The Near Fukushima in Southern New York

In the last week alone, one of the nation’s oldest nuclear power plants, Indian Point, faced two natural disaster threats.  Located in southern New York state, Indian Point first dealt with the earthquake earlier last week and Hurricane Irene on Saturday.  For right now, both plant and government officials report no problems with the much-maligned power plant.  Both of these issues occur just months after the disaster at the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan.  At that time, plant officials assured the public that the plant was safe and sought a twenty-year extension on its operation license.  The plant opened in 1976 and has not seen any major upgrades since its construction.  All of this makes clear the need for truly viable alternatives to fossil fuels, as nuclear power is quite problematic.  People often wonder what the alternatives to fossil fuels and nuclear are.  The most attractive alternatives include solar, wind and hydroelectric, though even they have their drawbacks.

            Both opponents of the plant and its operators acknowledge that small leaks occur all of the time as it is.  The plant is also located near two fault lines, making it vulnerable to an earthquake.  Many thought that earthquakes are a minor risk on the east coast until earlier last week, when a 5.8 magnitude earthquake struck Virginia, forcing several buildings in the Washington, D.C. area to evacuate.  That earthquake was felt as far away as New England.  Clearly, an earthquake on the east coast is possible, though unlikely.  Hurricanes are also uncommon this far north on the east coast.  However, the laws of probability did not stop Irene from making land in New York City about 9 am Sunday, according to News 12 Hudson Valley.  The flooding and high winds associated with such a storm also posed a threat to the aging nuclear facility.  As always, there is the threat of terrorism.  All of these threats are made worse by the fact that most of the technology in the plant is obsolete and the owners refuse to upgrade, citing budgetary concerns.  

            These recent issues do not even mention the issue of shipping and storing spent fuel rods.  There is basically no good place to put spent nuclear fuel rods.  Transporting them poses the concern of spills due to traffic accidents.  All of this is truly disturbing when one considers that approximately 25 million people live within 50 miles of Indian Point.  Other nuclear power plants tend to be in fairly densely populated areas.  All of the above threats mean that those near a nuclear power plant are only minutes from their very own Fukushima. 

            So, what do we do for power?  Fossil fuels are finite and increasingly scarce.  Wind would work well further upstate and in other vast expanses of unused land.  Densely populated areas, such as the New York City area would do well to adopt solar and hydroelectric power.  While densely populated areas do not have very much open space, they do have a lot of rooftops.  This makes such areas ideal for solar power, as some companies are developing solar panel shingles.  By placing them on every building in urban areas, a sizable portion of the areas energy needs can be met.  The main issue with this form of power is that it is very expensive.  The government needs to lay out the kind of subsidies for solar that they do for oil.  Perhaps the government itself should develop such technology.

            Another attractive energy alternative, particularly in New York, is hydroelectric power.  After all, New York is home to the Hudson River and the St. Lawrence Seaway.  The Hudson River and St. Lawrence Seaway are among the largest rivers in the world.  Consequently, both could generate an enormous amount of clean electricity.  The only real issue with issue with hydroelectric power is the potential damage to fisheries.  This really does not matter in the Hudson River particularly when one considers that its infamous PCB contamination make the fish inedible.  In fact, thanks to General Electric, there is a large section of the Hudson River that is already borderline ecologically dead.  You are already not supposed to drink the water in this area.  Another important factor in opposition to hydroelectric on the Hudson is the NIMBY movement.  Some people simply do not want a hydroelectric plant out of concern that it would decrease property values.  It is insane that the environment should suffer and others should be in constant danger because of these people. 

            Wind power is another excellent alternative source of energy.  However it requires a considerable amount of open space to be effective.  Densely populated areas obviously lack abundant open space.  Employing wind power in such areas leads to the negatives that you may have heard about, including excessive noise and a strobe light effect.  In areas such as the Midwest and parts of upstate New York, these are not problems.  I have personally seen wind farms in the Midwest and noticed no excessive noise or strobe light effect.

            New York was very lucky this past week.  The earthquake and the hurricane could have been much worse.  However, we cannot assume our luck will hold out forever.  It is clear that we need a viable alternative to fossil fuels, but nuclear cannot be the answer.  Nuclear power comes with too many problems, even when it is tightly regulated.  Serious investment in alternatives such as wind, solar and hydroelectric is necessary.  Each area of the country presents its own unique set of challenges and one answer will not work everywhere.  That is why need investment in each form of alternative energy.  Though they pose some issues now, that does not mean those issues cannot be addressed.  It also does not make them worse than the alternative of nuclear power or doing nothing.