Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Nuclear operators clam up about rusty clam shell

Once again nuclear operators are hoisting the old petard of 'meeting standards' with their rusty steel containment. 'It functions as it always has' is their answer. Of course, the dang thing stands there! It's sole purpose is to provide containment in an emergency.

Wouldn't it be refreshing if nuclear operators were open and transparent, instead of being terrified of the sunlight. They could say something like: "We were darn-tootin' sloppy about letting that thing rust halfway through, and we're scaling all the rust off to see what we've got. Pictures will be posted on the Web." As if this will ever happen!

Maybe it's true that this thing was so over-designed that massive rusting could have no effect. Maybe it's like having wooden beams in a cooling tower! All I know is that I spent my whole working life in a cult of secrecy, and I did everything I could to bust it open. Perhaps that's why they don't speak to me anymore... :) (They didn't even speak to me when I was there!)

2 comments:

Monado said...

Putting pictures on the Web so that citizens could see for themselves would be a nice touch!

Harold Asmis said...

I always thought that the super-secret nuclear operators should use youtube more.