Working for the Benefit of Humanity ... Rather than the "Special Interests"
Other Subjects of Interest
ENERGY INDUSTRY
NUCLEAR
The articles linked below show just some of the problems associated with nuclear facilities, with special focus on the damaged Fukushima nuclear plant.
There is a lot which can be learned from the ongoing Fukushima disaster. Firstly, it is now obvious that a nuclear facility can be greatly damaged by the effects associated with a major earthquake. Secondly, it is very obvious that a damaged nuclear facility can spread dangerous radioactive materials throughout the world environment.
Let us now turn to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation. There are very serious problems at this facility, as shown by the articles linked below. Dangerous, radioactive materials are steadily leaking into the surrounding environment.
There is actually much more to this story, as indicated by the articles linked below. The large amount of very dangerous, radioactive brew in these faulty tanks is steadily producing combustible hydrogen gas.
What would happen if there was a large explosion in one of these faulty tanks? Could that large explosion, in any manner, have detrimental effects on surrounding tanks? Could such an event cause even a larger volume of dangerous radioactive materials to suddenly be spewed into the surrounding environment?
Hanford Nuclear Reservation has been discharging dangerous radioactive materials into the Columbia River for many decades, as shown by the documents linked below. These dangerous materials have been found all the way down the Columbia River and into the Pacific Ocean.
The document linked below presents a long list of radionuclides which have been released over the years from Hanford Nuclear Reservation into the air and the Columbia River.
Scroll about one-quarter of the way down in the document linked below. There, you will find some very telling information. First, you will find a map of the current extent of groundwater contamination at Hanford. Further down, the document declares that "Approximately 16,000 meters of Columbia River shoreline receive contaminated groundwater"
Information further down in the document shows where "contaminated groundwater upwells into the gravel bed of the river." The document also shows the Riparian Zone, where contaminated groundwater, again, seeps into the river.
The document linked above also lists contaminates currently entering the Columbia River via the contaminated groundwater. These harmful radioactive elements include: Strontium-90, Uranium, Tritium, and Iodine-129.
The document above also declares: "The conferees are concerned about DOE's efforts to protect contaminants from reaching the Columbia River. Technology used in several remedies is not performing satisfactorily, and there is a lack of new technologies to address contamination issues.
The 2010 EPA document linked below declares, in the third paragraph: "Approximately 11 square miles of groundwater are contaminated, primarily with chromium and radioactive elements. Groundwater is not currently used for drinking water; however, it does discharge into the Columbia River which is used by downstream communities for drinking water and other purposes."
A diligent search of the Internet will produce a number of documents which show that contaminated, radioactive groundwater from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation is currently discharging into the Columbia River.
It seems rather strange that politicians want the public to be worried that dangerous radioactive materials from Hanford could eventually get into the Columbia River system, rather than admitting that dangerous materials have been steadily discharging into the Columbia River and our environment for decades from this highly contaminated nuclear facility.
There is one question which comes to mind. Is the general public being "played for fools" by politicians and a certain segment of the nuclear industry? Then again, possibly a certain segment of the politicians are being deceived by people associated with the nuclear industry. Either way, it appears the public is not receiving the truth regarding the nature of existing nuclear hazards which could greatly effect their health and well being.
The article linked below shows some of the disturbing things which seem commonplace at the Hanford vitrification project. The nuclear treatment plant is designed around 'black cells,' yet, after spending multiple billions of dollars on the plant ... "the U.S. Department of Energy is still trying to figure out whether they'll work." These 'black cells' will be "highly radioactive and inaccessible to humans for the treatment plant's life."
The above article states further that... "The black cells will be so radioactive that human beings won't be allowed in, and remote access is limited. They'll have to operate with "perfect reliability" for 40 years for the plant to work as designed."
The above article shows concerns about the buildup of hydrogen gas in the plant, with resulting explosions. It shows concerns about a possible "uncontrolled nuclear reaction."
The article linked below declares that "several senior engineers cited design problems that could bring the plant's operations to a halt before much of the waste is treated." This article also speaks about "the risk of a hydrogen explosion or uncontrolled nuclear reaction inside the plant. Either could damage critical equipment, shut the facility down or, worst case, allow radiation to escape."
UNCONTROLLED NUCLEAR REACTION
Not only is Hanford leaking dangerous materials, but they are also building what appears to be a very dangerous and under-designed vitrification plant. As noted earlier, it appears the vitrification plant could experience "an uncontrolled nuclear reaction.
The article called "Cleaning Up a Cold War Mess" declares: "Some of the high-level waste has turned out to be more complex than anticipated, with plutonium particles up to 10 times larger than expected. That has heightened concerns among several scientists."
The article also states that "if too much plutonium masses together, triggering an uncontrolled nuclear reaction that generates extreme heat and radioactivity, [it is] threatening workers and the plant's operation."
The webpage linked below gives visual examples of the different between a controlled and an uncontrolled nuclear reaction.
Yes, it strongly appears that the Hanford vitrification plant and the associated radioactive waste tanks are currently being set up to become a form of world class, nuclear "dirty bomb." This could produce serious devastation in the surrounding region.
Depending on which way the wind is blowing on any given day, an accident at Hanford could bath large segments of the nation's population with harmful radiation. It could also produce detrimental effects in at least Canada, if not further abroad.
EARTHQUAKE HAZARDS
In another vein, what would be the outcome at Hanford in the event of a major Cascadia earthquake, such as that which occurred in the year 1700, and a repeat of which appears to be overdue?
In such an event, could leaky tanks suddenly gush radioactive materials into the surrounding environment? Could additional tanks be damaged and begin to leak? Could an operating vitrification plant suddenly erupt into a massive nuclear reaction, spreading deadly radioactivity throughout our nation and the world?
The Hanford region is not as stable, geologically, as some would like to believe. It should be noted that Hanford already has experienced earthquake swarms. Once in operation, what could occur at the faulty vitrification plant in the event of a truly serious earthquake? Would we soon learn that the "dirty bomb" has exploded?
The geologic predicament of Hanford Nuclear Reservation may be far worse that originally believed. There may be a dangerous fault line which extends from westerm Washington, eastward, to Hanford. This fault line may connect the Hanford region with the Cascadia subduction zone. This dangerous problem is being investigated by the scientists.
The author of this site has written documents regarding nuclear energy in general, the effects of nuclear radiation, plus the danger surrounding Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the Trojan nuclear site. These documents are linked below.
THE GRID
The electrical power grid is vulnerable to the forces of nature, especially massive storms, earthquakes and solar flares. The power grid is also vulnerable to sabotage and terrorist acts.
Let us now consider what large solar flares can do to the vulnerable power grid, by examining the articles linked below.
There are additional problems to be considered within the electrical power industry. The author of this site has written a few pages on different problems, vulnerabilies and inefficiencies which he has observed, especially after having worked directly with the electrical power industry in former years.
DAMS
In the article linked below, the experts indicate that dams in the Northwest could be damaged by a major earthquake. But, these experts indicate that the dams would not be damaged so badly that they would lose the water in their reservoirs. Are they correct in this expressed belief?
The buttons below access information about a large concrete dam which experienced a partial, but major collapse, with resulting loss of reservoir, during only a 7.6 magnitude earthquake. The rupture of the associated fault line "caused extremely strong shaking for perhaps forty seconds."
If a M9.0+ Cascadia quake were to occur, truly, what would be the outcome for dams in the Pacific Northwest? Let us not forget that these dams were designed by engineers who had no knowledge or concept of the severe quakes which can occur in this region.
CASCADIA
From his research, the author believes that things may be somewhat different, geologically, than shown by the current Cascadia Subduction Zone model. He believes that the general geology and earthquake hazards of the Pacific Northwest are much more complex and dangerous than presented by that model.
There are a number of very important, major factors which are consistently missing from discussions on the potential devastation from earthquake hazards in this region. The potential devastation resulting from the true hazards could be much greater than currently believed in the scientific community. The author intends to write on his findings, as time allows.
And now, some food for thought. The first link below is a 2010 article about the Oregon State Department of Geology's James Roddey. Concerning a West Coast monster quake, the article declares: "the shaking in Portland will continue for at least four minutes. Portland will feel a quake with a strength, duration and destruction never before experienced in the developed Western world."
The first link declares about "a pulsing undulation that will repeatedly shove the ground up and down as much as 6 feet. Six feet worth of up and down ground waves would definitely have a great effect on people, structures, and the landmass itself. The area will be greatly altered by this violent ground movement.
The second link is about some interesting geology beneath Portland.
ENERGY
The articles linked below present information on the latest rage in the U.S. oil industry. To many, knowledge about shale oil may appear as something relatively new. The articles below present just a small part of the picture about shale oil.
The articles linked below are from a much earlier time: from the 1940s and 1950s. Yes, the oil industry has known for a very long time about the vast potential of shale oil.
The first article, written in 1946, declares: "The large deposits [of oil shale] are owned principally by the major oil companies and have been for 20 years." This means the oil companies have known about the vast amount of oil available in shale deposits from at least 1926, if not much earlier.
The first article (again, from 1946) also declares: "The shales cover large areas in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming. Kentucky and Indiana are rich in oil shale, and worthwhile deposits are found also in Nevada, Pennsylvania and West Virginia."
The articles linked above show that relatively simple and efficient methods for recovering large amounts of the oil from shale had already been worked out in the 1940s and 1950s. The 1946 article declares: When heated to 700 degrees [F] the rock exudes quantities of rich green-black oil. A cubic yard of it produces 80 gallons or more of crude petroleum."
Truly, there had never been an ethical or moral reason for oil shortages or high fuel prices in the United States. It strongly appears that these problems have generally resulted from greed, plus extreme manipulation of the American people.
The articles linked below present information on other types of vast oil and gas reserves. These sources present virtually an unlimited supply of fuel and energy.