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From: bitmap@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: re: Sevener vs. Wheeler on nuclear power
Message-ID: <450@ucbtopaz.CC.Berkeley.ARPA>
Date: Sat, 7-Apr-84 03:18:18 EST
Article-I.D.: ucbtopaz.450
Posted: Sat Apr  7 03:18:18 1984
Date-Received: Sun, 8-Apr-84 01:26:04 EST
Organization: Univ. of Calif., Berkeley CA USA
Lines: 35

<....>
Jon White claims:

>Nuclear power provides 4% [of] our nation's total energy needs
>(this is a 1977 figure, but it has got to be close to the current
>figure).  

A perhaps misleading statistic.  Nuclear power is generally used to
provide electrical power, and should be compared with total
electrical power energy needs.  In the back of my mind I have the
figure of 30% of the New England region's (electrical) power comes
from nuclear plants.  (anyone know for sure?)

I seriously doubt that nuclear power plants are more polluting than
their fossil fueled equivalents, esp. coal.   I will also claim
that there are far more coal power plant related deaths, adjusted
for, say, national percentage of power, than there are for nuclear.
You may include cancers from mining Uranium, cancers & lung related
deaths from particulates from coal plants, deaths (any?) from
accidents at nuclear power plants, coal mine/Uranium mine
accidents, black-lung deaths, or whatever else you might think of
for these two sources of energy.

As far as being expensive & govt subsidized, I'll agree that they
shouldn't be subsidized.  Neither, I think, should they be subject
to what many feel to be excessive red-tape, which is a large part
of the reason for their expense.
 
Does anyone know what the percentage of electricity produced by
nuclear power in France is?  My impression is that it is fairly
high.

Sam Hall
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