From Reuters | At a public hearing in Washington on Thursday, federal commissioners and business leaders, including the chief executive of Chicago-based Exelon Corp., discussed the problem of finding a home for radioactive waste in the U.S. The commissioners said that although nuclear waste does not pose an immediate threat to the U.S., a plan on its disposal must be set up to address worries Americans have about expanding nuclear power.
Get the full story: reuters.com.
Formation of the Blue Ribbon Panel was Energy Secretary Dr. Steven Chu’s response to the Administration’s cancellation of the flawed and controversial Yucca Mt. high-level radioactive waste disposal project. The Panel is co-chaired by former Congressman and 911-Commission member Lee Hamilton; and former National Security Adviser and retired Air Force General Brent Scowcroft.
The deck is already stacked. In Washington circles, Lee ‘Whitewash’ Hamilton is known as the go-to guy you send controversial issues to get sanitized, not thoroughly investigated. Scowcroft’s statements have already shown prejudice towards a pre-determined outcome. When Scowcroft speaks of ‘a long-overdue expansion of nuclear energy,’ as he did in the DOE press release announcing the Panel, he cannot be taken seriously as an unbiased participant. He will force the square nuclear peg down the round hole of public acceptance at all costs. It is worse that such bias has already emanated from a Panel co-chair.
While one would like to believe that the members of this Panel will perform a thorough and honest study of this issue, this already obvious bias, and the composition of this Panel cast that outcome in serious doubt. Regrettably, this appears to be a ‘study for show,’ not a ‘study to know’.
While some members of the Panel have commendable scientific credentials, others are clearly old industry boosters, such as former Sen. Pete Domeneci (R.-NM) (who never met a nuclear project he didn’t like); John Rowe, Chairman of Exelon Corporation, the nation’s largest nuclear utility; and former NRC Commissioner **** Meserve, whose nomination, unlike those of the rest of his Panel colleagues, was actively opposed by many safe-energy organizations who had to deal with his pro-industry stance as NRC commissioner.
Where are the representatives of the communities already severely and negatively impacted by nuclear waste? Do they not have valuable input to share in this process? Does their experience count for nothing? Where is their voice in this Panel? By showing such a pro-nuclear bias and abandoning true renewable energy, the Obama Administration will soon learn that the half-life of ‘hopium’ is extremely short, and may already have run out.