Could what happened in Japan happen in California?

The power plants in the United States have the same backups and risks as plants in Japan (see article) California currently has two operational nuclear plants. PG&E's Diablo Canyon Power Plant in San Luis Obispo County sits near several fault lines, including the San Andreas Fault. It's designed to withstand a 7.5 magnitude earthquake. The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station in San Diego County isn't as close to active faults and is designed to withstand a 7.0 magnitude quake.

California is at risk for earthquakes above these levels, being along a major fault.  The state is also at risk for tsunamis.  Although the combination of being hit by earthquakes and tsunamis is fairly rare – usually the tsunami effects another location – if it were to happen in the United States, California would be the most probable location for such an occurrence.

Is Nuclear Power Safe?

            The images coming into our news from the events occurring in Japan over the earthquake are making all of us question the safety of Nuclear Power. Radiation has been leaking from the Fukushima plant since March 11 and has been ever since. Radiation levels at 1 million times the normal acceptable amount are currently leaking in the Pacific ocean. Iodine-131 which is a water soluble isotope has been leaking out of the plant for a number of weeks now. Its damaging effects include immediate damage to the thyroid which could lead to cancer depending on the amount of time and overall strength of the Iodine-131.
            The Japanese Government has issued an evacuation within a 20 km radius and has asked that those up to 30 km stay indoors. While the the NRC Chairman has recommended that the evacuation be lifted to 50 km. To fully access the damage of the radiation and its effects on people and the enviornment will take years. The history from the Chernobyl incident that occurred in 1987 in which 195,000 people died from cancer from 1987-2004 warns of chilling consequences. With California sitting on the ring of fire like Japan, and major fault lines waiting to shift at any moment according to many scientists. One must ask, is Nuclear Power worth the risk? The next big one, is expected to hit the west coast between now and the next 100 years.

What about the waste?

Currently, nuclear waste is stored at nuclear power plants in steel-lined, concrete pools or basins filled with water or in steel or concrete-and-steel canisters.  For a more permanent solution, waste will be stored underground in a permanent geologic repository.

            There is no set site for a geologic repository.  The Yucca Mountain site was considered and argued over for a long period of time. President Obama wants to bring back nuclear power to reduce dependence on foreign oil and to create American jobs, but he has made it clear that the Yucca Mountain site is not an option for waste disposal.

A Nuclear Renaissance

President Obama in his last State of the Union Address, proposed a Nuclear Renaissance of new Nuclear  Power plants to be built in the US as a part of a plan to have 85% of our energy derived from clean sources. He states that Nuclear Power is in fact safe and clean and that the US will do everything within its power to jump start the renaissance. Including providing billions of dollars in subsides and guaranteed loans for private companies to jump into the game. The estimated cost to build and maintain a nuclear power plant according to the US department of energy is 144.6 billion dollars (1990 dollars). The total estimate given for building and operating Yucca Mountain according to the Congressional Budget office has costs an estimated 96.2 billion dollars.


This nuclear renaissance is going to costs tax payers billions upon billions of dollars to simply build and operate. If a disaster were to occur like the ones at Fukushima, Chernobyl, and Three Mile Island. The costs to local Governments will exceed a conservative estimated of 11 Trillion dollars.


With 26 proposals of new Nuclear Plants to be built in the US as of today, will the costs to bring this renaissance upon the American people be worth it?