Connections between Nuke Power and Nuke Weapons to be Discussed
 
 
The Nuclear Utah Research Interest Group will host a discussion on the political and economic intersections between nuclear power and nuclear weapons on April 2 at 2pm, on the University of Utah campus, Languages and Communications Building (LNCO), Room 1110.
Visiting guest speaker will be Christopher Paine, the Nuclear Program Director of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), whose talk is titled, “Nuclear Power’s Role in Decarbonization and Disarmament: Asset or Obstacle?” Also speaking will be Arjun Makhijani, a nuclear engineer and president of the Institute for Energy and Environmental Research; Dr. Kent Udell of the University of Utah; and Dr. Robert W. Reynolds from Weber State University.
Paine has been a senior analyst with NRDC for more than 16 years. He has authored some 70 articles on nuclear proliferation and national security. In 2004, he revealed that the Bush administration was spending 50% more real dollars per year on nuclear weapons than the U.S. had during the Cold War, despite the nation’s commitment to stop producing nuclear weapons material under the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty of 1996.
Makhijani has spent 30 years studying nuclear fuel issues. His latest book is titled Carbon-Free and Nuclear Free: A Roadmap for U.S. Energy Policy, which argues that the U.S. must assume a leadership role in reducing the world’s reliance on nuclear power.
Udell is the chair of the Mechanical Engineering Department at the University of Utah. He specializes in restoring contaminated aquifers and recovering petroleum more efficiently, among other things.
Reynolds is an associate professor of sociology at Weber State University. His primary research interests are environment and technology, and the role they play in society.