Experts discuss nuclear energy, waste during symposium

The international concerns of nuclear power and its future sparked discussion on Pitt’s campus… The international concerns of nuclear power and its future sparked discussion on Pitt’s campus Tuesday as experts examined aspects of energy alternatives, energy regulation and public opinion.

More than 60 scientists, environmentalists, journalists and students attended the initial evening panel of the two-day conference titled “From Its Birthplace: A Symposium on the Future of Nuclear Power.”

The panel, which began at 7 p.m. in the William Pitt Union Ballroom, focused on America’s nuclear future and also addressed concerns surrounding nuclear energy — the primary discussion topic of the symposium for which 150 participants have registered.

Pitt’s Dick Thornburgh Forum for Law and Public Policy and the Swanson School of Engineering both sponsored the symposium.

Doug Heuck, publisher and editor of The Pittsburgh Quarterly, moderated the session, which lasted more than two hours. Panelists included individuals from both the private and public sectors, including former Pennsylvania Gov. Dick Thornburgh.

One of the panelists, Vicky Bailey, is a member of the Blue Ribbon Commission on America’s Nuclear Future, which is tasked with devising new strategies for managing the burgeoning supply of nuclear waste.

Bailey spoke extensively on the issue of nuclear waste and said that people should take a step back when looking at how to deal with energy sources.

“The future does not have to be cast in concrete, because, quite frankly, one cannot tell what technology will be available to us 50, 100 or 150 years from today,” Bailey said.

She said that the goal of the symposium was to determine “how to drive inevitable change that will occur.”

“We should start thinking now on how to position ourselves about that change,” Bailey said.

Bailey kicked off the panel discussion by asking the audience members what they thought the appropriate roles of regulation and government are in the management of nuclear waste, which she said represents only a small portion of the agency’s budget.

She said the Blue Ribbon Commission concluded that new institutional leadership is needed, and a single-purpose federal corporation is best-suited to get the waste program back on track.

“The approach we recommend is explicitly adapted and staged. Every voice has to be at the table. The process needs to be open, accessible and transparent. Based on [international success], we believe this type of approach can provide flexibility and the sustainability and trust needed to see controversial utilities through to completion,” Bailey said.

She said developing more geological storage and consolidated storage facilities is the best option for dealing with nuclear waste domestically.

David Lochbaum, the director of the Nuclear Safety Project, vehemently illustrated the dangers and problems present in nuclear plants.

Mentioning fire, flooding and design errors, Lochbaum said the current system of handling nuclear waste is inefficient, has a poor grading system and sees little implementation of necessary repairs or modifications.

He compared the system to the bumbling, well-intentioned Sergeant Schultz of the 1960s sitcom “Hogan’s Heroes,” who was known for looking the other way and shouting, “I hear nothing, I see nothing, I know nothing!”

Instead, Lochbaum clamored for the transition to a “nuclear ‘RoboCop’ — aggressively, consistently and fairly enforcing the safety regulations that are set at the right level.”

Pete Sena, president of FirstEnergy Nuclear Operating Co., and Ann Bisconti, president of public-opinion and communications research firm Bisconti Research, agreed, stating the need for assertive policies.

“[The] good news is you’re understanding problems and addressing them. What worries me is complacency,” Sena said to Lochbaum.

The panel affirmed a statement made by Lochbaum.

“Nuclear regulations is a three-way contract — by the regulator, the public and the licensing community. We are relying on luck right now rather than safety precautions, and that’s not appropriate.”

The symposium will continue today in the WPU Ballroom. A discussion from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. will focus on nuclear meltdowns, such as the 2011 incident at Fukushima Daiichi in Japan, and will feature Harold Denton, the former director of the Nuclear Regulatory Commission’s Office of Nuclear Reactor Regulation.

At 2 p.m., Barton J. Gordon, a former Tennessee congressman and current partner at a D.C.-based law firm, will hold a lunch presentation about the congressional climate in relation to nuclear energy.