The Great Lakes Zephyr - Wind Energy & Hydrogen Journal

Nuclear industry targets Wisconsin


By Curt Andersen
News-Chronicle
A few years ago, I testified against extending the operating licenses for the Point Beach Nuclear Plant. The nuke plant at that time had one of the worst safety records in the country. Of particular note was a safety inspection that found a stuck cooling valve that was regularly opened and closed with a sledgehammer.

Several people testifying at the hearing stated their concerns about the possibility of terrorists flying planes into the plant. Former governor Tommy Thompson’s handpicked Public Service Commission board scored several Oscar performances when hearing that testimony. The eye rolling, the snickering, the elbows, the smacks on the forehead, the shared winks, and the exasperated gasps and snorts showed pure contempt for citizens voicing their concerns.

Yet, with all the board’s college degrees and all their knowledge, regular citizens had a better picture of the danger. College degrees mean nothing when you have marching orders to “grant that permit.” I guess the board decided they needed some theatre, something to keep them awake during the “Testimony To Be Ignored.” Unlike regular citizens, legislators and their toadies were supported by the nuclear industry, a wealthy special interest that makes big-time “campaign donations.” (Some call them “bribes.”)

During that testimony, nuclear plant officials assured us they had excellent security. This was a curious thing to say because back then, the plant allowed regularly scheduled public tours. Since then, security has been beefed up, so it appears the security wasn’t as good as they said it was…and we environmentalists knew that. As usual, the permits were granted.

Since then, the facility petitioned for and got permits to store nuclear waste in “temporary” aboveground containers (called “casks”) on the site, adding another target for terrorists. During the permitting process for the aboveground storage, nuclear engineers assured us that this type of storage was perfectly safe. Shortly after that statement was made, and while a steel lid was being welded to the top of a cask, an explosion caused by the welding torch igniting hydrogen gas inside the container, lifted the two-ton lid off to one side. The nuclear plant public relations people said that it “wasn’t an explosion, it was a fire…the rapid burning of gases.” A quick peek in the dictionary will show that the definition of “explosion” is: “the rapid burning of gases.” Here’s a helpful hint on how to tell the difference between a “fire” and an “explosion.” A fire is what you have in your fireplace or your Weber Kettle. IF, when you barbecue ribs, the lid from your Weber flies into the schoolyard down the street, THEN you had an explosion. You’re welcome!

The nuclear question is in the news again for several reasons. First, the federal government has chosen Northeastern Wisconsin as an alternate site to store the nation’s nuclear waste, in an area from Green Bay west to Wausau, and from Berlin north to the Michigan border. Underlying this area is the Canadian Shield, a very thick layer of igneous rock, nearly impervious to seismic activity. The plan is to bury the radioactive waste deep in the rock.

The area was chosen some time ago, then dismissed, but like a bad penny, it has come back again because the main storage area in Yucca Mountain, Nevada, is not yet ready. Yucca Mountain is also seismically active. The site is also near aquifers that supply valuable drinking water for Las Vegas, with an exploding population.

The proposed Wisconsin site also has wetlands, rivers, and lakes, and enough population in and around it to disqualify it from the list, and it has one scary thing in common with Nevada’s site: shipping the radioactive waste to either site opens the door to accidental release of the material, but worse yet, the shipments become tantalizing terrorist targets. Those shipments will undoubtedly pass through Chicago, Milwaukee, and Green Bay via rail and road.

The nuclear storage business has come to light again because of the new focus on new nuclear plants in Wisconsin, requiring the need for more nuclear waste storage. The idea to build more nuke plants has been pushed through our state legislature by Republicans running interference for the nuclear industry…just like last time. We’ve dodged a radioactive bullet so far. Other sites haven’t been so lucky.

Once again Republicans will be regaling us with stories about how nuclear power “doesn’t pollute,” in spite of the very costly storage of spent fuel to keep it away from us. We will be hearing that it’s safe, in spite of a rash of accidents in the 1970’s, and leakage, safety issues, security issues, and poor maintenance at existing power plants.

How does this affect us in Northeastern Wisconsin? Those with cottages in the Lakewood-Crandon area might be surprised to see notices of a nuclear waste dump next to their property. Those who do can kiss their property value goodbye. Kiss those vacations at the lake goodbye, too.

Once again, it’s a rush to the bottom. “Let’s save money by building nuclear!” shriek the short-term thinkers. Ask yourself where all this new generated electricity will be used. A new auto assembly plant in Howard? A new paper mill on the Fox River? A modern aircraft plant in Ashwaubenon? Sorry. That power will be sold to lucrative markets from Chicago to the East Coast. To those folks, Wisconsin is just a jerkwater state that will have to put up with the pollution.

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