The Nuclear Disconnect ... by gimleteye

Today, in Tallahassee the state agency charged with regulating utilities is considering a request by Florida Power and Light to continue charging ratepayers nearly $150 million per year for planning related to new nuclear reactors at Turkey Point.

EOM featured, this week, questions asked of Miami-Dade emergency management officials on evacuation planning in the case of a nuclear emergency at Turkey Point. There is one elected official, at least, willing to take on FPL: Mayor Philip Stoddard of South Miami. The record is otherwise dismal, to say the least. FPL's millions have done is to buy the Miami-Dade County Commission. In 2010 commissioners rolled over and gave away whatever power it retained over permitting for new nuclear by failing to ask hard, tough questions based on land use regulations.

Now, during a period of long-term and possibly devastating drought; FPL is setting itself to be first in line for water supply; as in, "hey cooling our nuclear reactors is more important than you getting, yours." Anxiety over government malfeasance in the name of nuclear power is not speculative. Yesterday's New York Time details how government misled citizens in Japan, who thought they were being directed out of the path of the nuclear cloud from the failed Fukushima reactors but instead were being led into it. If not for investigative journalism, people would still not know the truth.

If that happens here, count on this: government officials will be long gone when the full scope of the public health emergency materializes in the form of anticipated cancers and other life-threatening diseases.

We should know better: the initial permitting for the existing reactors at Turkey Point in the mid 1980's required-- that is to say, by law-- Florida Power and Light to guarantee that its operations would not impact groundwater in South Dade. It has taken environmentalists years to get government agencies to tell the truth: that FPL broke that promise. Funny thing about groundwater: once it is contaminated, it takes an act of God to fix it. Based on the record of nuclear power, this year Germany decided to turn away from that roll of the dice and needs new energy policies and practices to replace twenty percent of its supply. Why is it so difficult for Florida to face that challenge? In large part, because Florida gives FPL whatever it wants. No wonder it is so profitable for FPL to ask for more.