If you think what’s happening in Japan can’t happen here, think again. The map below shows the reality of what’s at stake:
Actually, what’s at stake is even more troubling, considering that the Quabbin reservoir sits just about 30 miles south of Vermont Yankee, which is known to have been leaking Tritium into the Connecticut River.
With the licensing battle for Vermont Yankee ongoing, and that for the Pilgrim Nuclear Plant in Plymouth heating up, all bets are off for whether 2 of the 3 nuclear plants directly impacting Massachusetts will be licensed beyond 2012. Meanwhile, the Seabrook plant in New Hampshire has applied 20 years in advance for a 20-year extension past 2030. And as we’ve reported before, the “Pilgrim 1 nuclear power plant in Plymouth is the second-most likely American power plant to have its reactor compromised by an earthquake“.
One thing is clear: our nuclear future is in our hands. Our inaction will guarantee indefensible risk going forward.
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Hi, Eli,
Most areas not in those circles would also be crippled by the panic and outflow of refugees, since there are barely enough local resources or hospital beds to support ourselves, never mind thousands of newly-homeless and possibly sick people. The map doesn’t mention the closed Yankee Rowe plant which, IIRC, still has stored waste and might give a clearer picture of the real risk on all sides if it included CT, where there’s a ton of this waste at closed Haddam Neck and the Millstone plants (one of which is still running).
That said, where did you get that reference re: Pilgrim being 2nd? Given this area’s quake risk is pretty low and there are several nuke plants on/near Calif. faultlines, that doesn’t ring true. (It might, however, be true for a tsunami; fortunately, the Atlantic isn’t a “ring of fire.”) Also, the Quabbin ref is a misleading, since the CT River doesn’t touch Quabbin & IDT anyone with sense would drink the CT River water … it just flows right through a few key cities, incl. Springfield & Hartford!
Peace,
Gus Steeves