Green Party Watch

Scott West at South Carolina Green Party (H/T On The Wilder Side):

The Union of Concerned Scientists released a damning report on the nuclear power plant operated in Darlington, SC by Progress Energy, known as HB Robinson. The same company operates the Southport plant near Wilmington, NC.

The entire report is worth reading as it reveals the plethora of problems which exists in operational plants. None of the problems were disastrous. However, they manner in which the plant operators and regulators handled these issues does indicate how well they might respond to a serious event.

Progress Energy’s H.B. Robinson Plant sits in Darlington, SC, north of the fault zone responsible for the 1886 Charleston Earthquake. While the likelihood of such an earthquake is unknown, there is ample geologic evidence of strong quakes occurring along the Charleston fault. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division maintains an earthquake awareness site here, which links to a 609 page report on the Comprehensive Seismic Risk and Vulnerability Study for the State of South Carolina. Given the demonstrated ineffectiveness of NRC oversight of the Robinson plant under ordinary conditions, we have to seriously question whether Progress Energy, the NRC or the SC government is equipped to cope with a earthquake.

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The Charleston Post and Courier is carrying story about Eugene Platt and his appeal to the South Carolina Supreme Court to protect his free speech rights, and the same rights for the South Carolina Green Party.

Platt had sought the Green Party and Working Families Party nomination in spring of 2008. He was nominated by both parties, and Platt’s nomination by the Democratic Party in a primary would seem to make his election all the more likely. South Carolina is one of the states which permit fusion voting.

However, when the Democratic Party primary was held, read more »

In a message to South Carolina clean energy activists, Tom Clements of Friends of the Earth shared a report from the Charlotte Business Journal in which Duke Energy announces plans to postpone construction of a proposed nuclear power plant, with two generating stations, near Gaffney, SC. Along with Santee Cooper’s announcement that they will not build a coal burner near Flornce, SC, this bolsters the South Carolina Green Party’s contention that new generation is not needed and that our utilities should be expected to make major investments in efforts to curb consumption. This plant was first proposed back in the 70s or 80s, and shelved. Now it may be ready to be shelved again.

The article, in full, can be read at the first link above, or here below the fold.
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At the recent Green Party national convention the delegates decided that energy would be part of our focus over the next year. This has been an important decision for Greens in South Carolina.

The state’s electric suppliers have proposed building four new nuclear power plants. Two are proposed near Jenkinsville, and two near Gaffney.

In addition, utilities have proposed a coal burning power plant near Florence. Recently Santee Cooper, the utility, decided to cancel their plans to build this coal burner.
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