Wednesday, May 4, 2011

May 4 -- "Nuclear Power After Fukushima"

Join us on Wednesday, May 4 Lutheran Seminary at Gettysburg, Valentine Hall 206 7:00 Gettysburg Area DFA Annual Meeting and Election of Officers 7:15 Gettysburg Conversation - Bring your questions and comments! What is the Future of Nuclear Power After Fukushima? Special Guests: Eric Epstein, Chairman of Three Mile Island Alert Pat Naugle, nuclear engineer, advisor to Susquehanna River Basin Commission Moderated by Elaine Jones, Gettysburg DFA Chair

Sample questions:

  • We have 104 nuclear power reactors in the US today. What impact should Fukushima have on our nuclear power industry?
  • What are the environmental consequences of NOT using nuclear power? How does nuclear power compare to coal and other sources of electricity?
  • Where is the radioactive waste stored now? Have we really solved this problem?
We are honored to have two very knowledgeable guests who will begin our conversation. Eric Epstein, Chairman of Three Mile Island Alert, Inc., (tmia.com), a safe-energy organization based in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was founded in 1977. TMIA monitors Peach Bottom, Susquehanna, and Three Mile Island nuclear generating stations. Eric is the coordinator of the EFMR Monitoring, Inc., a nonpartisan community based organization established in 1992. EFMR monitors radiation levels at Peach Bottom and Three Mile Island nuclear generating stations, invests in community development, and sponsors remote robotics research. The group has also intervened at the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission to protect the economic interests of Pennsylvania rate payers. Eric is a board member of the Sustainable Energy Fund of Central Eastern Pennsylvania which supports and finances renewable energy development, green building, energy efficiency, and alternative fuels. Pat Naugle graduated from Lafayette College in 1970 with a degree in Electrical Engineering and received an MBA from Widener University in 1982. Pat worked for Philadelphia Electric Company (now Exelon) for 28 years before retiring in 1998. Since his retirement he has taught economics and finance at Eastern University, and is presently working on contract to the Susquehanna River Basin Commission reviewing water withdrawal requests for Bell Bend Nuclear Power Plant. During most of his career, he worked in construction of substations and power plants. From 1974 to 1989 he worked on Limerick Generating Station, Units 1 and 2. The Limerick units are GE designed boiling water reactors (BWR) similar to the Fukushima nuclear plants in Japan. Early in his career, he worked on Peach Bottom units 2 and 3, which are BWRs and are the same basic design as the Fukushima plants. Pat is a registered professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, but spends most of his time as a volunteer. He is now the President of the Land Conservancy of Adams County, was the past president of the Watershed Alliance of Adams County, and is on the Boards of Strawberry Hill Nature Preserve and the Adams County Conservation District.

No comments: