The Honolulu Advertiser editorialized that perhaps Hawai’i should reconsider its ban on nuclear power since the Navy continues to violate Hawai’i’s constitution by bringing nuclear powered ships and nuclear weapons into our waters and ports. Crazy.
We almost had a nuclear catastrophe in port when a fire aboard the USS Sargo nearly caused a meltdown of the reactor. The captain had to sink the ship to flood it in order to extinguish the fire.
Leaking nuclear cooling water has led to radioactive Cobalt 60 contamination in the sediment of Ke Awalau o Pu’uloa (aka Pearl Harbor).
Spent fuel is cut out of the nuclear ships and stored on the docks in the shipyard behind concrete barricades until they can ship it out to a “permanent” disposal site. Problem is, there are no safe and permanent methods of disposing of nuclear waste.
No, Hawai’i should strengthen it’s nuclear ban, and make the Navy adhere to it.
Hawaii’s nuclear future
January 9th, 2009 by Jerry Burris
The latest word is that the Navy intends to homeport a number of the latest class of nuclear submarines at Pearl Harbor. Military reporter William Cole has the story HERE.
That’s good news for the economy, workers at Pearl Harbor Shipyard and and for folks who sell things to the submariners and their families. Part of the work of the Shipyard will be involved with nuclear reactor “refueling and defuelings,” according to Cole.
This raises an interesting question as the state moves toward an energy future that is less dependent on oil. Today, the state constitution forbids the use of nuclear power without extraordinary approval by the Legislature (section 8). Might this change the argument?
After all, we are already putting nuclear fuel in and taking nuclear fuel out within the borders of our state. Should this option be reserved for the military alone?
A thought, at any rate.
Source: http://akamaipolitics.honadvblogs.com/2009/01/09/hawaiis-nuclear-future/
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