Dial M for Meltdown

"Long time Fairewinds.com viewer and filmmaker Brian Rich has created a moving and high energy chronology of nuclear power and its impact upon the world."

"Our website has transitioned in a manner Arnie and I never imagined when I started setting it up several years ago. We have received incredible public acknowledgement and support since we first began putting up videos about Fukushima, nuclear power, and answering questions sent to us by viewers. Thanks to all of our viewers for their emails, questions, data, and report information. We also could not do any of our work without the ongoing professional dialogue with scientists around the world. As time progresses, I will be using this column to feature frequently asked questions and some of the material that I receive daily from the 250 emails we receive and from the professional dialogue we have throughout the world. Together, we all can fill the void the main stream media and various world governments have left.

In that vein, I want to share this high energy video created by the young and dynamic filmmaker Brian Rich, a long-time viewer of our site. Please watch it and share it with your friends. I think you will be as moved as I was.

Only two days after publication, Brian's video has already been viewed more than 5,000 times around the world! You may also see footage you have never seen, and certainly this mini-film puts images in context in a manner that has never been done before.

The people of Japan need our attention and support. My friends in Japan are asking for this opportunity. To this end Fairewinds Energy Education Corp will continue our analytical analysis, outreach, and my commentary."

FAIR USE NOTICE: This video may contain copyrighted material. Such material is made available for educational purposes only. constitutes 'fair use' of any such as provided in Title 17 U.S.C. section 107 the US Copyright Law

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 I guess we can all talk until we are blue in the face, but maybe when they are enough of us "blue people" walking around we will get noticed. The issue seems so crystal clear to me and to others that are experienced in all things nuclear - we cannot continue to ignore the dangers of nuclear based power.

This is not just the waiting for another 'accident' to occur but the reality that action needs to be taken on what to do with the spent fuel that has and is being produced by our nuclear power plants today.

I am afraid, but I hope I am wrong, that the creation of the BRC - Blue Ribbon Commission to study America's Nuclear Future, once again, is just another way of delaying any action. The list of concerns is a long one and I would be more than happy to see them tackled one at a time.

Spent/used nuclear fuel has to be dealt with in a safe and permanent manner. Here in the state of Missouri we have at this time one nuclear power plant, Callaway Plant #1 operated by Ameren Missouri. The Callaway nuclear power plant has no long-term storage for its used fuel. The system currently in place is spent fuel pools.

Spent fuel pools intended use is to cool the used fuel rods sufficiently so that they can be moved to a dry cask storage system, it would then be moved into permanent long-term storage. The spent fuel usually remains in the pools for about five years. This five-year time period has been extended just a bit since the Callaway plant has now been in operation since 1984 - by my calculation that is 27 years. I would say that is stretching the 5-year use of used fuel pools just a bit.

I have spoken to one of Missouri's state representatives personally, written to another representative and two state senators. All I am asking is that they look into this issue and require that Ameren Missouri address the issue of long-term storage of this spent fuel before the building of another nuclear plant. It is a safety issue which should be addressed before the people of the state of Missouri are put in harms way. I find it curious that I have not gotten one reply. But considering the federal government chooses to also ignore this situation perhaps it's not so mystifying after all.