Last week, the Washington Post published a very curious article about the relationship between the Dominion Power nuclear facilities at Lake Anna, Virginia, and the residents who live nearby. In contrast to what you would expect - fears and complaints - the article was bizarrely titled, “Happy in Their Haven Beside the Nuclear Plant”(!) No, that is not a misprint.
Here's a Post quote from a neighbor of the nuclear plant, Barbara Kempf: "Oh my God, it's beautiful," she said. "I love our crystal-clear waters. Every other weekend we take baths in the lake. We never come out smelling fishy."
My initial reaction was of suspicion, knowing the Post's concern about the energy sector. Why would the Post print a puff piece about a nuclear plant?
Why? The very next day, in the back pages of the Post's Metro section, was a small item reporting that Dominion Power had just filed with the government to build a third nuclear reactor at Lake Anna. Unbelievable.
Was this just an unethical advertorial for Dominion Power? Or is it something more?
How does this nuclear puff piece relate to other odd editorial positions of the self-proclaimed "environmental" Washington Post, such as its advocation of drilling for oil near the entrance to the already fragile Chesapeake Bay?
Why has the far-left Post gone after the far-left energy competitor Hugo Chavez with such a vengeance?
Tired of waiting for other so-called "reporters" to address the issue, I've begun investigating myself. The preliminary results are in.
It turns out:
Examining the holding of just one member of the Post Co.'s Board of Directors, reveals just some of the Post's energy interests:
- MidAmerican Holdings - parent of Iowa's largest gas and electric utility
- Kern River Gas Transmission
- Northern Natural Gas
- $900 mm loan at 30% to Williams Cos.
- 180,000 miles of interstate natural gas pipeline
- PacificCorp - major electric utility serving six Western states
- 1% of PetroChina, the world's first $1 trillion dollar company
Source: Alexander's Gas & Oil Connections; Berkshire Hathaway, Inc. 2005 Annual Report
Many of these holdings directly involve regulatory issues - how can the Post then advocate a position on those issues related to Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. utilities?
And we're just scratching the surface.
Now, about that wonderful, clean water and recreational activity the Lake Anna residents are enjoying? Don't schedule that Beach Boys concert just yet.
Turns out those wonderful waters have received more than 5700 curies of radioactive water since 2000 alone, according to U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission data. According to the organization Beyond Nuclear, this water contains "tritium with a radioactive half-life of 12.3 years."
Beyond Nuclear goes on to state that "this radioactive form of hydrogen can be [easily] absorbed, inhaled and ingested."
According to the organization's Paul Gunter, "tritium exposure is proven to cause cancer and birth defects. Tritium crosses the placenta barrier to the fetus. There is no clinical safe dose. Currently eleven reactors discharge into the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Water consumption and thermal pollution by thermoelectric plants (fossil and nuclear) are increasingly contentious."
Ah, yes, Washington Post: we are all happy by the lake. Well, at least Warren Buffett and the Washington Post Company are.
Frosh, Democrat Extremist
Dish Detergent Ban
Proven Fraud Again
The latest studies show again that dish detergent is not a credible source of phosphorus in the Bay - after much phosphorus was removed from dish detergent years ago, the level of phosphorus in the Bay has increased. The draconian total dish detergent ban passed by Democratic extremists in Annapolis this year has once again proven to be a worthless, empty action by those who continue to exempt the real polluters from prosecution.
The Old Bronrott
Position on Drunk
Driving
That's right. It was just this year that Bill Bronrott made public statements on teen drunk driving and the need to (guess what) raise taxes on alcohol.
‘‘If we’re really serious about short-circuiting the cycle of violence in our communities that typically shows up in our emergency rooms, in our unemployment lines and in our criminal justice system, then we have to invest more up-front to ending this scourge that affects all of our communities...It’s about our public health and safety and it’s long overdue."
- Bill Bronrott, May 2007
"Long overdue," just like Mr. Bronrott's public response to the drunk driving arrest of top Democrat Kumar Barve. It has been a full week, and we have heard no public comment from Mr. Bronrott criticizing Mr. Barve's behavior. Is drunk driving a concern or not?
Overall, there is virtually no criticism of Mr. Barve's actions. No calls for him to step down or resign as Majority Leader. Why not? Again, had this been a Republican, the media would have made this a major offense and called for him or her to resign immediately. Total hypocrisy, total double standard.
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