Re:Nuclear startup Oklo gets thumbs-down from regulators
by AnthonyMouse on Friday January 14, 2022 @04:12PM
(#29940509)
> For nuclear power. Right.
This right here is the problem.
It is actually possible to over-regulate something, no matter what it is. The more people believe something needs to be regulated, the more likely it is to be regulated disproportionate to the need. Consider the safety record of commercial nuclear power in the US.
So some coal company gets a regulation inserted that says that in order to open a new nuclear reactor, you must first push a boulder up a hill for a thousand years.
Later someone does a cost benefit analysis on that regulation, it turns out to be costing a lot while actually making safety worse, so they propose to repeal it.
Headline: Get your Pitchforks, People, They Want To Deregulate Nuclear Power
This right here is the problem.
It is actually possible to over-regulate something, no matter what it is. The more people believe something needs to be regulated, the more likely it is to be regulated disproportionate to the need. Consider the safety record of commercial nuclear power in the US.
So some coal company gets a regulation inserted that says that in order to open a new nuclear reactor, you must first push a boulder up a hill for a thousand years.
Later someone does a cost benefit analysis on that regulation, it turns out to be costing a lot while actually making safety worse, so they propose to repeal it.
Headline: Get your Pitchforks, People, They Want To Deregulate Nuclear Power