Heading to Texas, Hudson’s Toxic Mud Stirs Town

EUNICE, N.M. — There are not many towns in America that would welcome the 2.5 million cubic yards of toxic sludge being dredged from the bottom of the Hudson River in New York, but to hear Mayor Matt White tell it, Eunice is one of them.

Storing waste nobody else wants means more jobs, Mr. White said, and the oil workers here are used to living with hazards. After all, there are several oil wells in the town itself. One of them is a block from City Hall.

The Nuclear Power Lobby

U.S. Congressman Charlie Gonzalez wanted two things out of the Waxman-Markey climate bill: assistance for the nuclear industry, and free pollution credits for utilities like our City-owned CPS Energy.

He nailed free pollution days before the legislation was voted out of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce last week by requiring most carbon credits to be given away to industry rather than auctioned off. This industry-friendly change, among others, outraged the environmental community, most of whom still felt pressured to support the American Clean Energy and Security Act of 2009 in order to make some progress towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Remarkably, however, amid the bill’s 170,000 words, “nuclear” gets hardly a mention.

Obama Rejects Nuclear Waste Site in Nevada After 20-Year Fight

Feb. 26 (Bloomberg) — President Barack Obama will block the 20-year-old project to store U.S. nuclear waste at Yucca Mountain in Nevada and devise a new solution, the Energy Department said.

Voters should get to decide if they want nuclear power plant

I am disappointed with your editorial that appeared in Sunday’s Victoria Advocate. I really need some clarification. You state, and I quote, “While global demand increases, worldwide energy supply remains fairly stagnant, unnecessarily restrained by government regulations and prohibitions.”

A Lot of Questions

The nuclear debate shifted into overdrive Thursday night.

A larger-than-expected crowd of citizens packed the Victoria Community Center to learn about the nuclear regulatory process.

Disposal of used nuclear fuel is a hot political topic

The thought of radioactive material being hauled over public highways alongside the family sedan or by rail past neighborhoods is at the heart of the safety debate.

Spent fuel is stored at nuclear plants, for now

Spent fuel from any nuclear plant would have to be temporarily stored at the plant even after the federal government decides on a permanent repository for the highly radioactive material.

Nuclear reactors found to be leaking radioactive water

With power cleaner than coal and cheaper than natural gas, the nuclear industry, 20 years past its last meltdown, thinks it is ready for its second act: its first new reactor orders since the 1970’s.