By Order of the Presidents, Let There be Light!

     Hello readers and fellow bloggers! Welcome to our fifth post. In this post, we'd like to take you on a journey to our conjured up world. The year is still 2012, our country is facing its worst power crisis ever due to sky-rocketing global prices of oil. Now, the Executive Body of the land (yup, we are now governed by a committee of 5, which are, and you guessed it, Presidents Euxine, Lionhart, Arketa, Pimpleface and PrinnyThE) must decide on whether to go nuclear by harnessing power from the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant or not . Come, imagine with us...
                                             
     "Our beloved citizens, our country is in dire need of a dependable source of energy. One that is not controlled by the select few, but one where we can harness almost limitless amount of power at a reasonable price.

Bataan Nuclear Power Plant

     "Some of our advisers are mentioning the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant. Nuclear power, after all is very reliable. It produces amounts of energy that coal can only dream of. In fact, 1 cubic foot of Uranium has the same amount of energy as that of 1.7 million tons of coal, 7.2 million barrels of oil or 32 billion cubic feet of natural gas. That means, no more brownouts!  Not to mention that fuel rods only need to be changed every 3 years. Plus, only 1/3 of the original set of fuel rods need to be replaced, the rest can be recycled. Nuclear energy also produces less pollution (1/3 CO2/ kWatt as compared to coal) than the present sources of energy. Which means that there would be less deaths caused by respiratory cancer."

     "However, Uranium is a non-renewable energy source and is not a local fuel. It is still controlled by a select few namely Kazakhstan, Canada and Australia. It doesn't come cheap too."

     "They may produce less CO2 than fossil fuel but they still pose many threats to people and the environment. Threats from uranium mining, processing, transport and storage of radioactive nuclear wastes, etc. have plagued the more advanced nations of the world. The disposal of highly toxic and radioactive nuclear wastes away from society is super tough since by-products remain radioactive for thousands of years. Small accidents may be catastrophic."

     "Think of the Three Mile Island meltdown in Pennsylvania. A simple mechanical failure led to a release of moderate amounts of radioactive gases and radioactive iodine into the environment including 40,000 gallons of radioactive waste water directly into the Susquehanna River. Think about the Chernobyl explosion in Ukraine where four hundred times more radioactive materials were released than the atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This Chernobyl accident led to almost 1 million pre-mature cancer deaths and had contaminated their rivers and reservoirs. Even the flora and fauna of neighboring countries were found to still be radioactive 25 years after the meltdown."

     "Our fellow citizens, the Bataan Nuclear Power Plant is a mere 8-minute drive to the Pawikan Conservation Center and just a few kilometers aways from human settlement. Imagine what would happen to our people and our environment in case an accident happens at BNPP. We are not discounting the fact that our engineers and scientists are excellent in their field of expertise. But weren't the Americans and the Russians pioneer in the field of nuclear technology as well? In fact, the Russians were already operating nuclear plants for 30 years prior to the Chernobyl incident. Some would argue that with modern technology and increase funding, the BNPP can be operated safely. But, think about the Fukushima Daichii meltdown that rendered the surrounding areas uninhabitable for decades. Wasn't Japan one of the most developed countries with state of the art nuclear technology and highest degree of quality control? Yet, the meltdown in Fukushima shows that no one has complete control over nuclear safety."
   
     "Consider too that the BNPP is located between two volcanoes, Mt. Natib and Mt. Mariveles. It is also suspected to lie on a fault. Imagine what could happen if a magnitude 8 earthquake strikes in that area. Is it really worth the risk?"

Renewable Energy

     "Our dear fellowmen, we think not. We believe that the future of energy lies not in nuclear but on natural, renewable sources. The sun still shines, the wind still blows, the water still flows, and the depth of the earth is still burning. Sure, we may not get as much energy now as what the nuclear plants can provide. But, a little conservation and sacrifice is not such a bad thing. Besides, cutting-edge researches are now being conducted all over the world to improve and perfect the harvesting of renewable energy. Do you know why dear citizens? Because even the developed nations who are using nuclear energy believe in the power and potential of renewable energy."

     "With that, we the Presidents, say NO to the opening of the BNPP."