Radiation: Jobs or Safety --take your pick
A recent Time magazine article by Dan (;D) Frosch discusses an unusual scenario. The town of Carlsbad, New Mexico has been the host of a radioactive Waste Isolation Pilot Plant --a safer means of handling radioactive waste than other methods. It holds (held) waste of nuclear weapons in particular, mainly from the cold war. It was closed down by a radiation leak contaminating 17 employees back in February. *Side note on Radiation- tick tick tickity on your Geiger counters means scram*. Thankfully, it wasn't enough to cause radiation sickness or worse, but the event has indeed aroused controversy. Surprisingly, instead of the majority of the town shunning the facility, they are worried about it not reopening: this is because of the number of jobs it brings to town. The energy department is currently investigating a 'puff' of radioactive cloud that escaped salt mines 2000+ feet below the surface.
So what to make of this? The site is obviously necessary to not only the town but the rest of the country, as waste shipments are piling up because of the incident. The WIPP also has lured scientists and engineers to the town and served as a steady income for awhile. Whether or not they reopen the facility is not different from what we choose here in Weserville, and disasters, such as the flood (watch out for debris!) have affected our local economy.
That said, I believe the facility is good for the town and for jobs my fine readers. They are slowly working out a team to go into the mines and investigate --something they would not do if it were unsafe. I place my bets on it being a rare problem, and it promises areas of improvement. It is a necessity on multiple levels.
But, it's good to hear everyone's voice here so comment on which side you would take!
No comments:
Post a Comment