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Page 16 text:
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No nukes is good nukes? With the possibility of a nuclear power plant being built as near to Northwest as Fulton, Missouri, and with the controversy surrounding the inclusion of Proposition 11 on the November election ballot, students and faculty became more aware of the advantages and disadvantages of nuclear power. While some students and faculty pointed out the benefits of having a power plant which did not rely on oil or natural gas, others empha- sized the problems they believed would be caused by a plant with by-products which were reported to be harmful to plant, animal and human life. Although there were no protest marches against nuclear power on campus, or any demon- strations supporting the use of nuclear power, it was clearly evident that campus interest in nuclear power was high. Throughout the year, leaflets, petitions and opinions were circu- lated by students and other Maryville residents who felt the pubUc should be more aware of the problems surrounding the use of nuclear energy. Several students were members of a group called Citizens for a Radioactive Waste Policy, which was formed by Missourians con- cerned about the construction of the Callaway Nuclear Power Plant. One of these was Chris Engel. Nuclear power constitutes such a small portion of our energy needs that the safety hazard isn ' t justified, she said. I feel nuclear power has many advantages, but the safety factor for the people should be our major concern. The plants should be kept in deserted places away from people and not used until a safe waste disposal system is found. I also think that the main disadvantage of nuclear power is the chance of leaks, said Deana Haden. Most people on campus had no clear understanding of nuclear energy, although nuclear plants such as the Cooper Nuclear Power Plant near Brownville, Nebraska, were within an hour ' s driving distance from Northwest. The nearest nuclear power plant to Maryville, the Cooper Plant has been in operation for six years and has produced 25 billion kilowatt hours of electricity since its completion. A plant such as Cooper or the one being planned in Fulton could be expected to operate for 40 years, providing electricity for homes and offices. Nuclear power plants have advantages, Dr. Sam Carpenter, professor of chemistry, said. They are expensive because the raw materials for other forms of energy will continue to rise in cost, whereas uranium will remain about the same. It is clean burning fuel in the fact that there are no air pollutants as there are in a coal plant. Nuclear plants do not take up much space because the by products are not as great as they are in other energy producing plants. We can ' t afford not to have nuclear power become a part of our growing energy needs. Nuclear power plants work much the same way as do ordinary fossil-fuel plants. The essential difference lies in the source of the heat used to produce steam. In a conventional thermal plant, heat comes from the combustion of coal, oil or natural gas. These fossil fuels burn by reacting chemically with the oxygen in the air. In a nuclear thermal plant, however, heat is developed by a process known as fission. Atoms of the Uranium-235 fuel will split, or fission, when they are struck by neutrons from other atoms. Each fissioned atom breaks into two fragments which become atoms in their own right. Together the fission products weigh sUghtly less that the original uranium atom. This missing weight of mass has been converted mto energy. As these highly energetic fragments fly apart at great speed and collide with other atoms in the fuel, this energy appears almost instant- eously as heat. Although each separate fission releases only a very small quantity of heat, there are many trillions of controlled fissions taking place every second. And the total amount of heat developed is enough to convert large quantities of water into energy. This steam is used to make electricity in the same way as in a conventional plant-by spinning a turbine which dVives an electric generator. This part of the plant is essentially the same as any other steam-electric station. The prod- uct, electricity, is identical. The controversy surrounding the use of nuclear energy concentrates on the safety of the plant and the disposal of radioactive waste materials. Nuclear power plants are safe if they are treated correctly and the staff is high quality and well trained, Carpenter said. I think that because of the experiences in the past that the staffs will have more training and higher safe- guards. There are not as many dangers today as there were in the past. I don ' t think the people building these power plants realize all the dangers involved. There needs to be a lot more research done and no plant should be in operation until they have found safe ways to dispose of the wastes so people have no need to worry about their family ' s safety, said Judy Mason. Only seven deaths have been directly related to nuclear causes in the 40 years since the atomic energy program began in this 12 NUCLEAR POWER
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country. As spokesmen for the nuclear industry are quick to point out, these seven instances occurred at military test reactors, exper- imental facilities for weapons research and chemical processing plants, none of which resemble the nuclear plants in operation today. Proponents of nuclear energy believe that the extensive safety precautions taken by tiie nuclear power industry make it one of the safest industries in the country. Critics of nuclear energy disagree, however. ■ ' I feel nuclear power plants have good points and bad points. I don ' t know that much about the whole process, but I do know I wouldn ' t want to live by one because of the dangers of leaks and radiation, said J ana Glaze. The problem of disposal of nuclear waste created a major controversy in Missouri as citizens voted on Proposition 11. Proposition 11 called for the estabhshment of a permanent waste disposal site to be licensed and operating before radioactive waste is produced in Missouri. Proposition 11 also required that the ultimate waste cleanup costs be covered by requiring utilities to post a decommissioning bond. Much of the controversy surround- ing Proposition 11 concerned the effect it would have on the The Cooper Nuclear Power Plant at Brownville, Neb., is an hour ' s drive from Maryville. The plant has been in operation for six years. completion of the Callaway Nuclear Power Plant in Fulton. Under Proposition 11, the Callaway plant would be dismantled after its operating life of 35 to 40 years was over. In addition, all waste would have to be disposed of and the plant would have to post a bond covering the cost of dismantling before it could go into operation. I think Proposition 11 is a good deal because it will prevent the plant from opening until more extensive research can be don, said Hayden. I don ' t understand everything concerning the bond to be posted before it opens, but I definitely think, that all wastes should be properly disposed of after continued NUCLEAR POWER 13
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