Common Sense
Common sense isn't as common as you might think. We all know
people who are off-the-charts smart, but lack the basic understanding of how to
get along in the world. They can solve
the most complex scientific problems, but have trouble navigating the self-serve
checkout at the grocery store.
I don't personally know any of the five people who sit on
the board of FERC - the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission. I imagine they probably scored well on their
high school SATs, attained advanced degrees from prestigious institutions and
are respected by their peers. They may have authored peer-reviewed papers or
written books about oil exploration or gas development or pipeline
infrastructure. I accept that they're probably smart.
But I'm guessing they may have trouble at the self-serve
checkout.
It doesn't take an advanced degree to understand that
installing a giant, high-pressure natural gas pipeline right next to a nuclear
power plant isn't a smart thing to do. But when Spectra Energy proposed
installing a new gas line right next to the Indian Point nuclear power plant
that sits just above New York City on the Hudson River, the Commissioners at
FERC agreed.
Wait. What?
Even a third-grader can tell you what would happen in the event of an accident at a nuclear power plant. After all, any third grader can say "ka-boom," though they may not fully comprehend the horrific devastation that an accident at Indian Point would have on New York City, just 50 miles away. Or the rest of the metropolitan area, including most of Long Island, Westchester County, and Southwest Connecticut.
Part of the problem is that all the nuclear waste ever
produced at Indian Point is still there, right on the same property with the
power plant. So a major accident at the plant would not only release radiation
from the plant, but possibly from the stored nuclear waste as well.
When common sense eludes our elected and appointed officials
charged with protecting our health and safety, ordinary citizens need to stand
up and say so. This is one of those times.
If you have enough common sense to know this is a bad idea,
please join the thousands of people who are banding together to oppose the
Spectra pipeline. Watch the movie, tell your friends, and make the phone calls.
All it takes for stupidity to triumph is for people with
common sense to do nothing. (With
apologies to Edmund Burke.)
