Quake sensors removed around Virginia nuke plant due to budget cuts

Well that's just friggin great, that is. They rate this plant, which is built right on a fault, as SEVENTH most likely to receive core damage from a quake, and what do they do? Remove the seismos.

Plenty of money for your friggin wars!

Plenty of money for bailouts.

Plenty of money to send to Israel.

Plenty of money for campaigns.

Plenty of god damn money for everything else.

A nuclear power plant that was shut down after an earthquake struck central Virginia Tuesday had seismographs removed in 1990s due to budget cuts.

U.S. nuclear officials said that the North Anna Power Station, which has two nuclear reactors, had lost offsite power and was using diesel generators to maintain cooling operations after an 5.9 earthquake hit the region.

The North Anna plant, which was near the epicenter of Tuesday's quake, is reportedly located on a fault line.

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission rates the plant as the seventh most likely to receive core damage from a quake. But they say the chances of that are only 1 in 22,727.

According to the Virginia Department of Mines, Minerals and Energy (DMME), the Virginia Tech Seismological Observatory (VTSO) removed all seismographs from around the plant in the 1990s due to budget cuts.

www.rawstory.com...

Now you tell me that Washington's budget priorities are in the right order? FFS.

WASHINGTON, YOU MAKE ME SICK. YOU'RE FIRED!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Un-flippin-believable!

Just saw the article on Raw Story too.

Removing safety equipment from a nuclear power plant? For lack of money?

Weren't those sensors already paid for and in place? Why would they remove them?

Some Electrical Utility Manager just received the Penny Wise, Pound Foolish award in my book.

And while you're at it, DC, how bout some friggin money to update and upgrade the New Madrid seismic network? Huh? Cause it friggin SUCKS. Dropouts all over the place. I try to monitor it in GEE but end up shutting it off due to all the problems.

Washington: "NO! We must spend YOUR money on foreign wars, and bailouts for our buddy bankers!"

I just don't get why they build these end-of-the-world plants on known fault lines in the first place

I'm no nuclear phycisist in any way, shape or form, but even I can work out what could happen once a fault starts shaking everything to the ground

reply to post by doobydoll


Well did you see the update to the story?

Update: Institute for Policy Studies (IPS) Senior Scholar Bob Alvarez told the Project on Government Oversight (POGO) that the North Anna plant was built to withstand a 5.9-6.1 quake.

Boy did THEY just luck out. No. Boy did WE just luck out. What if that was a 7.5 or an 8?

The quake sensors they are talking about, btw, are used to automatically shut down the plant, and engage backup cooling power. You know, exactly what FAILED in Japan- Fukushima.

That's what they want. Another Japan or worse.

double post...

Well I might as well use this space for something....

Word has it that the new fault in VA will be called:

OBAMA'S FAULT

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Wow man, that's shocking. It also makes me wonder how many other plants are inadequate

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Well at least he will have some legacy

LOL

Maybe its time we stop asking "how much will it cost" and instead ask "do we have the resources/caPabilities" when it comes to important thIngs such as this. Price should never be an issue with regard to safety and security. And not in the militarial sense of the terms safety and security.

Nuclear energy is safe. Afterall it is managed by human beings. Hurricane on the way hope those diesel engines hold out.

reply to post by Leo Strauss


Yeah, good point.

Managed by human beings,

Exactly the problem with it. Greedy human beings with personal profit in mind over public safety. :shk:

Originally posted by TrueAmerican
reply to post by Leo Strauss

 

Yeah, good point.

Managed by human beings,

Exactly the problem with it. Greedy human beings with personal profit in mind over public safety. :shk:

As long as we continue to live in a monitary society this type of thing will persist.
Money, or the love of it, is the root of all evil.

Folks, I am still having a very hard time with this. How can the government pull seismos on a fricken nuclear plant in favor of invading a foreign country? Or allocating money for wall street bailouts? I mean everything about that is just wrong wrong WRONG!

The sheer danger of a potential nuclear accident like Japan should take precedence over just about anything. I mean if we were in debt because we had to borrow to outfit nuclear plants with extreme safety measures, it'd be one thing. I could see it. But wtf, people. This is just soooo wrong.