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I have a guest post at ANS Nuclear Cafe today: We are not Spock: Emotion and Nuclear Power. When Entergy announced that Vermont Yankee would close next year, opponents were quick to respond with glee. They gave parties, they chanted, they wrote celebratory op-eds.
How did I respond to the news? I responded by "trying to understand this." Logic, not emotion. I think I was channelling Spock from Star Trek. But Spock is not fully human, and I am.
My personal journey has now led me to acknowledge how sad I feel about Vermont Yankee closing. I wrote a post about this journey, which is quite different from my usual posts. It's about people being laid off, and feelings of futility and....sorrow.
Please read it. I hope you will read it and perhaps comment.
Thank you.
Governor Shumlin's Emotions
Okay. After getting sad, I get snarky sometimes.
Yesterday Governor Shumlin visited the Brattleboro Development Credit Corporation (a private development group). Susan Smallheer wrote about this visit in an article in the Rutland Herald. Her article is behind a paywall, but I have brief quotes below.
At this occasion in Brattleboro, Shumlin made several statements about his emotions.
Shumlin said "it was no secret he was glad Yankee was closing" but his administration would try to mitigate the impacts of the plant closing. Shumlin admitted there was a "tough transition" ahead, but also said that the area would “get more than our share of love and attention” in the coming year. (Emphasis added by blogger.)
I am sure that makes everybody feel much better.
Well, you might feel better unless you live in Vernon. Shumlin actually said "Brattleboro and Windham County" will get the attention. He didn't mention Vernon. (Vermont Yankee is located in the town of Vernon.)
In honor of Shumlin's emotions, I am sharing this video.
2 comments:
Meredith, I too grieve for the staff of the plant and people needed to support those families. Love never paid the bills. I think grief follows those stages, denial, anger and eventually acceptance. You did your best and the tide was against the plant. The lag time before the power bills lurch up will cause disillusionment and some may wonder how that could happen. Canadian owned entities have purchased most of our power companies in Vermont and now want to run a pipeline through private property without any concerns, only open doors. The connections are eerily coincidental. Keeps me reading and learning. Thanks for this. Have a Great weekend!
So I am wondering, just what kinds of "jobs" does Shumlin think he and his fellow political hacks and bureaucrats are going to find for the people he put out of work at VY? Is he going to have a nuclear fuel cycle analyst become a barista a Starbucks? Maybe an I&C engineer become a greeter at WalMart? How about putting a C&HP technician to work busing tables at the local organic food cafe? Somehow, I don't think so. So much for that "concern" and TLC. And as far as decommissioning "jobs", I say screw that. Those are the worst kinds of jobs imaginable, tearing down the life's work of others and eventually working yourself out of a job. What kind of a career is that?
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