Pause for Precaution: Nuclear Power Still Too Risky
by Jane Dale Owen, February 2008
I often wonder what the world would be like if Texas oilmen like my grandfather had not developed the potential of oil. The pioneering men who started Humble Oil were forward-thinking, fiscally responsible humanitarians. They were among other pioneers in the oil industry that provided the energy source that fuels the abundance and lifestyle we enjoy today.
Unfortunately, without precaution in the petrochemical refining and burning of fossil fuel, we have poisoned our air, water and soil and now have an epidemic of childhood asthma, leukemia, heart disease and other health problems. If our forefathers had known how generations after them would be affected, would they have used precaution to find a way to provide this energy without doing so much harm?
Now we have depleted much of this resource and we are looking to other sources for energy. We are at a crossroads, and the direction we choose will impact many generations to come.
As we consider two new nuclear reactors for the South Texas Project in Matagorda County-- and more are proposed for Texas -- precaution should be a priority. Better safe than sorry – avoid exposing people and the environment to this potentially dangerous and costly source of energy.
Past experience tells us that operating a nuclear power plant has tremendous long-term safety risks. The Nuclear Regulatory Commission has never provided adequate oversight of this industry, and there is no indication that this will improve for the future. The Union of Concerned Scientists report that “a large-scale expansion of nuclear power under existing conditions would be accompanied by an increased risk of catastrophic events.”
The mining of uranium to power the plants pollutes the precious ground water of Goliad County, Texas and other areas. Some of the people living here have stopped using the water from their wells because of pollution from nearby uranium mining. Ground water is the only consistent source of water for this county’s residents.
The issues of nuclear waste have not been solved. Hundreds of thousands of tons of radioactive waste are produced each year. Experts say it will take a miracle to come up with a long-term solution for the safe disposal of radioactive waste. Andrews County, Texas is one of the proposed waste disposal sites. The Yucca Mountain, Nevada, site has been rejected by all the state’s representatives and senators. We don’t have that kind of protection from our leaders here in Texas.
Nuclear proliferation is another concern with the development of nuclear power plants. According to Public Citizen, one of the companies that has applied to the NRC for permits to build and operate uranium enrichment facilities has been implicated in the security breaches that led to the establishment of the AQ Khan nuclear technology black market that fueled the nuclear programs of states like Pakistan, North Korea and Iran.
There also is growing concern about the safe and secure transportation of nuclear materials and the security of nuclear facilities from terrorist attack.
The concerns over plant safety and nuclear waste that were realized with Chernobyl and Three Mile Island are still reasons for caution today. Precaution is mandatory before we take a direction that could do irreversible harm. Studies show that a path that focuses on efficiency and clean, renewable sources like wind and solar, can prevent harm and provide plenty of energy for the future.
Owen, a Houstonian, is president of Citizens League for Environmental Action Now (CLEAN). She is granddaughter of Robert Lee Blaffer, co-founder of Humble Oil, and the only nonscientist board member of the Federation of American Scientists.
