NRDC: Georgia high on list of toxic states (Savannah, Washington: construction, contractors)

[toll_booth]

Georgia high on list of toxic states *| ajc.com

"As of 2010 — the most recent date available — Georgia was the ninth-worst state when it came to industrial toxic air pollution, the organization said. The state's electric sector accounted for more than a third of Georgia's pollution."

If anyone's curious where the numbers came from, I tracked down the source of the methodology to here.

[neil0311]

OK, so let's build nuclear plants. Oh wait...we can't do that because Japan didn't build theirs with enough fail-safe measures. Let's build hydro-electric dams...oh wait, we can't do that without lawsuits by the dozen. I'm in favor of wind farms too, but they only produce a small amount of electricity and are always involved in massive NIMBY lawsuits. My favorite was when Ted Kennedy and his clan sued to stop a wind farm off Cape Cod.

Damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by neil0311

OK, so let's build nuclear plants. Oh wait...we can't do that because Japan didn't build theirs with enough fail-safe measures. Let's build hydro-electric dams...oh wait, we can't do that without lawsuits by the dozen. I'm in favor of wind farms too, but they only produce a small amount of electricity and are always involved in massive NIMBY lawsuits. My favorite was when Ted Kennedy and his clan sued to stop a wind farm off Cape Cod.

Damned if you do, and damned if you don't.

Wasn't construction of a nuke plant just approved in Georgia? Or am I further behind than normal?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/bu...n-georgia.html
NRC approves construction of new nuclear power reactors in Georgia - The Washington Post

I guess there's a lawsuit, tho...

Plant Vogtle's contractors sue Georgia Power, project's co-owners *| ajc.com

[neil0311]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

Wasn't construction of a nuke plant just approved in Georgia? Or am I further behind than normal?

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/10/bu...n-georgia.html
NRC approves construction of new nuclear power reactors in Georgia - The Washington Post

I guess there's a lawsuit, tho...

Plant Vogtle's contractors sue Georgia Power, project's co-owners *| ajc.com

OK...I knew there was some wrangling about Plant Vogel still, but if a new plant was approved, great.

I don't want dirty or toxic air for my children any more than the next person, and I'm in favor of cleaner alternatives to coal fired plants. The key is they have to be approved and not tied up in court for years. You can't have it both ways. Wind and solar alone will not provide sufficient generation capacity with the current technologies available.

[tckr83]

I'll be working at Plant Vogtle after I graduate next May... the 2 new reactors (#3 and #4 at the plan) are both well under construction. Reactor 3 will be online in 2016 and reactor 4 in 2017, the 18+ billion investment will make Vogtle the largest energy producing nuclear power plant in the U.S.

It's not the only plant that is building new reactors, V.C. Summer, Northwest of Columbia S.C. is the next one to build new reactors... in the case of Vogtle, there were a few lawsuits raised by environmentalist groups, but nothing that was going to stop construction, only slow it. And the AP 1000 reactors being built are nothing compared to the Mark reactors that Fukishima had... passive water feeding systems. Japan failed to install a bunch of safety upgrades to their nuclear facilities that facilities here in the U.S. did install, it's comparing apples to oranges.

If there is a tsunami traveling up the Savannah River, 2 hours inland from the coast, such as where plant Vogtle sits, we have larger problems on our hands... I hope you feel safe about nuclear, I feel safe enough to put myself there every day in the future.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by neil0311

OK...I knew there was some wrangling about Plant Vogel still, but if a new plant was approved, great.

I don't want dirty or toxic air for my children any more than the next person, and I'm in favor of cleaner alternatives to coal fired plants. The key is they have to be approved and not tied up in court for years. You can't have it both ways. Wind and solar alone will not provide sufficient generation capacity with the current technologies available.

I totally agree with all of the above, and I'm very glad to see some movement again in this country when it comes to nuclear power. Yes, there are concerns, but as you say wind and solar are helpful but hardly a comprehensive replacement for coal.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by neil0311

OK...I knew there was some wrangling about Plant Vogel still, but if a new plant was approved, great.

I don't want dirty or toxic air for my children any more than the next person, and I'm in favor of cleaner alternatives to coal fired plants. The key is they have to be approved and not tied up in court for years. You can't have it both ways. Wind and solar alone will not provide sufficient generation capacity with the current technologies available.

In the meantime, pollution controls can filter out a significant amount of mercury, arsenic, sulfur, VOCs, etc. Those are the major causes of cancer and other diseases. Note that I intentionally left out carbon dioxide--it does not have nearly as much short-term danger, and fixing that is going to take a lot more work. So let's start with the measures that will save our health and only cost a few more bucks every month.

Just an FYI, though, wind power has become a lot more cost-effective than many people realize.

[rcsteiner]

Originally Posted by toll_booth

In the meantime, pollution controls can filter out a significant amount of mercury, arsenic, sulfur, VOCs, etc. Those are the major causes of cancer and other diseases. Note that I intentionally left out carbon dioxide--it does not have nearly as much short-term danger, and fixing that is going to take a lot more work. So let's start with the measures that will save our health and only cost a few more bucks every month.

Just an FYI, though, wind power has become a lot more cost-effective than many people realize.

There is wind power all over the country. I've driven past Buffalo Ridge in SW MN, and it's impressive to see dozens of huge towers all turning in unison on the horizon.

I think the main issues with wind power are power storage and distribution. Wind power is not a constant like hydro ... and power from such generators tends to ebb and flow with the winds.

[toll_booth]

Originally Posted by rcsteiner

There is wind power all over the country. I've driven past Buffalo Ridge in SW MN, and it's impressive to see dozens of huge towers all turning in unison on the horizon.

I think the main issues with wind power are power storage and distribution. Wind power is not a constant like hydro ... and power from such generators tends to ebb and flow with the winds.

Yeah. But there is technology available to deal with that. Molten salt pumps, pumped-storage facilities, and other devices can buffer out imbalances between electrical supply and demand.