Why did federal grant bypass Callaway project?

Monday, January 28, 2013

Third District Congressman Blaine Luetkemeyer and five members of the Missouri delegation in Congress have signed a joint letter to Energy Secretary Steven Chu demanding to know why the U.S. Department of Energy failed to fund an application from Ameren Missouri and Westinghouse to design and build small nuclear reactors at the Callaway Energy Center.

The bipartisan joint letter to the Obama Administration official is signed by U.S. Sens. Claire McCaskill and Roy Blunt, Luetkemeyer and five members of Congress from Missouri except U.S. Reps. William Lacy Clay Jr. of St. Louis and Emanuel Cleaver of Kansas City. The Eighth District seat is now vacant after the resignation of Rep. Jo Ann Emerson.

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Meanwhile, Callaway County Western District Commissioner Doc Kritzer said Saturday he is disappointed in the action of the Department of Energy in its apparent decision to deny the grant for the Callaway Energy Center project.

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connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Why did Obama's department of energy ignore and withhold the funds from Missouri for this project? That's easy. Missouri voted Republican. All part of Obama's dirty politics.

Since I happen to be one of the few who believe placing nuclear reactors near fault lines is a bad idea I am all for Obama's Chicago style of political punishment in this particular case.

Thank you sir may I have another.

JCLifer 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Same reason Obama didn't award Missouri millions of dollars in Race to the Top education money to help fix our schools and hire better teachers.

asb 3 months, 3 weeks ago

There are no known, significant, fault lines anywhere near the existing or projected plants. There ARE many faults, posing no danger to a nuke plant, EVERYWHERE. The idea that the Obama administration is punishing Missouri for being a conservative state is hysterical and hysterically funny. I'd like to know why the application was rejected also. But keep in mind, this is an application for federal money; are we sure we want federal money for this project? Uh, yes we are.

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

We are well within the destructive range of one of the largest fault lines in the world and although it has been stable for a while now the New Madrid has had a couple of rumblings lately again. Also the terrain surrounding the current plant is entirely too rocky and hilly and easily cut off from fuel resupply and electric lines. Regardless of what type of reaction is used the spent rods are still stored on site and those rods require water and circulation to remain contained. In a crisis or an emergency they rely on backup diesel generators. Years ago the isolated nature and small population made the risk bearable today that is no longer the case.

There are other more suitable sites for these reactors Callaway county is no longer one of them and has put in it's time and taken the risk for reduced fossil fuel use. It's some other places turn now.

RobHunterJohnson 3 months, 3 weeks ago

5 different electrical feeds to shut it down? Mr Conner The planet is made up of Rock, where would you like to store the fuel? Its is probably in the safest location around, my children live 20 miles west of New Madrid it bumps about every week, if Amerens plant was built down in the bottom might be a different sitiuation, but it is built on one of the best sites in the country! There is about the same amount of people there now as when thay built it in thier 10 mile radius? Unless you are doing some more of that 118% MATH! Where is a suitable site Mr Conner? Rob

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

I could care less about shutting it down. I care about the spent fuel rods laying in the pool that has only a diesel generator backing it up.

How long have some parts of New York been without power now after the mini hurricane?

Oh ya natural disasters can't happen here that's right.

asb 3 months, 3 weeks ago

The existing plant would've withstood the New Madrid quake, would've scared the woozie out of the staff, but not hurt the plant more than a shut-down. With all the transmission infrastructure connected to Callaway, all the roads, all the skilled people, etc. why go elsewhere. Why not keep the money here? Our society is willing to take any known gambles regarding nuke energy, right or wrong, so they're going to build more. Why throw away an economic boon to some other location.

JCLifer 3 months, 3 weeks ago

It is as though folks like to be poor and #50 state in the nation. They are proud to be losers and uneducated around here.

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

And not glowing in the dark as well.

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Ya they used to say such things as it being safe no matter what about Fukishima as well.

Incoming economic benefits are minimal and short term. Long term disaster and spent fuel rod use is unacceptable. Look at the range of ruined irradiated land around Chernobyl, 10 miles is not a sufficient barrier.

If we want to build these plants we need to have some way of disposing of the spent fuel safely FOREVER and all property within the irradiation area of any possible accident needs to be purchased and cleared of all human habitation.

There are a few possible areas out West that could be used still.

RobHunterJohnson 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Thanks JC, we do not see eye to eye on everthing, but some of these folks make me wonder where they really stand on anything? You know I beleve in SS, MC, health care, a strong position in the world, paying my Fair Share, Babies, and Guns! My position reflects on my upcoming retirement in a few years, it is important to me, and others? I have been refererd to as the ULTRA LEFT? If I am left I am not very far left? When you have an issue you write your senator, or congressman! That is the way you influence someone, not on a blog. No phone calls, because that is not part of the record! I let them no what is on my mind. Kehoe is trying hard to get this done, so is Jeanne Riddle! I just have to question ones motives when they take the stands they do! Sure it could be money that is the driving force, I want the cheapest most reliable electricity available especially when I am retired. Remember when Labidie was down during the Flood of 93, Callaway was 30 percent of Amerens Grid, these folks that complain will be the first, and the loudest ones to complain when the lights go out. If they think their coops are Great, just ask them where they buy electricity from when the TV is screaming peak alert. Ameren Rob

JCLifer 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Rob, we agree on a hell of a lot more than we disagree on.
I am sick of everyone else getting the money and the benefits and we get nothing. Other areas of the state got lots of highway constuction money overthe past 20 years. Central Missouri gets very little. Did you know Kansas City got yet another interstate last month? They already had more miles of interstate per capitata than anywhere else and they get another one?

RobHunterJohnson 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Yes, I do appreciate that but having worked in both KC, and St Louis on a daily basis their road could use help? We do deserve the money, alot of the process I do not understand, at this point I will not get to work on unit 2, oh well! There is so much benefit from new construction! I have to wonder where some of these folks kids go to school, especially the Callaway Co residents on this blog? A Hard Hat in every other cars back window on a Friday night on any towns main drag in Central Missouri! Those workers spend the money, been there lived it! ( 3 different locations) Rob

RobHunterJohnson 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Conner, all those beautiful shots fron the hill side of Fukeshima Nuclear plant, That is where their backup Generators needed to be located? The Japs are so good at everthing? They never anticipated a 40' wall of water coming, and staying, or sticking accelerator pedals? The state needs to build a repository right near Callaway for our state's Radioactive waste materials, and to __ with the rest of them! Rob

RobHunterJohnson 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Conner you are a big military guy, what the heck do you think the Ruskies were doing at Chernoble it is a graphite reactor there are only 3 in the US, WA, TN, and SC, and what do you think they make there? All the Soviets are graphite? They also put their plants in Butler type buildings? Rob

bluesfan13 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Chernobyl was an electrical generating station. Nothing more.

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

I wonder why I am even bothering but one last time I do not care what type of reaction or what way they introduce the material to create that reaction. The end result is still the same and guess what it is very dangerous.

On this particular matter I solidly join the lefty environmentalist because until some way is invented to safely get rid of the spent fuel rods we are only courting disaster. You can talk about backup generators, roads, or monkeys with frying pans for all I care but until someone can prove that every employee can walk away from a site with no meltdown ever occurring forever than the technology is not complete and we have no business leaving waste around that can last for centuries and we certainly have no business leaving that waste lay around in dozens of sites just within the US for our children to deal with.

I am sure the gas factories and the local construction crews were all happy to be paid for building the gas chambers in Germany as well, so what? There are other construction jobs. Who in their right mind would take pay for something that could possibly destroy a huge section of the earth along with millions (or around here 100's of thousands) of people and continue to pump out radiation for centuries?

We are not talking about some salt mine that pollutes a stream for a few miles or renders a field barren for a few decades. We are talking about a killer that will destroy everything it can reach simply by floating on the wind and it has no business being within range of any population center.

If they can figure out a way to safely dispose of, reuse or render the by products inert I would be all for nuclear power but until they do I am dead set against it even if I have to pay and run my own generator at peak times when the power goes out. I will even gladly pay twice as much for electricity rather than be willing to force others to take a risk of a nuclear incident.

Luckily for this area the underhanded schemes AMEREN is trying to sneak by and get away with are not so sneaky as to fool the crowd so it looks like they won't get to build the thing unless they use their own money. This shows an interesting twist as well because apparently the risk/reward ratio is not high enough for them to find funding without government and tax payer subsidies. This should also tell you something.

Lastly I wouldn't have anything with the name Westinghouse on it anywhere near my home. Any company that can produce the cheap stuff they do and pass it off on the consumer is not a company I would trust with my life or the earth.

whocares 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Conner, these places out west that you talk of are where you need to be. If you think a nuclear plant is the only thing that creates something that will be here for years then you are living under a rock. When you decide to educate yourself on the plant then maybe you can talk about how unsafe it is.

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

So you claim we could remove all employees from that plant right now and never have an issue? I have all the education needed to know that would be a lie. Perhaps the area around that plant is not important to you but it is to me and so I fight it every chance I have.

JCLifer 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Millions have died from coal mining and we still burn coal.
Don't be afraid of the scary noocular power.

Laar plant I toured was Cook, in very populated area near Chicago. They have a lot more scary things than a nuke plant there.

Remember when natural gas scared everyone because the flame would travel up the pipes and burn down entire towns.

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

And your point? I believe I already addressed the coal, natural gas, whatever issue above. The damage those industries do is manageable. Would I do it? No. Is it right? Not really but do any of those industries pose even a hypothetical threat as massive as a nuclear reactor with no employees and no electricity?

Not one bit.

whocares 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Why would you remove them? Just when is the last time you toured the plant? Or spoke with anyone that works there and understands it? I live closer than you and I'm not scared. Like Lifer said, I'm more scared of Chicago!

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

And exactly how do you know you live closer than I do? As a matter of fact I can quite clearly see the top of the tower with the steam plume even at night from my side deck when they are running the thing. Chances are I am in fact much closer to it than you are.

I have only toured it once and I don't care to go back. But since you know so much about it answer my question. Can you confirm that the plant will never over heat and never spew radiation into the air if there are no employees there and no electricity to run the place?

Go ahead answer the question.

JCLifer 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Dude, you need to move before thst thing blows up and kills you! Ameren employees couldn't even manage a dam with a computer controlled pump with a backup safety switch. You just know some employee in the control room at Callaway will fall asleep or go take a nice long dump and the whole works will overheat and blow the whole region to smithereens. How can you sleep at night?

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

heh. that was actually quite witty lifer, touche.

I hope I am outside the really bad limits of the thing since the winds typically blow from me to it. If there was a melt down though I would be ruined though so ya I will even admit a bit a personal bias here.

BubbaD 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Then you should have many neighbors who can explain the fail-safe systems to you.

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Well perhaps you will answer my question then since you bring up fail safe systems? Care to give it a go?

BubbaD 3 months, 3 weeks ago

No, your neighbors know better than I. I know about earthquakes, in detail. I don't know about Calloway. I know some of you neighbors, they DO know about the fail safe systems. I've asked about them, but don't remember the information in detail.

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

LOL yet you know them well enough that you are willing to defend them? As for my neighbors the only so called engineers I have even known that worked at that plant didn't live this close to it. The closest I know of was Fainwood in JC.

Don't worry I have asked and got the same answer. They don't believe a disaster can ever happen of that magnitude. I disagree. As I said though their own greed is working to my advantage at the moment so I am all for it.

BubbaD 3 months, 3 weeks ago

A bunch of Ameren employees lived in the Red Bud neighborhood. One doesn't have to be an engineer to know and understand the fail-safe systems. So, your belief trumps knowledge and education? Its your life to fret away...

BubbaD 3 months, 3 weeks ago

As far as knowing the fail-safe systems, I found the explanations to be persuasive, but I don't remember all of the details. I do have a basis for judgement, but only remember the outcome at this point. Sue me.

BubbaD 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Distance from the epicenter is a factor in earthquake risk prediction. But the effect of shaking is greatly dependent on the type and depth of the quake as well as the soil and rock at the site where you are estimating the risk. In areas of deep soil with shallow water tables, such as the Mississippi River valley, will actually exaggerate the shaking....just like a bowl of jello. Jefferson City is founded on shallow soil overlying hard bedrock. The soil is somewhat thicker at New Madrid, but it overlies hard bedrock too. In each case the consequences of shaking at this distance from a New Madrid earthquake centered on the zones experiencing tremors in recent decades would be rather small. The river bottoms near St. Louis and Memphis would be much different. Add the www and check out this page: showme.net/~fkeller/quake/maps.htm

JCLifer 3 months, 3 weeks ago

No problem with high water tables around here.

BubbaD 3 months, 3 weeks ago

....nor thick layers of soil. Ain't far to bedrock.....

connor 3 months, 3 weeks ago

Ok BubbaD. Again so what? I never even implied that the tower falling down was a concern of mine. What I am worried about is roadways getting to it, power lines getting to it, and employees always caring enough to stay with it.

Even a mild earthquake can render areas impassable and break all kinds of lines. Also besides the many roads leading in comment there are only a few and they all eventually share some common passages limiting it down to really three choke points. I am reminded of an old tale of an earthquake that made a river hereabouts run backwards?

Besides even your web site link shows the plant as being in the possible damage zone of the fault line picture about midway down for a 7.6 quake.

But again it isn't damage to the plant that worries me. see above for clarification.

BubbaD 3 months, 3 weeks ago

No, there are not likely to be lots of power lines broken. Bridges that are at risk are much closer to New Madrid. You have to understand the implications for the various zones. The map you are referring to is a map of acceleration, not damage. We get about 10% of the acceleration of gravity. St. Louis could get 350%. You are worried about something you don't understand. Ask some of your neighbors that work at the plant about the various fail-safe systems. They could explain it best.

Why did federal grant bypass Callaway project?

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