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error_matrix said:
Maybe not so much in Pennsylvania. . .. .We got a plant down in Benton Harbor making power as we speak, and no 3-eyed fish showing up in the Big Lake (L. Michigan) yet
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There's actually four operating nuclear plants on Lake Michigan. The D.C. Cook plant that you mention in Benton Harbor, MI (with two reactors), the single-reactor Palisades plant near South Haven, MI (the one I was alluding to) and the single-reactor Kewaunee Plant a bit south of Green Bay, WI. There was also the Big Rock Point reactor near Charlevoix than ran for 35 years before being decommissioned in 1997.

 
Oh, didn't we mention we like to :deadhorse: around here? It used to drive HWY_PE nuts, but he doesn't keep us in line like he used to while he was in Iraq.

 
don't hassle :deadhorse: the Mich crew here, we'll sick Kid Rock on ya!

 
error_matrix said:
Maybe not so much in Pennsylvania. . .. .We got a plant down in Benton Harbor making power as we speak, and no 3-eyed fish showing up in the Big Lake (L. Michigan) yet
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DC Cook is a nice plant. A bit over 1000 MWe from each of 2 units. I spent a lot of time there a couple of years ago. If my family and friends weren't on the West side of the lake, I probably would have stayed there.

mudpuppy said:
I disagree with your premise that it has to have the backing of those using it--it just has to not be opposed by the majority of those using it. This may seem like a subtle distinction, but I think it is an important one. From what I've seen, many (and I mean a lot of) Americans are oblivious or just plain don't care--and we can count them out of the equation from the get-go.
From the limited exposure I've had to nuke plants, the general consensus of those who live around the one nearest to me seems like they support the plant and are not unhappy having it nearby--it is clean, provides ~1000 jobs (and the employees live in the local community) and provide huge amounts of property taxes to the local jurisdictions.

Granted, building a new nuclear plant would probably generate a huge NIMBY stink, but expanding at existing locations would be much more palatable to the communites involved.

I read an article a while back that said the general opinion of nuclear was on the rise--I don't have it handy so I can't quote the numbers. But, Patrick Moore, one of the founders of Greenpeace, has actually flip-flopped and now supports nuclear (article here). And if this can happen, then yes, I think nuclear can win enough support stage a resurgence.
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I was at an IEEE meeting today concerning the new nuclear plants that are in various stages of design and approval. Barring something drastic, new nuclear plants will be a reality in the not to distant future. There is also an expectation that due to the aging of the existing nuclear workforce, the going rate for engineers with nuclear experience will increase sharply in the next couple of years.

 
mudpuppy said:
There's actually four operating nuclear plants on Lake Michigan. The D.C. Cook plant that you mention in Benton Harbor, MI (with two reactors), the single-reactor Palisades plant near South Haven, MI (the one I was alluding to) and the single-reactor Kewaunee Plant a bit south of Green Bay, WI. There was also the Big Rock Point reactor near Charlevoix than ran for 35 years before being decommissioned in 1997.
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Just to totally join in in the :deadhorse: There are actually six operating nuclear plants on the lake. Point Beach has two units 5 miles South of Kewaunee. Zion was also two units on Lake Michigan until it was also decommissioned in 1997.

 
That's for mentioning that Jim--now I know. For some reason I've never heard of the Point Beach plant--but I spend most of my time on this side of the lake.

 
We're just silly w/ nuclear energy :deadhorse: in upper midwest - why do our gas prices suck? oh yeah. . .. . . ..

 
I sort of feel the same way with oil as I do our lake in Atlanta that is involved in tri state water fights, just drain the whole god damned thing and then we'll figure it out

 
Road Guy said:
I sort of feel the same way with oil as I do our lake in Atlanta that is involved in tri state water fights, just drain the whole god damned thing and then we'll figure it out
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Hey .. you fancy atlanta folks keep siphoning off the water for the poor little bivavles ..

:deadhorse: :deadhorse: :deadhorse:

JR

 
I keep track of the value of my car (2006 Chevy Aveo) with kelly blue book (kbb.com).

It has gone up in value by $500 in the past two months. My best guess is it is now more desirable due to its relatively high fuel economy.

 
^^^ I have a friend that just picked up an Aveo - pretty nice car. It has good leg room, decent trunk space, and some nice features. Last night in my drunken silliness I kept laughing at the readout of the fuel economy. Now that I am awake and not feeling so hot ... I have no idea what was so funny ....

JR

 
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Wow, the new ones have an mpg readout? Mine doesn't.

It's a decent car and does have a surprising amount of leg & head room for its size. The secret is it is very tall. Power is adequate to keep up with traffic (though acceleration is iffy when the A/C is on).

Mine is a hatchback and it really doesn't have much "trunk" space--unless you fold down the rear seats. Enough for one suitcase and a backpack. I use my Bronco when I go grocery shopping for this reason.

An all-around decent car as long as you don't have to haul stuff around (duh, it's a subcompact). I average about 24 mpg around town and 30 mpg hwy (at typically 77 mph).

The only complaint I have about it is it doesn't do well in snow, but that's mainly due to the tires. I had to buy one from dealer stock to get an incentive (0% for 72 months), and the only one they had was a boy-racer version with high-performance (racing) tires on it. Who the heck puts racing tires on a car that only goes 100 mph?

 
I love the MPG read out of my car. Its like playing a video game while driving. Screw cell phone laws, the should make a law that makes it illegal to stare at that thing. I spend a lot of time looking at the center console to see how my gas mileage is going (heres a hint, going down hill is great for MPG).

 

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