DTN 023: America aims for nuclear-power renaissance

America aims for nuclear-power renaissance

“The need to limit greenhouse-gas emissions has spurred liberals, historically wary of nuclear’s toxic-waste problem, to rethink their stance. In America 46% of Democrats favour using nuclear energy for electricity, the highest proportion in a decade. Republicans have long approved of it. But the biggest reason for celebration is the billions of dollars the Biden administration is pumping in through the Inflation Reduction Act (ira), which made nuclear power eligible for the same tax credits as renewables like wind and solar; and the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act of 2021, which created a $6bn fund to help keep existing plants running. The administration is even offering developers a bonus tax break if they build reactors in fossil-fuel areas, such as a coal-mining town, to funnel workers into green jobs.” (The Economist)

Annoyed janitor turns off cryo-freezer destroys decades of scientific work

“A custodial worker switched off a super-cold freezer in a Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute lab — destroying decades of scientific research and causing a least $1 million in damage. The freezer contained cell cultures, samples and other research elements that were stored at minus-112 degrees Fahrenheit until September 2020, when an employee turned off a circuit breaker. That caused the temperature to rise to a relatively toasty minus-25.6 degrees Fahrenheit, and resulted in the materials being damaged or destroyed.” (Times Union)