or dislike of nuclear power, or the people of this area for that matter.
It's a GREAT nuclear day in Victoria, Texas!
One of the issues talked about last night was if so much water is delegated to the nuclear plant, there won't be any left for future economic development. What if more businesses want to come to Victoria and all of a sudden we don't have any water for them? Why put all our eggs in one rotten basket? Nuclear is not cheap to build, encourages uranium mining, which will pollute our water... there is no permanent solution for storing the dangerous spent fuel and all we get is 700 jobs? Not the wisest choice for the future of Victoria.
October 10, 2008 at 7:02 a.m.Ray Juzaitis the elusive aggie professor is a paid consultant by exelon through N.E.T. and we all know where BILL HARRIS gets his paycheck from, of course they are going to say that Tritium doesn't pose a threat. But why did they have to supply drinking water in several Illinois towns where the leak s occurred? And Yucca Mountain....that is their answer?... it's political?
October 10, 2008 at 1:42 a.m.