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Fallback After Nuclear Fallout?

Pabvitraa Ramcharan, IDC 4001H

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Pennsylvania Senate Considering Nuclear Energy Subsidy Bill

Date: April 9, 2019 04:34:13 PM
Author: Erik Slobe

Key Terms:

Alternative energy credits (AECs)

Alternative energy sources

Nuclear energy

subsidies

https://www.conservationinstitute.org/pros-and-cons-of-nuclear-energy/

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What’s the Hubbub?

Nuclear energy=alternative energy source
Companies purchase alternative energy credits

Encourages nuclear energy market
Reduces carbon footprint

Keeps nuclear power plants open

https://www.michaelhartzell.com/blog/how-to-buy-renewable-energy-certificates-and-get-credit-for-going-green

https://www.energysage.com/alternative-energy-solutions/renewable-energy-credits-recs/what-are-renewable-energy-certificates-recs/

Electricity enters the grid from many different sources, ranging from wind power and solar to natural gas and nuclear power. Because of this, there is no way to know exactly what energy source your electricity comes from. you can purchase AECs along with your electricity to represent clean energy generated on your behalf. YOu can say omg, 1 megawatt hour of my electricity is clean!

(This would equate it with wind, solar, and other renewable sources of energy and make it eligibile for govt subsidies, specifically alternative energy credits that could be bought or sold by

Voluntary companies like Starbucks who want to reduce their GHG emissions or compliance companies who are obligated to purchase a certain % of their energy generation from renewable sources )

Kind of a big deal. Three Mile Island, which had a partial nuclear meltdown in PA, would be kept open. Shows that nuclear energy is seriously being considered to mitigate climate change consequences.

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How is Nuclear Energy Sustainable?

“Clean” energy: little to no carbon emissions

Uranium, not fossil fuels

1995-2016: US avoided >14 billion metric tons of CO2 emissions
Equivalent to removing 3 billion cars from the road (Office of Nuclear Energy)

No air pollution

(NEI, NY Fact Sheet)

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How is Nuclear Energy Resilient?

Withstands extreme weather
Performs 24/7
1,000-megawatt nuclear facility needs one square mile to operate
But how much power does it really produce?

https://gifer.com/en/3AbQ

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The Office of Nuclear Energy Says...

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But How Great is it Really?

Spatial Requirements

NIMBY
Surveilling Waste Storage
External costs

Nuclear accidents happen

Human error

Chernobyl
Three Mile Island

Natural disasters

Fukushima

https://www.toonpool.com/cartoons/Radioactive%20sea_207618

The amount of space people it takes up is a lot, and most ppl dont want to grant permits build the plants near cities like Cohen’s NIMBY argument. They fear it’s unsafe even though the US Nuclear Regulatory Commision reports that there were no radiation related health effects since they commerically nuclear energy production.

Storing the waste is also toxic and mus always be regulated. We store ours in West Valley underground.

Nuclear also says it’s a carbon free, but mining for the uranium releases co2 into the air.

And nuclear accidents happen. Even though no one died in Fukushima nor Three Mile, we can’t forsee and control mistakes or natural disasters.

SHoul And honestly who could blame them. No one died in Three Mile or Fukushima but people are still really

Although it’s low C02 emissions, i mean what about the costs of mining for uranium,

Toxic
4,266 metric tons of used nuclear fuel in NYC (NEI, NY Fact Sheet)

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Where does New York Stand on Nuclear Energy?

Already added nuclear energy to zero-carbon emissions program

Part of NY’s new Clean Energy standard

Goal by 2030: 50% of NY’s electricity generated from renewable sources

Helps financially support struggling nuclear power plants
Challenged in Coalition for Competitive Electricity v. Zibelman (2018)

Fossil fuel power plant owners: ZEC violates FERC jurisdiction over interstate energy markets
FAILED, APPEALED, MORE FAILURE

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(NEI, NYS Fact Sheet)

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The Fall of Indian Point

30 miles from NYC
Three reactors
Operational for 40 years
Generates 25% of NYC and Westchester County’s power
Decommissioned by April 2021
Gov. Cuomo: Too risky for NYC
1,000 workers jobless

https://sites.suffolk.edu/cyberdad/2012/03/20/indian-point-nuclear-power-plant/

(NY Times, Indian Point Shutdown)

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The Future of Nuclear Power

(Understanding Risk Poll)

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“Men split the atom first, but now the atom splits men.”

Regarding Nuclear Energy

https://aforisticamente.com/2012/04/14/gerhard-uhlenbruck-aforismi-medici/

-Gerhard Uhlenbruck,

German Physician at the

University of Cologne

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Works Cited

https://www.jurist.org/news/2019/04/pennsylvania-senate-considering-nuclear-energy-subsidy-bill/#

https://www.energysage.com/alternative-energy-solutions/renewable-energy-credits-recs/what-are-renewable-energy-certificates-recs/

https://www.nei.org/fundamentals/how-a-nuclear-reactor-works

https://www.energy.gov/ne/articles/3-reasons-why-nuclear-clean-and-sustainable

https://cna.ca/news/combatting-climate-change-nuclear-power/

http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2017/ph241/gutwald1/

https://www.energybusinesslaw.com/2016/09/articles/environmental/ny-creates-new-emissions-credit-for-nuclear-plants/

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/06/opinion/sunday/climate-change-nuclear-power.html

https://www.greentechmedia.com/articles/read/new-yorks-nuclear-zero-carbon-credits-pass-federal-court-challenge#gs.51q7pk

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/06/nyregion/indian-point-nuclear-power-plant-shutdown.html?_r=0

https://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/436003-americans-in-new-poll-equally-divided-on-nuclear-power

http://www.noiseofthecrowd.com/how-welcome-is-nuclear-power/