Last night Alec Baldwin moderated a forum on the health effects of the Oyster Creek nuclear plant in New Jersey. From APP.com:
I could get more into this but I think the comments on the article speak for themselves:
Actor Alec Baldwin said he would like to see the state force the owners of the Oyster Creek Generating Station to build cooling towers to replace an outdated boiling water reactor system.Um, replacing cooling towers is not the same as replacing a BWR system. If he thinks that is the case, then I can see why he thinks this is a complicated issue. I wonder if Mr. Baldwin can locate the cooling towers in this diagram of a BWR system. Hint: the towers are not there.
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"This is one of the truly complicated issues I've ever dealt with,'' Baldwin said.
I could get more into this but I think the comments on the article speak for themselves:Just because he is a celebrity, people put a microphone in front of him, and just because someone put a microphone in front of him he thinks he is an expert on all things.And these are some of the more moderate comments. For our archives on Mr. Baldwin, click here.
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Alec Baldwin has no business speaking on this issue. He has no ties to NJ or the power plant. Personally I do not care what his opinion is.
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Note to Hollywood; until doctors, scientists, and engineers try acting, please do your job and let them do theirs.
Comments
When seeking information on the safety or otherwise of Oyster Creek NPP, I think I'll rely on the expertise of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
Also, I'm not sure why a failure to explicitly distinguish reactor systems from BOP completely invalidates the broader point.
Hey Entergy: Will this note also be sent to Paul Newman? Of course not; the opinion of that actor is valid, and touted by the industry in press releases, because he supports nuclear power.
On this blog post, Baldwin states that the reason he believes that the Oyster Creek plant needs cooling towers is that "Oyster Creek is pumping millions of gallons of extremely hot cooling water directly into the river, killing large stocks of fish."
I don't have any information about the truth or falsity of this claim but it shows at least a basic understanding of the difference between a cooling tower and a once-through cooling system.
In this specific instance, the mistake appears to have been made by the reporter, rather than Baldwin.
And our anonymous posters do have a point - it's easy to have double standards about celebrity endorsements of your particular political position.
From what I've heard Mr. Newman has taken the time to properly educate himself on the matter, including visiting plant sites and speaking with the engineers and operators.
Has Mr. Baldwin done the same?
As for "Note to Hollywood; until doctors, scientists, and engineers try acting, please do your job and let them do theirs," there are some exceptions like the lead singer of Offspring, who has a doctorate in microbiology. Although, all I've heard from him is good music. I haven't seen any press where he's out a campaign concerning stem cell research.
I used to go with my Dad to fish for flounder and catch blue claw crabs in those canals. It was a fine area for crab spawning and we were obliged to throw back many of our catches as they were female crabs. Evidently the warmer water didn't bother them.
One very cold winter the plant saved several groups of swan as the warmer water of the discharge canal was the only open water for many miles around. So in those cases the presence of the plant had a beneficial environmental impact.
People typically don't care unless it personally impacts their life.
Thank you.
And don't try to argue with me because I have done numerous projects about the bay. I have visited the bay and the plant, and i have spoken to operators, supervisors and plant workers. SO I'm actually involved.
On the earlier quote from Baldwin, my impression is that fish kills seem to occur not due to "extremely hot water" but more when nuclear plants go offline and the fish lose their warm water sanctuary.
(dated 2008 May 16 - how about showing the date on the comments, NEI?)