Return of the Long Knives
Return of the Long Knives
The nuclear power industry is, shall we say, sparing with the truth and less than committed to public safety. NRC Gregory Jaczko by contrast appears to take his job responsibilities seriously. His recommendations for evacuation of American military dependents from Japan and extensive American civilian evacuations from the Fukushima region met with much hostility by the nuclear power industry.
Mr. Jaczko’s actions in the Missouri river threats to nuclear power plants further angered the industry. The many atomic minons have been determined to exact ‘revenge’. Now here they go again.
http://www.sacbee.com/2011/12/14/4122195/nrc-commissioners-chairman-jacz...
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-12-13/jaczko-s-outbursts-undermine-nr...
http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2011/12/11/lawmakers-split-over-supporting...
A dispute among members of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission has moved to Capitol Hill, where four NRC commissioners told a House committee that "bullying and intimidation" by the panel's chairman have damaged the commission's effectiveness.
The four commissioners - two Democrats and two Republicans - said NRC Chairman Gregory Jaczko (YAHTS'-koh), a Democrat, is responsible for an increasingly tense and unsettled work environment at the NRC. The four commissioners sent a letter to the White House in October expressing "grave concern" about Jaczko's actions.
Commissioner William Ostendorff, a Republican, told a House oversight committee that the letter was not politically motivated, as some lawmakers have said. Ostendorff said the real issue is Jaczko's "bullying and intimidation," which Ostendorff said "should not and cannot be tolerated."
Actually....
Actually, unless you are in the relativistic / nuclear realm; the separate conservation laws work just fine.
Physicists refer to this as the "Correspondence Principle".
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correspondence_principle
For example, it is true that Special Relativity gives us a different equation for kinetic energy than the classical Newtonian physics gives. However, one can show that for velocities much less than the speed of light; the newer relativistic form gives the same anwser as the Newtonian form does in the limit that velocities are much less than light speed.
Only a moron would hypothesize energy solutions that rely on physics that has been disproven
DUH
DUH - DUH - DUH - DUH - DUH - DUH - DUH -
Meanwhile, back in the Real World
We use heuristics (rules of thumb) as a 1st APPROXIMATION.
Any time the 1st approximation is inadequate,
We must upgrade to a higher order model or use BIG error bars.
We routinely use quantum devices in consumer goods these days. Too many examples to shake a stick at. Newtonian approximations won't cut the mustard in kid's toys, these days.
Hot stuff weighs more. Electron tunneling is in effect in LEDs and other common products.
bigger box
a good example of 'correct framing' when in search of a solution
EASY SOLUTION
Add storage at point of use.
HOW TO CLOSE A HUNDRED NUCLEAR POWER PLANTS
University of Edinburgh has shown that if all the world's incandescent light bulbs were replaced by LED, the energy saved would be equivalent to that produced by more than 100 nuclear power stations.
Better utilization is part of the solution.
BEST
Good - Better - Best
It would be best to clean up the coal plants
Starting with cascading closed loop cycle (CCLC) technology.
Why not implement the BEST solution ... CCLC?
It would be better to close the coal plants..
It would be better to close the coal plants.
Nuclear plants, even with the 3 major accidents factored in; have had less of a negative impact on public health than have coal plants.
Since so many are so concerned about the modest amounts of radioactive material released by the Fukushima accident; they should consider it in perspective to the fact that coal plants are emitting 10s of thousands of tons of radioactive uranium and thorium into the atmosphere for us to breathe each year. That's each and every year and not just in a major accident that happened after 4 decades of safe operation.
Courtesy of the scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory:
http://www.ornl.gov/info/ornlreview/rev26-34/text/colmain.html
on balance
I am sure you will find people find that a very slight degradation in the environment leading to plume specific statistical increases in cancer and POSSIBLE chaotic weather, loss of some land do to flooding and POSSIBLY due or POSSIBLY CORRECTABLE anthropogenic activity is preferable to
CERTAIN AND TOTAL LOSS OF VAST REGIONS FOR HUNDREDS OF YEARS
DISAGREE!!
Wow ... he's the PERFECT man for this job!
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I strenuously DISAGREE when the report from the Sacramento Bee story details:
The commissioners told Congress that women at the NRC felt particularly intimidated by Jaczko. Magwood told the House oversight panel that Jaczko had bullied and belittled at least three female staff members, one of whom told Magwood she was "humiliated" by what Magwood called a "raging verbal assault."
Svinicki, the commission's only woman, told committee investigators she was so uncomfortable around Jaczko that she asked her chief of staff to "keep watch" over a private meeting with the chairman in Svinicki's office.
Jaczko sounds like a "loose cannon". Sure he may be passionate about his job, but that doesn't give him license to harasss women.
When you have a very respected scientist like MIT Professor George E. Apostolakis on the Commission ( Obama appointee ) saying the Jaczko's actions are counter-productivie; then I wouldn't be too quick to agree that Jaczko is a positive force for safety, either.
Sounds to me like those that are lined up opposed to Jaczko have some pretty valid points.
Good to see that Boxer and
Good to see that Boxer and Reid have Jaczko's back
Perhaps Ms. Svinicki and a couple female staff members at the agency just need to develop some thicker skin...
Hypocrites Boxer and Reid
Hypocrites Boxer and Reid?
Is that what we tell women in the workplace who are harassed; "..develop some thicker skin". If that was done in the private sector; the company would be on the receiving end of a nice sexual harassment lawsuit.
NO - if it's bad to do that in the corporate world, then it is bad to do that in the NRC.
The fact that Boxer and Reid would discard this principle in favor of political expediency is indicative of their own hypocrisy.
Just read thru Sen.
Just read thru Sen. Lautenberg's take on this matter
Couldn't have been any more blunt about what he believes is happening to Jaczko ... and couldn't have been any more enthusiastic in his support for him
Great to see
There's obviously no room for error in this business. If Ms. Svinicki or any agency staffers feel that they need to be handled with kid gloves, I suggest they start filling out job applications at the local day care center or something…
Issa has caused publication
Issa has caused publication in full on a government website
of both the commissioner's original memorandum to Jaczko
and the letter to Daley,
even though the memorandum is
clearly stamped 'NOT FOR PUBLIC DISCLOSURE'.
These are illuminating reads and only a couple of pages in both cases:
http://oversight.house.gov/images/stories/Letters/Letter_To_Daley.pdf
Here is an example of what those commissioners are actually complaining about,
this is part of their first paragraph of complaints to Jaczko in their memorandum,
and so these presumably are their primary complaints:
"A few recent examples include
your outburst of temper demonstrated by
storming out of an agenda planning meeting
while a colleague was speaking,
yelling at fellow commissioners on the phone,
and termination on an NRC staff detailee's
assignment to a Commission office
without any advance discussion with the affected Commissioner."
How can commissioners that write letters about things like that
possibly stand up to and regulate effectively the Nuclear Industry?
These four commissioners come across as very weak,
oversensitive,
and therefore highly likely to be ineffective within the industry they work in.
It explains a lot.
On the CONTRARY!!
How can commissioners that write letters about things like that
possibly stand up to and regulate effectively the Nuclear Industry?
These four commissioners come across as very weak,
oversensitive,...
==========================
The Commissioners are saying that Chairman Jaczko should conduct the running of the Commission in a professional manner. I don't think that is being overly sensitive. Some of the allegations against the Chairman also include treating the female NRC staff poorly.
What do we expect a private company to do if they have a manager that treats women poorly. Have not the Courts laid out the principle that if a company tolerates such a manager and the "hostile workplace environment" that manager creates; then such company can be successfully sued? If it's good enough for private companies, it's good enough for the NRC.
There's no reason to have a Chairman that yells, terminates staff without proper prior notice...., in general, one who is acting like a child throwing a temper tantrum. I don't think a private company would tolerate such an individual in a position of power very long, and it's doubtful the NRC should either.
The above just shows how morally bankrupt the anti-nukes are. They will tolerate any manner of inappropriate and non-professional behavior in an NRC Chairman just because they see that he has an anti-nuclear bent that they like.
For them, the ends justifies the means.
Back at you
"one who is acting like a child throwing a temper tantrum. I don't think a private company would tolerate such an individual in a position of power very long"
This describes your posts. Do your employers encourage your hostility?
As a third generation Hanford>Dupont>GE>DOE, a licensed operator, don't assume an "anti-nuke" agenda here, I just don't like the bully bravado tactics you prefer to use, they serve the industry poorly when what needs to happen is the replacement of antiquated systems and remediation of the externalities.
Do you treat the people in your life the same way as you treat the nameless posters here?
It's hard to listen when you are pointing fingers, I would hear you better if you were less hostile.
Reply
Do you treat the people in your life the same way as you treat the nameless posters here?
It's hard to listen when you are pointing fingers, I would hear you better if you were less hostile.
=====================
I'm only hostile to idiots, and thankfully I don't have any in my life.
However, like moths to the flame, the anti-nuclear movement seems to attract them.
You've probably already made up your mind and wouldn't be listening to me regardless of what tenor I took.
I find it hard to believe you are familiar with the nuclear industry when you refer to "antiquated systems". The nuclear industry maintains its reactors and power plants like airlines maintain airliners. A 40-year old 747 airliner is not "antiquated" in the sense of being unsafe. Neither is a 40-year old nuclear plant.
"I'm only hostile to idiots,
"I'm only hostile to idiots, and thankfully I don't have any in my life."
Have you looked in a mirror lately, you pompous @$$ ?
You ooze patronization like an infected wound, and won't reveal who you work for, yet BRAWM continues to permit you to insult.
So is that who you work for?
Pretty close to the right
Pretty close to the right guy, if not absolutely the right guy
Meanwhile at the stalemated & immasculated NRC ...
2 Democrat Commissioners
&
2 Republican Commissioners
Whine, BTCH, P--- and MOAN
Meanwhile at Fukushima Daichi Unit 4, the concrete 'containment' walls are falling down.
Literally Falling Down
Will the massive contents of the nuclear fuel storage pool tumble onto the sea shore?