SEJ2008

Concurrent Sessions 4: ENERGY: Take Two: Nuclear Power Reconsidered

Here's the audio file (MP3/15.4MB/1:07:22) for this Saturday, October 18, 2008, session: Download C4_Energy

By Deana Hirt

In this session, the political and economic factors affecting the nuclear industry in the near future were considered by freelance writer Jennifer Weeks and Margie Kriz, a staff correspondent for the National Journal. According to them, the Obama and McCain campaigns alike value the nuclear industry. Obama, being from Illinois, feels the pressure from the industry since his state has the most nuclear power plants in the country. McCain has promised 45 new power plants by 2030, a goal that is considered way too ambitious by most people actually within the industry. He has also emphasized the need to "recycle," or reprocess our nuclear waste, citing Japanese and French ingenuity in this area. Obama has mentioned the need to create green jobs. The stance on nuclear power of members of Congress was also discussed.

For the past 30 years, the nuclear industry has waned because Wall Street saw investments as too large, the relative affordability of coal in mind. The current financial crisis, in conjunction with possible prices being put on carbon emissions, sets nuclear power up as an increasingly appealing alternative for business interests. However, the shadowy problems that have plagued this energy source for the past half century persist today — namely, operational safety, means and location for the disposal of wastes, high cost of new plants, and the threat of possible terrorist attacks.

Weeks stressed the importance of weighing nuclear power against other sources of energy in regions that are experiencing growth and need energy. Renewable energy sources offer smaller, more incremental amounts of power in comparison to a nuclear power plant, but require just a fraction of the primary investment and do not require mined resources or high-level waste disposal to operate safely.

Deregulation in the industry makes firms want to maximize profits. Companies must plan for the great unknown with a traditional rate-of-return approach. Building of new reactors and license extensions are increasingly under way, since many of America's first power plants are approaching the end of their 20-year licenses and extensions.

Considering the amount of power produced and low cost of running an existing plant, extensions have been pretty much a no-brainer. An employee of the NRC in the audience verified this fact, and mentioned just a few which are having complications, namely, Beaver Valley and Oyster Creek. He discussed new reactor models being used in other parts of the world and under consideration for construction in the U.S. Also mentioned was the move of U.S. manufacturing jobs to places like Japan. Japanese companies have bought out several U.S. manufacturing companies like GE and Westinghouse already.

On the topic of the global nuclear industry, Kriz remarked that the global nuclear industry is simply as strong as its weakest link. The panelists agreed that openness is crucial in this respect so that countries operating nuclear facilities are under the supervision of the international community and can make use of the best practices.

Concurrent Sessions 3: COAL: Coal Around the Globe

Here's the audio file (MP3/9.22MB/0:40:16) for this Saturday, October 18, 2008, session: Download C3_Coal

Coal's ingredients comprise a devastating global threat: Carbon dioxide is the leading component in global warming, while sulfur dioxide (which leads to acid rain), nitrogen oxide (which produces ozone), and mercury all cause health and environmental damage. Yet China alone consumes more than a billion tons of coal a year, more than virtually all the world's developed nations combined. Throughout the developing world, consumption of coal is accelerating, with ominous implications for the world's environment. This panel will focus on coal use, impacts, and possible solutions outside the U.S., with particular attention paid to China and India, the world's first and third biggest consumers of coal respectively.
Moderator: Jacques Leslie, Freelance Writer
Panelists:
Peter Fairley, Freelance Writer
Roe-Hoan Yoon, Professor of Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Tech, and Director, Center for Advanced Separation Technologies

Concurrent Sessions 3: ENERGY: Beyond Corn: Making Biofuels from Grass, Trash and Algae

Here's the audio file (MP3/17.1MB/1:15:00) for this Saturday, October 18, 2008, session: Download C3_Energy

Corn-based ethanol has fueled a bitter debate over efficiency and the ethics of using a food product to gas up vehicles. But even farmers acknowledge that corn for ethanol and soybeans for biodiesel will likely be replaced someday by other feedstocks that are more efficient and less politically troublesome. This panel isn't about the fight over the wisdom of biofuels in general; we'll leave that to other forums. These authorities will tell about more efficient processes that could mine grasslands, the ocean or landfills for tomorrow's fuel.
Moderator: Perry Beeman, Environment Reporter, The Des Moines Register
Panelists:
Frank Maisano, Bracewell & Giuliani
Julie Sibbing, Senior Program Manager, Agriculture Policy, National Wildlife Federation
Chris Somerville, Director, Energy Biosciences Institute, University of California-Berkley

Concurrent Sessions 2: THE WATER: Hydropower: Past, Present & Future

Here's the audio file (MP3/16.4MB/1:11:57) for this Friday, October 17, 2008, session: Download C2_Water

The old questions about the environmental costs of building big dams haven't gone away — they've just turned up in new places like Asia and South America. We'll talk about the latest news on those projects. In the United States, different questions dominate, such as: Is aging dam infrastructure still safe? Is the boom in "second generation" hydropower — mainly wave and tidal energy projects — a solid green alternative or will these projects create serious environmental problems, too? In light of rising energy prices, what are the prospects of decommissioning more controversial conventional dams? Where in the U.S. are conventional dams still in development?
Moderator: Elizabeth Bluemink, Reporter, Anchorage Daily News
Panelists:
Andrew Fahlund, Vice President for Conservation, American Rivers
Jacques Leslie, Author, Deep Water: The Epic Struggle Over Dams, Displaced People, and the Environment
Julie Smith-Galvin, Director of Communications, U.S. Operations, Brookfield Renewable Power

Concurrent Sessions 2: ENERGY: Energy 101: A Primer for Reporters

Here's the audio file (MP3/17.3MB/1:15:47) for this Friday, October 17, 2008, session: Download C2_Energy

Dina Cappiello, Associated Press environmental reporter, Jonathan Cogan, chief press officer of the Energy Information Administration (EIA), and Catharine Richert, reporter for the Congressional Quarterly, hosted a session for beginning environmental reporters: Energy 101. Cappiello, with 10 years experience in the field, headed the discussion that gave reporters insight into finding valuable information about energy use and production in the United States.

Cogan introduced the EIA's website, and stressed the organization's "culture of neutrality." All the panelists stressed the usefulness of the website.

Catharine Richert, an expert on Congressional policy, spoke on relating bills passed in Washington, D.C. to more regional, or local, stories. She recommended two websites for journalists to collect information regarding environmental policies and companies: Thomas/U.S. Congress on the Internet and OpenSecrets.org

Audio: Concurrent Sessions 1: COAL: Almost Level: Mountaintop Removal Overview

Here's the audio file (MP3/16MB/1:10:04) for this Friday, October 17, 2008, session: Download C1_Coal_32

Over the past 20 years, coal operators have blasted the tops off countless Appalachian mountains, and buried more than 700 miles of streams with the leftover rock and dirt. Environmental groups and many scientists say the practice is destroying sensitive mountain streams and diverse forests. Coal industry officials and most regional politicians say mountaintop removal provides much needed jobs, flattens the land for future development and really isn't that bad on the environment. Hear from all sides in this lively overview of the most controversial environmental issue in the region.
Moderator: Greg Collard, News Director, WFAE, Charlotte, NC
Panelists:
Steven Gardner, President, Engineering Consulting Services
Wade Gilley, former Chairman, West Virginia Governor's Task Force on Mountaintop Removal
Jack Spadaro, Mining Engineer, Government Whistleblower and Activist

Journalists Question Old King Coal

What's His Role in America's Energy Future?

By Lisa Palmer

Coal provides half of America's electricity and is the nation's most abundant domestic fuel source. Panel moderator and SEJer Bob Edwards, host of "The Bob Edwards Show," on XM Radio, led a lively panel discussion about the sweeping impact of coal use in the world. He posed questions about how power companies are mitigating carbon dioxide emissions as well as dealing with the local effects of mining on mountains, streams and forests.

Journalist Jeff Goodell, author of Big Coal: The Dirty Secred Behind America's Energy Future, said the biggest thing journalists are missing in telling the coal story is the magnitude. "Coal is the 800 pound gorilla in the energy revolution," he said. "If, as Fred Palmer said, the world continues toward its expected 11 billion tons a year by 2030, then life on this planet will not be the same. It is far beyond dangerous. How do we communicate the scope of this issue?"

Highlights From Electrifying Nuke Tour

By Sara Peach

 

WHERE WE WENT:

A fuel-fabrication facility and a nuclear-plant-training center in Lynchburg, Va., both owned by AREVA, a French nuclear company. We also toured Coles Hill, a farm that may become the site of the first U.S. uranium mine east of the Mississippi.

TOUR LENGTH:

8.5 hours

TOUR LEADER:

Thomas Henry, Environmental Writer, The (Toledo) Blade. (Thanks, Tom, and thanks, Roger Witherspoon, for your work to set up the tour.)

WHAT THEY SAID:
• “If you knock out the brain, the body doesn’t have long to live.” – David Lochbaum, Union of Concerned Scientists, on the danger of an aircraft hitting a nuclear plant’s control room.

Experts split on nuclear vulnerability

Posted at the request of Roger Witherspoon, tour leader who was not able to attend SEJ due to unexpected illness. 

Copyright 2001 The Journal News (Westchester County, NY)
All Rights Reserved 
The Journal News (Westchester County, NY)

Some say jet attack on Indian Point could put region in danger

Roger Witherspoon

The Journal News

The deliberate crash of a wide-bodied jet into Indian Point may leave the massive containment domes around the nuclear reactors substantially intact, according to plant engineers. But outside analysts say that may not prevent a reactor meltdown and the spread of radiation throughout the region.

Those divergent views emerged from an examination of the internal structure of Indian Point 2 and 3 by two officials from Entergy Nuclear Corp., which owns the plants, and two outside engineering experts in the nuclear industry. The four together reviewed the schematic diagrams of the plant's containment buildings and their support structures and systems during a meeting arranged by The Journal News.

Nuclear power impacts on Hudson River

Posted by request of Roger Witherspoon, leader for the nuclear tour, who cant be there Thursday due to unexpected illness. 

July 11, 2003

Power plants destroy smaller species, plant life, state finds in river study

Roger Witherspoon
The Journal News

The use of Hudson River water to cool generators at three major power plants is degrading the river's ecosystem by killing billions of fish and plants each year and pouring tremendous amounts of hot water into the tidal estuary, according to a new state environmental analysis. 

The analysis, prepared by the state Department of Environmental Conservation, found that existing systems used to keep aquatic life out of the plants' huge cooling systems are effective at removing large fish and debris, but "do very little" to stop smaller fish and plant life from being sucked into the plants and baked to death during the power generation process. 

Areva Nuclear Tour - Background

Backgrounders on nuclear power

The attached pdf files are part of the background information being made available for the Thursday Oct 16 tour of Areva nuclear facilities in Lynchburg, Va.

The files are posted at the request of Roger Witherspoon, a tour leader who cannot participate due to unexpected illness.  The brochures present critiques of the nuclear power industry in the US, France and Europe.   

Introducing Guest Blogger Michael Fortune

Good sunny morning !

      Michael Fortune checks in to report on the trip to West Virginia to see removal of coal by blasting / cutting off the tops of mountains.   I figured this trip would be the most environmentally dramatic and relevant to our energy policy discussions and reporting. 

    First, about me:    I have met some of you, including Lisa, at the May seminar on "Climate Change: Its Sweeping Impact," sponsored by the Knight Foundation last May in Maryland.   I am an atmospheric scientist making a career shift into environmental journalism;  I write and produce an occasional newsletter  about climate  science for the public, at climate-science.org ....       And I freelance on natural science, weather and climate, and (hopefully) ethics, as well.

Areva Nuclear Tour - Photos

Areva nuclear plant photos

Photos of the Areva nuclear fuel fabrication complex and training site in Lynchburg, Va.  are available at this Web Album

The photos  were taken on a February, 2008 visit to prepare for the Oct. 16th conference tour.