Nuke Release Inevitable
The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Department of Energy held a joint meeting in Bethesda, Md. February 19-21, planning "the technical issues and research topics for potential extended operation of the nation's nuclear power plants beyond 60 years." Vermont Yankee is the 48th of the nation's 104 nuclear reactors seeking a license extension beyond the original license agreement of 40 years.
I find it disturbing that the federal government is planning now for beyond 2032, yet our state government has no such plans.
Nuclear power is, at best, short-sighted. It is based on yet another finite resource. To push old reactors beyond their intended design specifications must lead to such events as cooling tower collapses, increased outages due to equipment failure secondary to overload, increased erosion corrosion within the reactor (can only be found through deep inspections—not evidenced through NRC get-the-job-done cursory inspections). While it is remarkable the uprates and license extensions have yet to lead to a catastrophic release, I believe some such accident is an inevitability. May no one be hurt—yet may it finally stop the industry and its massive PR teams.
Gary Sachs
Brattleboro
More Rap on Hip-Hop
While I agree to some extent with the letter from G. Djata Bumpus [March 13] lamenting that too much of the hip-hop culture is a commercial construct, I was rather taken aback by the reply from Susan Wozniak [March 27] in which she stated "Were I teaching now, I would use that letter." [See "Hip-Hop Happening," March 6, 2008.] For what purpose? To somehow "prove" that a form of expression she dislikes is not art? I don't believe that is a proper crusade for any teacher. I would also remind both G. Djata Bumpus and Susan Wozniak—and Mr. Marsalis and Mr. Crouch—that at one time similar negative statements were made about jazz and rock and roll—two forms of expression that have played large roles in our culture, and, like hip-hop, with both good and bad results. Whether it be art, religion, or democracy, we must learn to separate the initial expression from the culture that surrounds it so that we may judge it on its own merits.
Tom Mahnken
Springfield
Correction: Last week ["Not for Activists Only," March 27, 2008] we reported incorrectly that a resolution calling for the Vermont Yankee power plant to be shut down in 2012, its originally projected closing date, rather than having its license extended until 2032, was on the town meeting warrant in Buckland. At that time, the resolution was not officially on the warrant.
