This Week in Nuclear

Media Misses the Mark on North Korean Nukes

John Wheeler — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:24:28 GMT

I awoke this morning to news reports that North Korea has once again resumed their production of plutonium for nuclear weapons. I suspect that’s no real surprise to anyone who pays attention to such things. After all, they threw IAEA inspectors out this spring and told the world of their plans. All of the major news outlets carried the story, and virtually every one reported that the North Koreans obtained the plutonium by reprocessing spent fuel from their nuclear plant. The term “nuclear plant” in this instance refers to their small 5 MW test reactor, NOT a nuclear power plant designed to produce energy for industrial use or electricity generation. "This Week in Nuclear" Go here for detailed show notes, links, videos, other news, and More

Sacramento's Costly Mistake (Fast Fission #13)

John Wheeler — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 02:42:01 GMT

Rancho Seco nuclear plant was shut down 20 years ago. If it were still running today how would it affect the people of Sacramento, California? "This Week in Nuclear" Go here for detailed show notes, links, videos, other news, and More

Nuclear Energy's Tiny Footprint (Fast Fisson #12)

John Wheeler — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 02:25:42 GMT

A new study by The Nature Conservancy compared the amount of land required to produce electricity from various energy sources. They are concerned that new energy projects fostered by climate and energy policy in the USA could lead to the destruction of natural habitats. "This Week in Nuclear" Go here for detailed show notes, links, videos, other news, and More

Student Loans for Nuclear Plants?

John Wheeler — Sat, 31 Oct 2009 15:02:27 GMT

A bi-partisan group of US Senators are pushing for loan guarantees to build a new fleet of nuclear plants. Anti-nuclear groups call this a "massive subsidy," but they are wrong. "This Week in Nuclear" Go here for detailed show notes, links, videos, other news, and More

Fast Fission 10: Radiation Health Risks of Nuclear Plants

John Wheeler — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:29:12 GMT

Is there a silent epidemic of illness and death among nuclear power plant workers and people who live around nuclear plants? This man certainly thinks so. "This Week in Nuclear" Go here for detailed show notes, links, videos, other news, and More

Episode 77: "What Nuclear Waste Problem?"

John Wheeler — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:18:35 GMT

I have a family member that I love dearly and have an infinite amount of respect for. She is a fantastic mother, a caring person, respected in her chosen profession, and a good friend. She would do anything she could to help someone in need. When we first met she was strongly opposed to nuclear energy. Over the years we’ve discussed it from time to time and I’ve had some influence on her perspective. She is totally won over yet, but we’re making progress. Not too long ago she asked me, "I believe we need to build more nuclear plants, but I'm still worried about the nuclear waste!" She really didn’t believe me when I said “There’s no such thing as a nuclear waste problem. That’s nothing but a myth.” In this show I'll explain. "This Week in Nuclear" Go here for detailed show notes, links, videos, other news,

Fast Fission #9: With millions of people out of work, the USA is paying $ millions for renewables in other countries.

John Wheeler — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 01:07:09 GMT

While millions of Americans are out of work, the USA is paying millions of dollars to deploy intermittant, unreliable wind and solar energy in other countries.

Episode 76: A Gathering of Visionaries

John Wheeler — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 01:17:46 GMT

Kirk Sorensen of Energy from Thorium gives the keynote address at the Inaugural Thorium Energy Alliance Conference.

Fast Fission #8: More Rules, but Not More Safety

John Wheeler — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 00:07:43 GMT

Would a year in jail and a $5,000 fine deter a terrorist?

Fast Fission #7: Blog Action Day & Why I Believe in Nuclear Energy

John Wheeler — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:51:14 GMT

Today is Blog Action Day 2009 and this year's topic is Climate Change. Is man made climate change real or not? Heck, I don't know. What I DO know is this: whether or not human activity is causing global warming or not, there are certain things that it just makes sense for us to be doing.