Hear, hear.

Agreed. If your source of energy is a fire in a cave, there are associated dangers.

Amen.

As soon as there is an alternative energy source that has been developed that can replace nuclear with the flip of a switch, I will become anti nuclear. Until that time, I say develop the heck out of it.

?? How many died, due to the "Nuclear" accident portion of the EarthQuake and Tsunami...So If "Lives are more important that the Economy", maybe you should all abandone your Ocean-side Cities?? ...Bad Economies kill way, way, more people every year, than all the Nuclear Accidents Combined...

Nuclear energy is safe. Using HAARP to start earthquakes near nuclear reactors, not safe.

Being adddicted to something that's bad for you is not"being a grownup."

Mr.PheaNiques-0000001: Zero died from the nuclear accident

Using HAARP

Not to delve into off topic discussions TOO much... but wireless energy transfer is a developing technology. But imagine the future when we do not need to provide battery power, or solar and our energy needs are simply beemed to us like radio waves. This timeline of wireless power gets very interesting towards the end, our modern day technology is incredible!

Japan is an island - and not even that big an island; they are betting their island that there won't be another major quake. It's their island - but it's not a bet I'd make.

This is amazing that the Japanese Government would be so whole sale reckless. They decide to start up unsafe power plants, despite the fact that Fukushima is still spewing out radiation and has not let up since the Earthquake, in fact the rate of Radiation leakage has increased by a very large amount. It has not gone down one bit.

I do not trust the Government of Japan... Not one bit

And thats my opinion

*************************************************************************

" Radiation levels were so high, the NBC News team on the ground had to wear face masks and full body suits. "

Seriously, are they THAT stupid ?????????

Face masks and full body suits protect against pollen, NOT RADIATION !!!!!!!!!

*******************************************************************************

*******************************************************************************

Not true. Small particles can land on the skin or be breathed in by the lungs. Once there they are a constant low level radiation source. How would you like a chest x-ray 24/7 for the rest of your life?

If you don't wear the body suit, kiss your clothes goodbye and expect to spend a long time in a haz mat shower.

Nearly a year after a tsunami and 9.0 magnitude earthquake hit Japan, NBC News Chief Foreign Correspondent Richard Engel travels to the evacuation zone surrounding the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant. The plant suffered a triple meltdown in the wake of the earthquake, turning the neighborhoods in the 12 mile radius of the plant into ghost towns. Engel journeyed near the mangled plant which remains very much a hotspot. Radiation levels were so high, the NBC News team on the ground had to wear face masks and full body suits. Even as NBC News drove half a mile from the reactor, radiation monitors were screaming in alarm

This part of the article, above, is pure fiction and lies! But, what else do we expect from our media jerks? See the below for facts and explanations well presented and see what is really going on. Japan has good controls in place and will go nuclear power again!

http://youtu.be/2Ncm8KwxWNg

@BA,

The "zero nuclear deaths" thing is complete nonsense and is false propaganda put out by people like the Koch brothers.

1961 Idaho Falls 3 killed

1976 Czechosolvokia 2 killed

1986 Chernobyl 56+ killed (over 4,000 cancers)

1999 Japan 2 killed

2004 Japan 5 killed

2011 Japan 3 killed

This does not count indirect deaths from cancer and injuries such as burns.

Nuclear power is not nearly as safe as it seems.

Agreed Chris, and thanks.

The "indirect" deaths are actually the most sad. At Chernobyl there have been reports and estimates of 4000 to 24000 cancers caused by the radiation release there (so far). Japan can expect the same or worse given the scale of the release. Remember MOX fuel was used in Fukushima reactor #3. MOX includes Plutonium which is extremely dangerous and has a half-life of 24,000 years. It will be killing people long after we have moved onto clean energy.

Nuclear power is too risky and too expensive per MWH when compared to other sources. We DO have the technology to use alternatives. We DONT have the polical will to fund and use them.

So Chris, how many coal miners were killed last year around the world? Hmmm 21 just in one accident in Kentucky. Would have to search OSHA for actual deaths at coal generation plants, but I am sure there are a few there too each year.

Interesting propaganda MSNBC...

Were you aware that the radiation spikes (ongoing since March 2011) all over North America are updated daily on IAEA's own website... Not to mention watchdog sites, galore.

I happen to be very, very concerned about the future of my children, and their children, and so on. Evidence of U.S. grassfed cattle having consumed biproducts of nuclear fuel rod fires; burning of radioactive waste in Japan; Plumes of radiation in the Pacific? Yeah, nothing to see here. Move along. Keep singing in the rain. You know that here in the Pac NW, there are radiation spikes EVERY TIME IT RAINS, and they are being reported quietly by all major universities.

Like sushi? All samples taken of Pacific Bluefin, indicator species for Pacific Ocean contamination, found to contain high levels of radioactive material, for over a year now.

IMHO, Japan has the opportunity to lead the world in alternative energy development and they are CHOOSING not to take it. Sad, really. They certainly have the track record in R&D to prove that they are more than capable of such innovation.

THIS IS THE "GREAT CULLING" OF THE "USELESS EATERS."

Who knew nuclear armageddeon would be so quiet; that death would not sound like the scream of multitudes and the exploding of bombs, but more of a whisper.

Chris-749391: Where did you get this figure of "Japan 2011 3 killed"? So far as I can recall, 5 people have died at the Fukushima Dai Ichi Nuclear power plant since the earthquake on 11 March 2011: 2 were crushed or drowned by water in the tsunami, 2 died of heart failure, and 1 died of a condition that began before the earthquake and tsunami. Attributing every death that has taken place at the nuclear power plant to the accident is like blaming every death that takes place at a movie theater on cinema.

Prior to 2011 Japan got 30% of is electricity from reactors.

They should develop more wind, solar, and hydro but that won't happen over night. I hope long term they do make the transition, I live in the Pacific Northwest so I'll be the first so see future releases.

Valhalla Phil, please, get your facts straight before writing nonsense. Do some research and in addition, see the link I provided in #1.13. Watch it, listen to it, and learn something.

Here it is again for ease :http://youtu.be/2Ncm8KwxWNg

Have a great rad day.

The sun shines in Japan. The wind blows there too. The tides go in and out. They have mountains with rivers and streams. They have excellent geothermal resources.

Japan should develop these before risking thier population with more nuclear power.

It's not just JAPAN. This effects everyone of us not living in Antarctica.

Subliminal, You may be interested in the studies from Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. Right after Fukushima happened, several professors gave presentations stating the health risks would be low. They had done actual research involving Hiroshima and Nagasaki survivors. These long-term studies have shown no difference in cancer rates or health issues than in European countries. One of my professors lived 5 miles outside of Nagasaki and saw the bombers and the effects of the bomb as a young child. Neither him nor any of his family had any ill effects. His father lived into his 90's.

I never really minded the Nuclear Winter and total death and destruction lies. People running the nuclear armed countries on this plant do not have an ounce common sense between them. It really is better for everyone if we have them believe that nuclear weapons = death and destruction of the whole planet.

Patrook Goreng: Japan does indeed have sun, wind, and tides. It also, however, has a very great many people crammed into a small habitable space and immediate needs for energy. (The monolithic entity) Japan is developing non-nuclear sources of power, but the country cannot go powerless until such are developed.

I've worked for the Japanese one time for a few years and can tell you their attention to detail is second to none. They check out things 3 times over and once more verbally anouncing what they are doing. When your doing a process that 1 tiny mistake can ruin a $50,000 to $100,000 item, you check it out closely and often. I believe that these reactors are more than safe to go.

6dogs: I've worked for the Japanese one time for more than 25 years and can tell you they're not perfect. On the other hand, most of the people I work with are, for whatever reasons, typically more conscientious than the Americans I worked with for 15 or so years. Still, just being Japanese does not bestow competence.

Germany is smart, France has had accidents that have poisoned an aquifer or two. As small as Germany is, they are by far #1 in solar.

I'm as conservative as they come and I have 10KW of solar. It's stupid to say wind an solar don't work when even our solar industry is doubling every year. Solar prices have plummeted so far they are way cheaper than nuclear, and even cheaper than coal if you DIY the installation. Internet vendors are thriving because installation is that straight forward.

Solar is the only energy source that pays you. All others cost you more, solar reduced my electric bill by 90% with a payback of less than eight years.

Wind is also working. TX gets 30% of it's energy from wind. Turbines are being installed all over the world.

Nat gas is killing coal as well, there is no reason we couldn't get all our power from wind, solar, and nat gas.

Hey, add hemp biodiesel to that list and you can nix natural gas. I lived for years in a town in CA being slowly poisoned to death by frac wells.

There is no real reason why we can switch over to biomass-sugar-turned-alcohol fuels with next to zero emissions to replace gasoline, while I'm at it.

I know I'll be criticized for saying it, but John Lennon once said, "There are no problems. Only solutions."

There is a lot of reality in that statement.

Oil lamps pollute the atmosphere.. they have a large carbon footprint and WHERE DOES THE OIL COME FROM.. probably greedy oil companies or whales.

I currently live in Izumo, Japan. My wife was in the area where the earthquake hit when it hit. I helped with disaster relief. I know the extent of damage to Japan. I can tell you, from personal experience, Japan is not covering it up. To be honest, I was shocked with how America treated it. The stories I heard were so wildly exaggerated that I had to check to make sure I understood what was being said. Your cover up theory doesn't sound plausible to me because I saw the aftermath and I heard what the Japanese Government said concerning it.

As for Chernobyl, if you understood the term "half-life" you'd know that it's not as toxic today as when the accident happened. If that was the case, Hiroshima and Nagasaki would still be uninhabitable from the dropping of the atomic bombs instead of the thriving cities they are today. Science also shows that one nuclear meltdown cannot affect an entire continent. Again, we can point to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Each city had a separate atomic bomb dropped on it. In both cases, both cities survived and rebuilt, and the neighboring cities were, if anything, only slightly affected on the outskirts nearest the site of the bombing.

In conclusion, please learn the facts about science and nuclear power.

I agree with Freedom

Japan has covered up, quite a lot of this Fukushima disaster. First they are not admitting that it is still very much ongoing. Its gotten a lot worse. Second the MSM is helping Japan cover it up by imposing a News Blackout on the actual news from the reactor. They report on other reactors but not Fukushima. Third the US Government is also helping with the cover up. Fourth Japan refuses to state truthfully how many have been hit with Radiation sickness world wide

And thats my opinion

Your opinions are not facts and you have no evidense to support your cover up BS

It amazes me, the number of people who have an opinion, often based on limited knowledge or information, and if the media reports fail to support those people's opinion, somehow that equates to a conspiracy and cover up.

If a bunch of Armchair Internet Rangers can uncover the truth, there isn't really much of a cover up, is there?

Isn't it interesting that all the anti nuclear people who want to go back to the dark ages (back to oil lamps) fail to realize that oil lamps don't generate electricity and no electricity means no computers and that means they can't spout their opinions to the world. Nuclear isn't perfect by any means, but when the environmental idiots stop new hydro plants or coal palnts from being built, nuclear is all we have left. Alternative energy is excessively expensive and not reliable at all. Until the next breakthrough, we have to get by with what we have. I certainly don't want to have to go through summer without air conditioning or winter without heat, and neither do all the anti nuke people. So, lighten up, folks, and instead of constantly bitching, get an education and start researching alternative energy courses. From what I see, an awful lot of you must not have jobs (I'm retired, myself). I could go on, but there is no use. The believers won't change their minds, and the non-believers won't become believers. And, by the way, have some of you ever heard of spell check????????

You know Canada has made great strides in non-obstructive hydroelectric turbines. It's the dams that are a problem. Disruption of watersheds is, IMO, a far greater danger in the environment than evil "carbon."

There has also been some measure of success with wave farming on the Oregon coast, though some investment and further development is needed.

And then the good old, simply-can't-have-it-because-the-wrong-people-benefit (by the way, the "wrong people" is us) hemp biodiesel, and biomass alcohol fuels (NOT corn ethanol, but composted green matter).

Ideas are actually rampant.

And Dave, coverups are very real when as few as 232 media executives control the standard information diet of nearly 200million people. Just because anyone with the will to do so can easily find independent documentation of discrepancies between observable facts and MSM reports, does not, by any means mean that people, in toto, would do so. Most folks would much rather bury their heads in the sand than admit to themselves that their governments, media, etc., are not entities operating with benevolent intent.

Freedom4Everyone and Magnum Serpentine: What evidence do you have that Japan is covering up anything? Are you comparing what information the media in Japan and the many governmental and non-governmental agencies that concern themselves with the situation are reporting information that does not jibe with other information you (but apparently not anyone in Japan) have access to? Are you checking, for example, the Japanese media, which reports on the Fukushima disaster and related topics every single day? Are you checking on what, say, Greenpeace is reporting and finding that that as well is false, even though it is more or less the same as what governmental bodies are reporting? Details, please.

Freedom4Everyone and Magnum Serpentine: What evidence do you have that Japan is covering up anything?

Well, does this count?

The Japanese government released a new report this week which blasts the response to the 2011 Fukushima disaster. It says that the tsunami estimates were well below the bounds of realistic expectation, the way the public was notified about the spread of radioactive materials was inappropriate, and that the nuclear safety rules overall were ineffective.

This coming after the Japanese government admitted another case of withholding reliable and important information from the public, and Science minister Hirofumi Hirano announced a new investigation as to why data regarding the spread of radioactive materials from the United States was not published or used to make evacuation decisions.

http://enformable.com/2012/06/japan-admits-another-case-of-withholding-reliable-and-important-information-from-the-public/

Citing sources NHK, The Asahi Shimbun, and The Japan Times.

shakalac: Nope, doesn't count. It counts for messing up, surely, but not covering up.

As far as I can tell, it is not necessarily the Japanese covering up Fukushima so much as the corporate media Stateside blacking out the story by simply neglecting to mention any of the details. As far as most of the American public is concerned, the disaster at Fukushima Dai Ichi is something that happened last March and is over. Unfortunately, March 11, 2011 was just the beginning. Here on the West coast of the US there are significant elevations in background radiation and they have, as yet, shown no sign of abatement. The lack of general awareness of this has very little, if anything, to do with the actions of the Japanese government.

The fact of the matter is that, in spite of a rareness of incidence, nuclear "accidents" are far bigger than we are, collectively, willing to admit, and in terms of human lifespans, are effectively permanent. The dirty secret is that THIS is what nuclear armageddeon looks like. Who knew it would be so quiet?

Update:

...Only days after deciding to restart the Ohi reactors, Kansai Electric the operator and the Nuclear and Industrial Safety Agency have already started out on the wrong foot with a “lapse in judgment” which delayed disclosure from the public.

Kansai Electric officials announced on Wednesday that an alarm had gone off at the plant 13 hours earlier the previous day around 09:50 pm Tuesday, indicating that water levels in a cooling water tank for the reactor’s power generator were 10 centimeters lower than usual.

When workers investigated the tank, the water level was 5 cm lower than normal, but there was no visible water leak from the tank and pipes, although some sweating on the pipes was confirmed.

The company has not determined the cause of the alarm at this time and have refilled the tank....

I'm sure that's making everyone feel warm and fuzzy right now about this restart.

I'm not sure that an alarm going off to let the operators know that the water tank was low is cause for concern just based on the details that you gave. Sounds to me like the safety systems were working fine. You didn't mention whether or not the water in the tank is radioactive. If it is radioactive, there is cause for concern, if not, no big deal. I'm still warm and fuzzy. Oh wait, that's the plutonium I'm sitting on.

You're not living in Japan either, are you?

Don't worry, you're not likely to be personally affected - not in your backyard, so why should you care?

http://enenews.com/cnn-unspeakable-rage-i-saw-my-wife-on-fire-this-is-tepcos-fault-no-official-count-of-how-many-are-killing-themselves-after-fukushima-video

No, and I wouldn't be worried even if it was in my back yard. I wouldn't be worried unless there was radiation that leaked. Otherwise, they have safety systems in place. As this system worked as designed, all seems to be fine.

In response to your link, Why was she depressed? Was it completely due to the evacuation of the "radioactive zone?" Was it due to the tsunami? Maybe relatives died in the tsunami. Maybe it was because of irrational fears are instilled in the public by the anti-nuclear crowd. To blame it on the nuclear disaster without more facts is bogus.

In response to your link, Why was she depressed?

Well, the person closest to her in life seems to think it might've had something to do with losing her home, her way of life, and being forced into the role of nuclear refugee in these, her later years.

I have a tendency to agree.

Newsflash, bohnmann:

If you live in North America, or anywhere in Asia, this (Fukushima) IS in your backyard. Into sushi? Good luck with that. Into Beef? Good luck with that (or consumption of any other herbivore, for that matter). Into eggs, milk, fruits, vegetables... eating food? Guess what, all directly affected, regardless of the absence of reporting from NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, etc.

Diatribe,

Can you point me to a link that specifically states the kinds of radiation (the specific radioactive elements) that are in "my beef" and the amounts both pre and post Fukushima. If not, then I'm not concerned.

I agree that radiation is bad. Just not as bad as you believe it is.

Shakalac,

All I am saying is that the story from your link is lacking in information. Sure the nuclear incident may have been a factor, but I highly doubt it was the only factor.

http://blog.alexanderhiggins.com/2012/06/12/fukushima-nuclear-radiation-beef-144811/

http://enenews.com/april-milk-sample-highest

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/may/29/tuna-contaminated-radiation-fukushima-california

http://www.king5.com/news/environment/High-levels-of-radiation-detected-in-Northwest-rainwater--125391598.html

...but if "State officials" tell you there is no problem, it's all ok, right?

That search took less than 5 minutes. Be less lazy, and you too may start to understand that not only is this disaster ongoing, but it is much, much larger than anyone culpable is willing to admit.

As for your first link, the data doesn't really look scientific. (peer reviewed, etc.) And it comes from someone with an agenda. Not really good data. Sorry.

As for the third link:

Madigan told Reuters: "I wouldn't tell anyone what's safe to eat or what's not safe to eat. It's become clear that some people feel that any amount of radioactivity, in their minds, is bad and they'd like to avoid it. But compared to what's there naturally ... and what's established as safety limits, it's not a large amount at all."

This agrees with what I said. Radiation is bad, but not as bad as you think it is. Yes, there was obviously radiation leaked into the ocean. I don't believe that I ever said that there wasn't, but it was diluted down by the size of the ocean and the amount of radiation that was released.

Your fourth link is probably the best, but in that link,

"Even the watchdog group admits, watering plants with water exposed only briefly to those levels is unlikely to cause health problems."

I'm fine if you run around stating that nuclear is bad, you are entitled to your opinion. Radiation is bad, in large amounts at a single exposure, and at small amounts over time. At the levels that are being reported, there is no cause for alarm. But keep saying that the sky is falling. When we move to more nuclear energy, you will help keep the government more honest than it wants to be when reporting results from testing and keeping regulations in place that will make nuclear energy safer.

In additional response to your source number 4,

It states that there was iodine in the rainwater, but stated that there wasn't radiation in the air. This is due to the physical properties of iodine. It is volatile, which means that it evaporates into the air, similar to the way that rain clouds are formed. So if there was iodine in the ocean (which it appears there probably was) it makes sense that it evaporated and came down as rain. Which means that a majority of the other elements that may have been released probably sank to the bottom of the ocean and are more than likely not an issue.

http://ije.oxfordjournals.org/content/33/5/929.full

http://vivretchernobyl.blogspot.com/2008/09/r-i-goncharova-transgenerational.html

http://researchnews.wsu.edu/environment/139.html

Oh hell, maybe I only care because I have kids, and maybe someday they will have kids. Environmental toxicity has and is fundamentally changing the way our genome expresses. You are obviously entitled to hold whatever opinions help you get to sleep at night.

diatribe: What do the things you cited in #6.25 have to do with radiation releases from the Fukushima Dai Ichi power plant? There is no suggestion of epigenetic effects from radiation or radioactive particles (especially those involving the kinds of radiation being released in Japan) in the first or third article, and the second concerns 22 generations of animals being consistently exposed to radiation and in numbers far larger than possibly involved in Fukushima and environs.

More alarms at Oi this morning.

From Tass:

The plant's operator has announced that trouble with electric
power cables in the third and fourth reactors might have caused the alarm.

Both reactors are due to be restarted shortly after a temporarily
shutdown and a safety check prompted by last year's devastating earthquake.

From Kyodo:

The central control room for the Nos. 3 and 4 reactors at the Oi power plant
in Fukui Prefecture registered two alarms indicating trouble with electric power
cables between late Saturday and early Sunday, but no glitches were found,
according to the plant's operator, Kansai Electric Power Co.

The utility said the alarm system error is believed to have been caused as a
radio signal, which monitors the connection conditions of the cables, was
temporarily interrupted due to an unstable atmosphere...

What do the things you cited in #6.25 have to do with radiation releases from the Fukushima Dai Ichi power plant?

Epigenetic transmission is a very real issue in an increasingly toxic world. The first and third links were background on epigenetics, in general.

There is no suggestion of epigenetic effects from radiation or radioactive particles (especially those involving the kinds of radiation being released in Japan) in the first or third article,

If epigenetic effects are somehow NOT relevant to what is happening currently in Japan, then they are not relevant anywhere. Your logical fallacy is showing.

and the second concerns 22 generations of animals

You don't like voles as a representation for mammalian genetic tendencies relative to nuke-related epigenetic abnormalities...? How about cats?

http://fukushima.org.ua/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-fukushima-researcher/

Voles are a good study in intergenerational effects BECAUSE they have such a short timeframe per generation. Did the issue escape you? The decrease in exposure over time (roughly one order of magnitude per decade) does not correspond with an equal reduction in aberrant gene expression.

...the kinds of radiation being released in Japan...

being consistently exposed to radiation and in numbers far larger than possibly involved in Fukushima and environs.

Oh, did your TV tell you the Fukushima fiasco is over and cleaned up?

http://enenews.com/tokyo-begin-burning-radioactive-waste-disaster-area-will-continue-march-2014-city-process-1-billion-pounds

http://enenews.com/just-in-fukushima-will-start-burning-radioactive-waste-100000-bqkg-to-be-incinerated-1-billion-pounds-of-debris-in-exclusion-zone-mainichi

Hardly...

PS-Chernobyl is completely relevant according to people who know better (clearly) than you or I.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-alvarez/the-fukushima-nuclear-dis_b_1444146.html

http://akiomatsumura.com/2012/04/682.html

AND it is much bigger than Japan.

http://www.nuc.berkeley.edu/node/4737

http://www.whiteoutpress.com/articles/q22012/fukushima-radiation-poisoning-infecting-us573/

http://www.shtfplan.com/headline-news/the-radiation-warnings-you-wont-get-from-the-mainstream-propaganda-machine_04022012

You, too, are obviously entitled to whatever opinions help you get to sleep at night. The available data doesn't necessarily support your spurious sense of well being, but don't let that bother you.

PPS-What happened to the roof of reactor #4?... You are in Japan. Tell me what your TV says... or the State-controlled newspaper...

As of June 2011, 80% of Japanese now say they are anti-nuclear and distrust government information on radiation. It's not just pot smokers. It's everybody. ;) sited source

Also for a list of nuclear of accidents in Japanese history scroll down to 'other'. Wiki-Nuclear Power in Japan

Japan may restart reactors but they have failed to take protective action on their storage pools, and the real threat of an earthquake lies there, if they were compromised the scope of the meltdown would overtake Japan and its neighbors. Links

There are more news articles stating Tepco has no plan to take action until the end of 2013, but I tire of linking.

"U.S. Daily Oil Production At Highest Level Since 1998"
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/plugged-in/2012/06/11/u-s-daily-oil-production-at-highest-level-since-1998/

It would seem that the oil industry is muddling thru.

Check your facts, they have authorized new rigs in the gulf.

"Oil leak" ha. my car had an oil leak the other day, quick someone warn the people on the gulf coast!

Drilling is up on private land, it's way down on public land. Permits are dribbling out but just enough to say they are happening, no more.

Maybe you should consult the USGS website. You'll see that earthquakes are quite common in Japan. Considering that the entire country straddles a subduction fault, the likelihood of large earthquakes is that much greater. It's not like, oh, there was a big earthquake recently so there won't be another one for a while. They don't save up for the "big one." They simply are what they are.

Wind and solar would be a start. TX gets 30% of it's energy from wind. I get 90% of my energy from solar! :<)

I don't know if Japan has enough unused real estate to make up all that power with solar and wind. They do tend to be land intensive. Even if they try to use every roof top that will support all that extra weight.

There will be another disaster and another excuse to explain it. There is no such thing as fail safe, period. I architect and designed such systems, the best you can do is improve the probabilities. Probabilities will NEVER be zero.

The problem is that if the odds are a million to one, it's not the million, but the one. Humans are fallible and as long as the "one" is in there and we have no viable contingency plan for containment of such disasters, the margin of error is truly unacceptable.

The human cost of the Fukushima disaster will not be able to be calculated for generations to come. Direct casualties are not the only form of collateral damage, but as long as the nuclear industry continues to deny the uptick in disease, birth defects, etc., we will be hard-pressed to determine real world statistics in connection with said disaster (still very much happening, btw) or any of the countless other "small" incidents.

...and let's not talk about the involvement of STUXNET or the fact that the backup generators never had the capacity to handle the cooling at the dai ichi plant...

Coal is being replaced by nat gas at half the price so your acid rain argument holds no water.

US can be independent with wind, solar, and nat gas. Again, TX gets 30% of it's power from wind, Montana actually generates more than TX does. I get 90% of my electricity from solar, less than 8 year payback.

People really don't realize how far solar costs have plummeted. If you DIY the installation it is one of the cheapest energy sources you can buy. It is the only source that pays you, all others cost you.

Japan has no natural gas and no coal to make it. It would have to import all that fuel onto the islands. It's already the worlds largest importer of coal and LNG.