How Accurate Are The Instruments in Nuclear Reactors?

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Accurately measuring the reactor water level in a nuclear power plant is critical to safe operation, yet nuclear power reactor water monitoring systems do not work correctly.  What would happen today if your car’s speedometer read 60 miles per hour, but in actuality, you might be driving at 40-mph or even 95-mph?  Listen to today’s Fairewinds Energy Education podcast as Dave Lochbaum from the Union of Concerned Scientists and researcher Lucas Hixson discuss the dangerous dilemma reactor operators face when a reactor has an emergency shutdown and operators simply do not know if the reactor has enough water to keep it cool!

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The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Ongoing Lessons

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The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Ongoing Lessons

This week Fairewinds Chief Engineer Arnie Gundersen participated in two panel discussions in Boston and New York City entitled "The Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Accident: Ongoing Lessons" Other panelists included Ralph Nader, Peter Bradford, Naoto Kan, Gregory Jaczko and Jean-Michel Cousteau.

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Tour of Fukushima Daiichi

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Tour of Fukushima Daiichi

Each week Fairewinds receives many questions about the ongoing tragedy unfolding in Japan as a result of the triple meltdown at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.  Join us as Fairewinds' Chief Engineer Arnie Gundersen highlights the many problems facing Japan as he takes you on a tour of the Fukushima Daiichi site by combining satellite video, animated graphics and photos to create a comprehensive and easy to follow video tour.

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Bridging the News Gap, with Professor Matt Noyes

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Bridging the News Gap, with Professor Matt Noyes

This week Fairewinds had the opportunity to speak with Matt Noyes, a professor at Meiji University in Tokyo and a longtime Tokyo resident. Matt talked with us about his experiences during the Fukushima Daiichi meltdown, including the "news gap" that existed between Japanese and international press coverage of the accident, and the shifting nuclear movement in Japan.

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Fitness for Duty: Operating Under the Influence

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Fitness for Duty: Operating Under the Influence

What oversight exists at the nuclear plant nearest you? On today's podcast Arnie, Lucas and Nat discuss the NRC's Fitness for Duty program for nuclear reactor operators, in which workers are periodically tested for mental health issues and on-the-job usage of drugs and alcohol. Fairewinds recently authored a report on the many industry-wide instances of nuclear plant operators coming to work under the influence of drugs and alcohol. Listen to our podcast and read our report to find out what areas of the country are experiencing the most violations, what is the nuclear plant operator’s drug of choice, and whether rates of drug and alcohol abuse have gone up or down in the past five years (hint: they’ve gone up).

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Fairewinds Crew on Nuclear Free Future with Margaret Harrington

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Fairewinds Crew on Nuclear Free Future with Margaret Harrington

Nuclear Free Future host Margaret Harrington speaks with Fairewinds Founding Director Maggie Gundersen, Chief Engineer Arnie Gundersen, Media Producer Nathaniel White-Joyal, and Administrator Samantha Donalds about the decommissioning of Vermont Yankee.

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The Road Less Taken: Energy Choices for the Future, featuring Amory Lovins

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The Road Less Taken: Energy Choices for the Future, featuring Amory Lovins

Today we feature an interview with Amory Lovins, preeminent environmental thinker and co-founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute. With forty years of energy policy experience, Amory Lovins has dedicated himself to the idea that our energy future does not have to look like our energy past.

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