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Protesters voice concerns over proposed nuke plant
Alternate Energy Holdings (AEH) the Virginia-based company proposing to build a nuclear/biofuels complex near Bruneau, held a public information/question-answer meeting at Rimrock Jr.-Sr. High School Thursday evening, May 31, with most members of the audience not indicating significant opposition to the proposal, although a number of concerns were expressed.
Gillespie will be available to answer questions from the public regarding the nuclear plant on the Boise based KIDO 580 radio station this Saturday morning from 6 a.m.-8 a.m. The program will be moderated by host Doug McConaughey on his AM Idaho show.
The purpose of this meeting was to explain the company's plans for the 4,000 acre site that lies between the Snake and Bruneau Rivers just south of Bruneau, and to field questions from Owyhee County residents.
Don Gillespie, President of AEH, gave a PowerPoint presentation that included a conceptual drawing of the complex.
Concerns about global warming from the release of greenhouse gases by some conventional energy sources (primarily coal-fired generation plants), and reliance on foreign oil has sparked a new interest in construction of nuclear power plants in the United States, he noted.
In 2005, Congress adopted a new Energy Act, which, in part, provides financial backing for nuclear and alternative energy development and construction.
Gillespie was attracted to the Bruneau site after being contacted by a 'group of local farmers' interested in finding a cost-effective energy source for high-altitude pumping to irrigate farmland that sits on bluffs above the Snake River.
After visiting the site and ascertaining its potential as a nuclear power plant site, Gillespie and his partners, which include experts in the nuclear industry and a former head of the National Regulatory Commission (NRC), began the laborious process of obtaining approval for the complex.
That first step, Gillespie has said in previous interviews with the Gazette, was to get approval from the Owyhee County Commissioners.None of the Commissioners were observed to be in attendance at the meeting.
Last night, he was also interested in gathering input and soliciting the support of Owyhee County residents.
The format of the meeting was to give a PowerPoint presentation and then field questions from the audience. Only Owyhee County residents were permitted to speak. Gillespie told the audience of about 100 people that
there would be opportunities for non-county residents to speak throughout the permitting process.
However, the Owyhee County residents-only rule did not sit well with Dr. Peter Rickards, a podiatrist from Twin Falls and self-proclaimed anti-nuclear advocate.
When he took the podium to ask his question and announced that he was from Twin Falls, he was reminded that the meeting was for Owyhee County residents, only.
However, a moderate uproar from some audience members shouting 'let him talk' afforded the doctor a turn at the podium. Immediately, he inferred that the public was not being told the truth about nuclear energy. Spewing facts , all disputed by Gillespie , he proceeded to dispute industry
claims that nuclear generation plants are safe from terrorism and that they do not release radiation into the air. He noted that there are alternative clean energy sources other than nuclear power.
After exceeding the one-minute comment period, he was shouted down by several members of the audience, who reminded him that the meeting was being
held to give Owyhee County residents an opportunity to express their views.
With continued verbal prodding, Rickards finally ceded his turn at the
podium.
The room settled down again, and more comments from Owyhee County residents were accepted.
Nearly all those that spoke said they were not against having a nuclear power plant in their neighborhood. But concerns were expressed about the facility's potential to increase the local population.
Gillespie said he could not offer any projection on population growth in the immediate area since it is unknown where future employees would chose to live. The plant site is about 30 miles from Mountain Home and Glenns Ferry;
15 miles from Grand View and six miles from Bruneau. However, he noted that typically a nuclear power plant does increase the local population while boosting the local and state economies.
Several farmers expressed concern that local farmers may not be able to support a biofuels plant due to limited crop production. On several occasions, Gillespie told the audience that the biofuels plant, which would
utilize waste steam from the nuclear power to process ethanol and methane, would provide an alternative market to area farmers and ranchers, and would only be built if area agribusiness owners supported it, both through crop
production and in concept.
Other concerns expressed included those about security and the potential for a terrorist attack. Gillespie noted that spent fuel, which would be reused to produce more electricity, would be stored on site.
However, the containers used to store the spent fuel rods were nearly impermeable, he said, adding that the NRC had conducted numerous impact tests on the containers that house the spent fuel. To date, none of the
containers have cracked.
Gillespie noted that there are 40 nuclear generation plants currently operating in the United States. While there was 'media hype' over the Three Mile Island accident, there have never been any illnesses or adverse physical affects to those working in or living near the plant site, he
contended.
Gillespie said that lawsuits brought on after the accident by residents claiming their cancer was caused by the accident were thrown out of court.
The cancers, Gillespie said, were caused by radon gas, a natural gas that accumulates in enclosed spaces such as basements.
The accident in Chernobyl, Russia, was caused by faulty plant design, Gillespie said. He was one of several nuclear specialists who traveled to Europe prior to the Chernobyl accident in an attempt to convince the Soviet government to cease operations at the plant. One of the men traveling with
Gillespie even predicted the accident would happen if the plant was not shut down.
The Soviet's defiantly refused to cease operations, he said.
Nuclear plant design has evolved, he added. The facility slated for Bruneau would not include tall cooling towers often associated with nuclear power plants. Instead, a low bank of cooling units that look and operate similar
to an air-conditioner would be used.
The plant will not create a visual eyesore, Gillespie said, as it is nestled into a little valley. Nor will it impact local water users.
The current water right for the land, which is used for crops, is about 65 million gallons per day. The plant would use 100,000 gallons per day, and that includes restroom facilities, Gillespie noted.
Gillespie and his partners are taking a fast track approach to make the plant a reality. They hope to obtain approval from county and state officials, and begin preparing applications for submittal to the NRC by the end of 2007.
In 2008, the company hopes to gain approval of the NRC application, which requires numerous public hearings (that process could take up to two years).
If all applications are approved, and the state and county sign off on the project, construction would begin in 2011 and provide jobs for about 5,000 workers.
Construction would be completed in the first quarter of 2015, with the plant fully operational by the end of that year.
The plant would hire 500 permanent employees, and Gillespie said prime candidates would be given the necessary training to safely operate the
facility.