The problem with those DoE jobs even back then was that the science and reality of the situation was completely overwhelmed by the politics, the NIMBYs. Director or whatever he was making me the offer to work under him was telling me, in 1990, that construction of new nuclear generation facilities would be restarting “very soon” with the new improved passive safety designs, etc. He’s right: that absolutely should have happened, it’s the only rational way forward - phase out the old plants at the end of their design lifetimes and replace them with new, better, safer tech. Instead, what we got for the next 30+ years was no new construction, and limping the old plants along with rehab service life extensions because that was politically feasible.
I don’t think 30 years of frustrated screaming into a hurricane of irrational objections would have been a better career path.
We’re so fucked
Yet another reason I am so glad I turned down those DoE job offers in the 80s.
Imo taking a job and having some voice in the matter is better
The problem with those DoE jobs even back then was that the science and reality of the situation was completely overwhelmed by the politics, the NIMBYs. Director or whatever he was making me the offer to work under him was telling me, in 1990, that construction of new nuclear generation facilities would be restarting “very soon” with the new improved passive safety designs, etc. He’s right: that absolutely should have happened, it’s the only rational way forward - phase out the old plants at the end of their design lifetimes and replace them with new, better, safer tech. Instead, what we got for the next 30+ years was no new construction, and limping the old plants along with rehab service life extensions because that was politically feasible.
I don’t think 30 years of frustrated screaming into a hurricane of irrational objections would have been a better career path.