Vermont Wants Dirty Air

[Jccarlton]

Vermont wants dirty air. The emissions from the coal plant required to replace VT Yankee are going consist of tons fly ash, SO2, H2S, NO and oh yes CO2. Of course more than likely all that will ahppen in Canada, out of sight of Vermont Liberals.:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/02 ... .html?_r=1
Canadian dirty air. So much for caring about global warming.

[kunkmiester]

You forgot the thorium. Or do they have to take that out now?

[hanelyp]

I understand coal fired plants are required to scrub their exhaust of fly ash, which I'd expect to capture most thorium. I also hear fly ash is a good addition to portland cement.

[Skipjack]

There is still quite a lot of radioactivity released into the air by coal plants. This is because of the high heat and heavy elements contained in the coal. Of course noone ever talks about that.

[pfrit]

There is still quite a lot of radioactivity released into the air by coal plants. This is because of the high heat and heavy elements contained in the coal. Of course noone ever talks about that.

Not mention the radioactive carbon

[Helius]

Part of the problem is that Yankee is contaminating ground water with 70K Pico-Curies /liter. Who measures the radioactive contamination from the Radium in Natural gas or all the radiologicals from Coal?

[KitemanSA]

Part of the problem is that Yankee is contaminating ground water with 70K Pico-Curies /liter. Who measures the radioactive contamination from the Radium in Natural gas or all the radiologicals from Coal?

I wouldn't worry about it. Despite the EPA's idiotic radiologic toxicity equation, small amounts have been proven beneficial. Folks who live in otherwise similar areas live longer and with lower cancer rates if they live on high radon granite than low radon sedimentary rock.

The J-Curve at work!

[MSimon]

*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_hormesis

*

[Helius]

*

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_hormesis

*

No doubt.

When Life got started 5 Billion years ago, the radiological background was an environmental variable to be reconed with.

The problem for me is that they're going to shut down Yankee over 70K pico-curies / liter from Tritium at the foundation. If that is all that is wrong with the water, then it's potable.

Forget for a moment about the heavy metal spewage, Shouldn't it be that it must be proved that the radiological impact of the replacement to Yankee must not exceed that of Yankee itself? I don't think a 500MW+ methane plant in Connecticut (recently blown up killing 6 people) or a newfangled coal plant in Canada will have less radiological release than the currently operating Yankee Boiling Water Reactor.

When will they ever learn?

[Jccarlton]

Part of the problem is that Yankee is contaminating ground water with 70K Pico-Curies /liter. Who measures the radioactive contamination from the Radium in Natural gas or all the radiologicals from Coal?

Considering the natural tendencies of granite and the radon, radium and uranium it contains and the fact the fact that Vermont, like the rest of New England is mostly granite, has anybody considered the possibility that the tritium, a hydrogen isotope could be coming from the ground water and not from the plant. The number is way to small an amount for water in a nuclear plant.

[Skipjack]

Yupp, natural radiation, it is all arround us and people keep forgetting that. Also, the radiation output (in addition to the output of harmful particles and gasses) of a coal power plant should be compared to this. I would be surprised if that was not much, much more.