Not In My Back Yard

[the_siobhan]

So it happens that there is a GE plant in my neighbourhood. It's been there for about 50 years, built back when the area was largely poor and immigrant. It's sole function is to processes uranium pellets for the nuclear power plant east of the city.

The last 10 years has seen a massive degree of gentrification - house prices have gone up almost 400% since we moved into our place. And one of the people who moved into the area is an anti-nuclear activist.

So you know what happens next, right? He bangs on a bunch of doors and says, "Do you know that there is a nuclear fuel processing plant right on your very doorstep! In a residential neighbourhood! Endangering your children!" And the yuppies all gasp in horror and demand that this Very Dangerous Plant be shut down.

It's worth noting at this point that the company responded to the local concerns by publicizing their safety procedures, which are pretty comprehensive. The uranium isn't enriched so it's not particularly radioactive, and they do continuous monitoring of soil, water, smokestacks and air. I'd want to know more about the safety procedures for the staff and during transportation, but the building isn't going to be responsible for any three-headed babies any time soon. Meanwhile the anti-nuke activist continues to talk about how even one grain of dust will cause the zombie apocalypse or something[1].

But the shouty people will probably get what they want. And the plant will move its operations into somebody else's neighbourhood. Probably one that is poor and immigrant. And the people who made all the fuss will be convinced that they have done a very good thing while they continue using the exact same amount of electricity and gas as they did before this all hit their radar.

The whole thing leaves a sour taste in my mouth. On the plus side it got me off my ass to go follow up on the solar panels we want to put on our roof.


[1] Lest anyone misunderstand I'm not particularly pro-nuke. I am, however, pro arguing-based-on-actual-facts-not-scaremongering. I am also very much of the opinion that if you are happy to enjoy the benefits of cheap electricty, you kind of have to suck up the reality of how it's made.

Comments

[mschaos]

whooboy

I freaking hate NIMBYs but as a new home owner I also can sort of understand the knee jerk reaction.

which is why I really try hard to educate myself on what is going on around me and get all sides.

[the_siobhan]

I think the part that gets me about this is that they still want such plants to exist, although they'd probably have trouble identifying that desire. They want to have access to as much electricity as they need, whenever they need it. They just want the dirty parts to be somebody else's problem.

[greylock]

I guess he didn't due his due diligence before he moved into the 'hood.
That said, a 50-year-old factory is probably at the end of its useful life, and probably should be moved away from residential areas.

the company responded to the local concerns by publicizing their safety procedures
Which they certainly follow at all times, and never once slip up.

And the plant will move its operations into somebody else's neighbourhood.

See, this is why you either don't have a nuke industry, or put these things in industrial areas. You make it the future's problem.

When we moved eight years ago we discovered within a few weeks that there was once a huge fertiliser plant a few kilometres away, and there was a massive toxic plume in the groundwater that had to be cleaned up and monitored. It was annoying, but there are secret killers everywhere. And coal dust.

So, I'm down with him wanting the plant gone.

[(Anonymous)]

>the company responded to the local concerns by publicizing their safety
>procedures
Which they certainly follow at all times, and never once slip up.

They haven't yet. Which doesn't mean they won't ever but like I said, the stuff isn't particularly dangerous.

put these things in industrial areas

That's what they did. ie a place with lots of factories where only poor people who work in the factories actually live, because people with money can afford to live in cleaner areas. Now property values in Southern Ontario are so high that people like me can only afford to own in the city if we buy in those formerly industrial areas. Now there are no non-residential (ie only poor people live there) areas left in town or for a very big radius around it.

They could stick it way out in the country, but for it to be far enough away that it wouldn't be an issue to local residents (ie only natives live there) it would have to be remote enough that shipping would become expensive. Driving up the cost of the electricity that the yuppies depend on. And they would have a problem with that too.

See here's the thing, gone is not an option. The power plant needs that fuel, the processing plant will operate somewhere.

The question is, will it exist where it is now, or will the people with money shuffle it off to be somebody else's problem for the foreseeable future? Personally I think if you have a problem with the side-effects of excess consumption, maybe you should consume less.

[the_siobhan]

That was me, obvs.