Walz, Paulsen join calls to lift Minnesota’s nuclear moratorium

Can the next nuclear power plant not be located upwind of the state’s largest population center or in a flood plain? I’m just asking.

Praise Jebus, God hates safe energy sources, Amen.

What do you do with the waste? Sure, claim nuclear energy is clean, just include with that claim, what you plan to do with the waste.

I wish they would lift the moratorium with the caveat that there would be zero government financing, subsidizing, etc. You can’t do nuclear without big government help. I thought the Teabaggers hated government?

Could we build this right smack in the middle of Bachmann’s district? (and maybe not do a very good job of making it totally safe – like maybe a slight meltdown at some point in time – just enough to make most parts of her district uninhabitable for oh…. let’s see…. maybe 10,000 years or so)

I find it very odd the GOP is talking about clean energy here when in another bill, they want to lift the moratorium on coal fired plants and cover us all with mercury and tons more of CO2. I find their contradictory statements and actions just mind-blowing.

Lost in all this hoopla is the fact that there are no current plans to build new nuclear plants in Minnesota for the foreseeable future. It is my understanding that modern designs actually cause the nuclear pile to shut down automatically if anything ever happens even as I need to be persuaded that this is truly so. The nuclear waste issue MUST be addressed, and this requires action on the federal level to allow re-processing of wastes of which we currently have a 1,000 year supply such that the truly depleted residue needs to be stored for only 300-400 years for its radioactivity to decay beyond normal background radiation. I also am concerned that both the taxpayers and ratepayers are not subsidizing or left dangling with the costs as I understand Minnesota ratepayers have paid something like $68,000,000 for a nuclear project in Wisconsin that Xcel Energy abandoned years ago. If all these issues can be addressed satisfactorily, then compared to fossil fuels, I have no objection to new nuclear facilities that emit no greenhouse gases – and with the transition to electric cars, all this can be a huge win-win for Minnesota and America!

Sigh

This is not about the crazy Christians loving Jebus. It is not about the Tea Baggers and their hypocrisy.

It is about Tim Walz (Democrat) working with Paulsen (Republican) to try and get Governor Dayton (Democrat) to support ending the moratorium on Nuclear Power plants in Minnesota. Along with the support of US Senators Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar (both Democrats) for nuclear power.

Egypt is not just a river in Denial. It is a needed movement here too.

This SUCKS!! Why are we not investing in Solar , Wind and Geo- Thermal ?? Germany is further North then Minnesota and they get 20% of their grid consumption from Solar Power.. I am not completely against a Nuke Generator but come ON!! Let’s invest in some of Minnesota’s Solar and Geo- Thermal companies.. What’s is wrong with FREE energy???

Marcus

Simply answer. Because Germany does not have it’s democracy completely owned by corporate money like this country does. Also very closely related is that alternative third, fourth etc parties and their ideals are “allowed” into the debates, media and political arena. Remember the Green Party movement which started in New Zealand and then went to Germany. There the Free Market Of Ideas is allowed and even encouraged. The people then benefit from it.

Here, the rotten, corporate corrupted system and their apologists do everything in their power to squelch these ideals.

Egypt is not a river in Denial.

We need a Democracy Now Movement here. Problem is, I am not sure if the American people have the courage or moral and political integrity to oppose and resist the current corporate regime.

I remain willing to be convinced otherwise.

They should lift the moratorium.

Be reasonable people- it’s a much better option than burning coal. The technology simply doesn’t exist right now to make solar viable, and we should be apprehensive about depleting our natural resources for energy. Nuclear has made a comeback in Europe. Moreover, it doesn’t produce that much waste, the plant in Monticello has only produced enough waste to fill an olympic sized swimming pool in the 40 years it’s been in existence. It’s stupid to deny ourselves this option when we can stop burning coal and gas to provide energy by implementing it.

Frankly, every sane environmentalist should 100% back nuclear power. And yes, you can build it in my back yard.

They can’t help it. It’s counterintuitive for anyone on the left to embrace nuclear power because for decades, it’s been ingrained into their fragile psyche by their old soviet braintrusts that nuclear technology must never be allowed to flourish in the United States.

Someone should tell the young ones, at least, that the war’s over. You can tell the truth now.

Well folks. Congrats.

You have that right wing fruit loop, divorced from facts and realities Dennis agreeing with you.

Of course an idiot like Dennis does not connect the facts like CHERNOBYL.

My God, the man is such an idiot that he does not even deserve a response. Yet here I am. Responding to the idiot.

Of course this takes away from the central argument. The bipartisan support of nuclear power. The corporate plutocracy in full swing.

Egypt is not a river in Denial.

Can we please have a Democracy Now Movement right here please?Do the people here have the moral and political courage and integrity to oppose the current corporate regime?

I guess I should add this to the comment I posted above: I am in favor of nuclear power plants. At least until there is another workable alternative.

What I still question is where they will be built? I can see folks from Bachmann’s district saying “Build away!”, but if even one of these plants is proposed for somewhere in her district, the crap will fly. They will come up with some ridiculous excuse for not wanting it there. Everywhere else is fine, but not there. That’s usually how these things work.

Kevin, given that Michele Bachmann was elected with a comfortable majority I doubt if her constituents are as stupid as the typical liberal who opposes nuclear power. They would probably even welcome the opportuniy to have a few hundred new jobs created as the result of such construction.

Dennis

I usually don’t read your comments, but I happened to this time. Are you serious? Her constituents were stupid enough to re elect her, so your argument has no legs. Try building one in the middle of Stillwater and there will be hell to pay. I have no doubts Bachmann would even get on board against it.

Most people wouldn’t build anything in the middle of Stillwater, including a power plant, so your hypothesis has no legs, no logic … nor anything else.

And her constituents elected her over the tax and spend democrat, which automatically makes them of average intelligence at a minimum.

There is already a power plant in Stillwater, A.S. King.

Lifting the moratorium is a good ‘sign’ but nothing more. It will be rendered meaningless until either the Obama administration stops flouting the law with their illegitimate lawsuit against Yucca mountain or we also lift the Federal ban on recycling spent fuel. Say, all you greenies out there, I thought recycling was ‘cool’ why no recycling of spent fuel? It would make Yucca pretty much of a non-issue.

I suggest northern MN with a much smaller population and less jobs available than in the lower part of the state (however, there is the issue with transporting it).

PS – Resorting to insults is akin to pronouncing, “My point of view has no validity;’ so therefore I will attempt to divert attention from my illogical arguments by insulting others.” Ineffective and a sign of admitted defeat. Remember that.

After all, if an earthquake and a tsunami hit a nuclear power plant here in MN, the melt down will be just a minor annoyance.

Hmmmm—granted MN isn’t smack dab in the middle of an earthquake zone but does anyone care to look at what’s happening in Japan? Their power company assured everyone that nuclear power was completely safe…

I think I finally figured out how in the heck Bachmann was ever elected: Part of her district includes Wright Co., which includes a nuclear power plant—-could this explain why/how she ever found folks to support her craziness? Maybe trace amounts of radiation builds up in their brains and makes them believe the wacko stuff that she emits…