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The Coming Uranium Crisis
tcd004 writes "MIT reports that the world is running out of fuel for our nuclear reactors due to production limitations and an aging infrastructure. Nuclear power has gained popularity as a carbon-free energy source in recent years, but Dr. Thomas Neff, a research affiliate at MIT's Center for International Studies, warned that fuel scarcity could drive up prices and kill the industry before it gets back on its feet. Passport has pulled together some interesting numbers: there are 440 reactors currently in operation and 82 new plants under construction. The demand for fuel has driven the price of uranium up more than 40% in the last few months — 900% over the last decade. You can follow the spot price for a pound of uranium. "
n/t
Read this pdf all about the 3 Mile Island bit and the actual history of the nuclear power. I used to actually think that nuclear power was really our hidden energy savior until reading this document. The creators are anti-nuke, but other than the prolong it isn't really presented that way. It appears to be very factual and informative. The biggest thing that I got out of that is the why do people hate nuclear power so much? Read this, and you'll find out. Short answer, the public was told that it was perfectly safe that nothing could go wrong and the locals really believed them. It wasn't that perfect and no proper emergency planning or drills took place. When 3 Mile Island took place no one any where knew what was happening. Remember the Hindenburg news reel footage? Well, 3MI was much, much worse. Instead of the plant just blowing up and people knowing something was wrong, no one knew. The media reporters apparently were making the situtation much, much worse as well. (Making the local public feel doom and gloom and the dead of everything.) This pdf is insteresting because it presents that the nuclear industry was "slowly dieing" by that time anyway. There was now new construction because of the cost. 3MI was just the straw and then all the anti-nuke folks really were able to prevent new nuclear plants. There is a part of me that thinks that we still need to have thorium nukes here, but reading this and you'll find out just how much hatred the nuclear industry/governmental oversite still has in certain corners. I found it insteresting because I had never actually read anything about 3 Mile Island and only heard it referenced. For others like me that just didn't know why the anti-nuke industry hates them so much, I encourage you to read it.
CRITICAL HOUR:THREE MILE ISLAND, THE NUCLEAR LEGACY,
AND NATIONAL SECURITY
by Albert J. Fritsch, Arthur H. Purcell, and Mary Byrd Davis
June 11, 2006
UPDATE By Mary Byrd Davis & Albert J. Fritsch
http://www.earthhealing.info/CH.pdf
www.earthhealing.info/chupdate.html