HISTORY & CHALLENGES

OF NUCLEAR POWER

1905 – Einstein: e = mc2 – Special theory of relativity, the relationship between mass and energy. 

1942 – Manhattan project, Enrico Fermi, Columbia University.

 1945 – Hiroshima and Nagasaki

1953 – Pres. Eisenhower: “Atoms for Peace” to U.N.

  • To use nuclear energy for peaceful purposes and to benefit all of humanity.

  • Proposed an “international atomic energy agency” - now known as the IAEA

  • Experts could be mobilized to provide abundant electrical energy in the power-starved areas of the world  

1969 – Oyster Creek, New Jersey, first nuclear power plant in the U.S.

1991 – Palisades nuclear power plant opens, South Haven, Michigan

Dangers of Nuclear Waste

  1. Storage sites across the nation

  2. Proximity of citizens to nuclear waste

  3. Erosion of containers, leaching into groundwater

  4. Malicious intervention, for making dirty bombs

  5. Permanent loss of site utilization

  6. The ongoing cost of guarding  and maintaining the site

  7. Possible geologic disruption

Special Problems for Nuclear Waste Disposal

  1. Public opinion

  2. Unfocused anxiety and fear

  3. Misinformation and antinuclear sentiment

  4. Environmental concerns

  5. Legal considerations

  6. US laws and regulations - EPA, NRC, etc.

  7. International laws and treaties - London Protocol