Nuclear Power Industry News

New Year's Resolutions

 - By Randy Brich -

Have you made your New Year's resolutions yet? Aha, I didn't think so. Please feel free to cut and paste some of mine:
 
I resolve . . .

---TO NOT begrudge windmills which are faster and easier to install than nuclear power plants. I will smile and say "Great job!" as they spin on hills and ridges disrupting the serene scenery of the pristine prairie. I will not spread rumors about their high maintenance costs, low efficiency and non-dispatchable power.
 
---TO NOT spend so much money on new books. I will not tell my wife that by buying new books I am helping end worldwide recession. On trips to the local library, I will not point out that the kid’s books all seem to have a certain slant to them.
 
---TO NOT get upset when the news media report false information regarding anything radioactive as fact.  They cannot possibly be expected to report objectively about complex technical subjects on which they have already made up their minds.
 
---TO NOT talk incessantly about the incredible benefits of nuclear power with non-nuclear power advocates. When a friend says this year's New Year's Eve Party was even better than last year's, I will not reply, "Speaking of this year, can you believe that there are over two dozen nuclear reactors planned for the US now?"
 
---TO NOT get stressed when a regulator misses the intent of a regulation and exercises the power of overkill. I will not pout. I will rejoice in the opportunity to have yet another example of regulatory redundancy to describe in an upcoming column. 

---TO NOT write another column about global warming, er, climate change despite the non-evidence of man-made changes to the planet’s weather.  I will remind myself that NOAA’s continuing long range forecast of an El Nino induced mild and dry winter for the Northern Great Plains has to be true as I don multiple layers to endure sub-zero temperatures and prepare to shovel a 6-foot drift off my patio.  I will not point out that the models used to make these woefully inaccurate predictions are, in fact, much more accurate than the extremely complex GCMs used to predict planetary climate regimes several decades from now.

---TO NOT roll my eyes when I hear an anti-nuclear activist say, “every dose is an overdose.” I will smile and rest secure in my knowledge that new research has finally shown the assumption that the risk of cancer from radiation exposure is proportional to the dose is overly conservative.

---TO NOT “be such a scientist” when discussing complex energy-related matters with the public.  I will take author Randy Olson’s advice and strive to communicate at the “gut level” with the public -- a level they can understand.

---TO NOT be so rigid about things that have no impact on my daily existence.  I will be rigid, however, about training as I prepare for a year on the bike that will make last year’s 5,000+ miles look like a picnic.  Regardless of the skills one possesses realizing one’s potential is the secret to living a full life.  

---TO FOLLOW Jessica Watson’s incredible journey sailing solo, unassisted, non-stop around the world.  I will marvel at the sixteen year old’s massively positive outlook on her singular experience captured in her frequent blogs.  I will wonder how a young person living in today’s modern world can break free from the comforts of the civilized world and put it all on the line for a dream.  As she sails through the Fearsome Fifties reaching past Cape Horn in a few weeks may benevolent winds and seas continue to greet her.

Happy New Year!

Randy's Last Column

Splitting Hairs and Atoms with Randy Brich: Listen to Your Elders; They Know What They’re Talking About

Randy graduated from South Dakota State University in 1978 with a M.S. in Biology.  Following graduation he switched gears and began a lifelong study of ionizing radiation and its beneficial applications to humanity.  During the course of his study he worked as a staff Health Physicist with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission specializing in the licensing and inspection of uranium recovery facilities.  He transferred to the Department of Energy where he worked as a Health Physicist at the Nevada Operations Office and later to the Richland Operations Office specializing in environmental monitoring, dose reconstruction, worker protection, waste cleanup and systems biology.