Be Careful what You Wish For

The low price for oil and the downturn in the economy have resulted in tens of thousands of lost jobs. Many people in our community are in financial difficulty as a result. Some will look to anything in hopes of finding a good job.
When I first moved to Whitecourt, our local politicians were in the process of trying to push through a project without any consultation with the population. I am referring to the proposal for a nuclear power plant.
I am not, and wasn’t then, either, against nuclear power. I see its benefits but I also see its problems. So, when I see the idea being bandied about again, I feel the need to ask people to reflect on the pros and cons.
Nuclear power can be generated in a variety of sizes and that flexibility is one of its attributes. It is also considered a “clean” energy. It would create jobs. However, it does need large amounts of water, and we have to ask where that water will come from. Will our rivers provide enough for the plant as well as for all our other needs? Or, will some huge storage reservoir need to be built? And, what of the water on the disposal side?
But, my biggest concern, then and now, is the same one people still talk about: safety. Everything is safe until something untoward happens. Then how safe is it? An even more immediate safety concern is: what about the spent rods and contamination that always seems to follow nuclear power plants?
There is still no solution to disposing of radiation-contaminated soil. A little research shows the communities that have contaminated soil still have had very little, if anything, done to mitigate the problem. Furthermore, they still are waiting for anyone (corporation or government) to care.
Is that the legacy we want to leave our community? Our children? Whitecourt is a beautiful natural area; let’s keep it that way!
Eugene Eklund
Whitecourt, AB