US wants to give nuclear technology to third world
DESPITE the fact that the US government is more paranoid than a crack addict who thinks he is being watched by airbourne microbes, the administration thinks it might be a good idea to flog nuclear technology to the third world.
Yep, the same government which fills the world with fear of what might happen when terrorists get their paws on nuclear material has plans to make a fortune bringing the technology to unstable regions.
The Bush administration has allocated $20 million in its 2009 budget toward the US Department of Energy's efforts to design nuclear power plants in the 250-to-500 megawatt range.
The mini nuclear plants are to be built in the US, but also in 21 other countries.
Daniel Ingersoll of GNEP and the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory told New Scientist that the plants will be deployed in a responsible way that is safe and secure and offers the lowest possible risk for proliferation. So that is all right then.
Countries will have to promise on their mother's grave that they will only use nuclear power for civilian purposes. There can be none of that naughty uranium enrichment and reprocessing activities that can be used to develop nuclear weapons.
Not surprisingly the move has scared the willies out of the Centre for Nonproliferation Studies at the Monterey Institute of International Studies in California.
Elena Sokova said there was no such thing as a proliferation-proof reactor and it was a doddle to turn fuel into the plutonium needed to make a nuclear bomb.
There is also the small mater that the design means that spent fuel has to be stored on site at a plant for several years before radiation levels are low enough for shipping. This would just be the time when those naughty terrorists might half inch it and build a dirty bomb. ยต
L'INQ
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If it wasn't so serious it would be worth a good laugh. How stupid is the current US administration(don't answer that). The only thing I can gather from it is that the current state of terrorism is just a bunch of BS they have been feeding the people, or it it that they want another attack so they can remove what ever rights the US public has left. Maybe we should start calling the USA the USSA.
First message on the relevant DOE page:
U.S. Department of Energy Welcomes the United Kingdom as 21st Member of the Global Nuclear Energy Partnership
February 26, 2008
It's no problem if we set-up nuclear plants and they fall into nefarious hands..... we'll simply blow them up at a latter time if necessary!

oil is getting mighty expensive, and if the French can get 80% of their electricity from nuclear power, then surely the rest of the world can do the same!

if the plant is properly designed, and the operators properly trained, there is very little risk involved.

the only hangup I have, is what do you do with the "waste" from such a plant? has to be buried for 10,000 years!
Nuclear power is the only solution to the world's energy crisis. Quit your whining, mates. George Bush in 2008!! Leadership, freedom, life, security! God Bless America!!
If only you lived here you'd be numb to it like we are. The Bush Administration just got done spending over twice this (42 million) on letters to everyone letting them know their economic stimulus check is in the mail...
Yeah, we'll gladly export our nuclear technology.... For special customers, like Iran and North Korea, we'll even ship it express, courtesy of US Air Force (hehe).

U.S.: Express delivery for you, Kim Jong Il.

KJI: Rell, rerr is it?

U.S. :Look up, arsehole!
If the terrorist got their hands on the nuclear power plant fuel to make nukes, it'd make a fine excuse for USA to invade their home country thus gaining their resources,since terrorists usually operate from oil-rich countries (the fact that they are not quite good at exploiting their own natural resources is probably caused by some evolutional drawback from too much heat in the equatorial regions, every tried studying when it's quite hot?)
The seething insinuation here is that if Iran can't be trusted with nuclear power, then how can the rest of the world? I'd say it's a safe bet that none of the countries on the list have made overt threats to wipe out neighboring sovereign countries... like some countries which shall remain nameless.
They're not the only ones wanting to make a killing off nuclear energy in the future. France/Japan/Russia/etc are all getting on the bandwagon.
U.S. Government is a whore, like the french republic. When it is about doing $$ selling stuff, he forgets all of his principles.
US is only init to keep Putin away from that plonkee wonga! Besides, US could use it to pay the Chinese and other such Sovereign Wealth Funds.
Where's Tony Blair when you need him?