Read all about it at Facing South...

UPDATE: I hate to see this really, not only because of safety reasons but because I'm pretty sure the folks at TVA are doing their best. At some point you have to start wondering, though, if their best is good enough. I'm still on the fence regarding nuclear power. I used to be 100% for it. Now I'm not so sure. Safety and nuclear waste disposal are serious concerns that we don't seem able or willing to deal with.

On a related note, see this excellent (and scary) report by Sue Sturgis at Facing South earlier this week regarding plans to make the South a nuclear waste dump. (And my follow up here.)

And before that, here is a disturbing report about the pending shutdown (which may have already occurred) of the Savannah River Ecology Lab which studies the effects of radioactive contamination on the environment. Their research is "specifically related to impacts from nuclear weapons related production. Such information is essential to the operation and closure of all DOE sites. SREL is recognized as a world leader in radiation ecology and provides unprecedented training for future scientists and engineers in this field."