Letters to the editor: Don’t fear nuclear power

By Lou Sansevero Ferron

Editor,
The dust had hardly settled from the recent Japanese earthquake when environmentalists began their latest attack on American energy independence by calling for a moratorium on construction of new nuclear power plants in the United States and, of more relevance to those of us living in Emery County, a renewed attack on the nuclear power plant planned for Green River. These “renewable energy”, environmentalist bullies support their position by playing the “fear card” while totally ignoring the facts. In their attacks on nuclear power they enthusiastically emphasize the potential for an impending Chernobyl type disaster in Japan and project such a scenario as a possibility for Green River. But they conveniently fail to note that the power plants affected in Japan incorporated 40 year old technology, that the reactors maintained their structural integrity throughout the 9 magnitude earthquake, that all the systems and backup systems performed as they were designed to when the tsunami compromised the fuel source of the generators and inhibited the cooling of the reactors, and that it was the tsunami, not the earthquake, that caused the damage that created the current nuclear crisis the Japanese are facing. They also fail to mention that the proposed Green River nuclear power plant will be built with current technology and will be engineered to withstand seismic events greater than anticipated to affect the Green River area and additionally they fail to even mention that, if Green River were to experience a tsunami sufficient to compromise the proposed power plant the potential of a nuclear meltdown would be the least of our concerns both locally and nationally.
The fallback position of these fear mongering bullies is that nuclear power plants require large amounts of water for cooling and safe operation and that developers are planning to build this nuclear power plant in a “drought prone” area falsely and intentionally giving the impression that drought is an instantaneous, cataclysmic event and that operators would not have an opportunity to cease operations before the plant’s cooling systems were compromised and failed for lack of water which would result in a “nuclear core” melting down.
In our general society, in our schools, on the internet, and in our day to day activities we are confronting and defeating bullying. I think it is long past time to confront the “eco bullies” who are destroying our economy, inhibiting our energy independence, and restricting our ability to realize the full enjoyment and use of our public lands. I encourage each and every one of us to make this issue, the proposed power plant in Green River, our “line in the sand” and contact our the Governor and our state and federal legislators to indicate our support for the proposed Green River Nuclear Power Plant . . . . it has the potential for adding 50 percent to Utah’s power generation while consuming only 1 percent of the state’s water resources, would provide employment for 4,000 people during construction and provide permanent, high paid employment for 1,400 to operate the facility after construction is complete not to mention the economic benefit to Green River as well as surrounding counties and cities derived from businesses that would be needed to service this increased population and prosperity.
Because of our silence on HB 116, The Guest Worker Program Act or as I call it “The Illegal Alien Amnesty and Sanctuary Act”, the Governor was convinced by self-serving politicians seeking to pander to prospective (hopefully grateful) future Hispanic voters and greedy employers seeking a continued source of cheap “economic slave” labor to sign a bad bill into a bad law. Don’t allow a repeat of this mistake . . . take a stand; if you love our country, our state, and our county add your voice in the confrontation of these “eco bullies” and regain control over your future and the futures of your children and grandchildren; don’t believe the lies, half truths, and manipulated “facts” that they are trying to fool you with. Nuclear energy is a safe component of a comprehensive energy policy.