Shut old nuclear reactors, says unprecedented alliance of EU cities

[bananas]

Source: Guardian

An unprecedented alliance of 30 major cities and districts from three countries has joined forces to try to shut down two ageing Belgian nuclear reactors close to their borders.

Cologne and Dusseldorf in Germany, Luxembourg City and Maastricht in the Netherlands are among the cities co-funding a lawsuit to close one reactor – Tihange 2 – and calling on the European commission to prepare a separate case at the European court of justice.

<snip>

The 40-year old reactors have been plagued by a litany of problems such as reactor pressure vessel micro-cracks, fire and one mysterious case of sabotage.

<snip>

Martin Schulz, the president of the European parliament, is said to be a supporter of the campaign and may add heft to its call for the release of allegedly missing documents authorising the reopening of the two reactors.

<snip>

Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/mar/17/shut-old-nuclear-reactors-says-unprecedented-alliance-of-eu-cities

[Still In Wisconsin]

1. I could not agree more. n/t

[Eric J in MN]

2. Bernie Sanders wants the US to phase out nuclear power by not renewing plant licenses. NT

NT

[burrowowl]

3. K&R!!!!!!

[NNadir]

4. Shutting nuclear reactors kills people. Air pollution kills more people every day than the...

...half a century of experience, worldwide, with nuclear energy, all the reactors ever built, approximately 450 of them.

Unlike wind turbines and the electronic waste being generated to produce useless solar panels, nuclear plants are designed to last for generations. I'm an old man, and the reactor built in my state, New Jersey, when I was a teenager is still saving lives that would otherwise be lost to air pollution.

Unfortunately, the opponents of nuclear energy couldn't care less about the seven million deaths each year from air pollution, half of which come from outdoor air pollution, as reported in one of the premier scientific journals:

The contribution of outdoor air pollution sources to premature mortality on a global scale

The other half comes from indoor air pollution, largely tied to poverty. We know the attitude of anti-nukes toward poor people by the signature of the prices of electricity in Germany, which is the second highest in Europe (after Denmark), nearly double that of France.

One of the interesting things about anti-nukes, is that they continually cite newspaper articles written by technically illiterate reporters, when plenty of scientific literature about the real state of affairs is clearly known.

Nuclear energy is the last, best, hope of the human race.