• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
  • Podcast
  • Archives

Atomic Insights

Atomic energy technology, politics, and perceptions from a nuclear energy insider who served as a US nuclear submarine engineer officer

With friends like this who needs enemies?

October 8, 2007 By Rod Adams

There is an October 7, 2007 article posted on Boston.com titled As Maine goes … Former Maine nuclear expert comes to Vt. that describes the recent change in venue for Uldis Vanags, a “nuclear expert” who does not seem to be much of a friend to the technology. In August, Mr. Vanags took a position with the Vermont Public Service Department that makes him “the point man on nuclear matters.” In other recent articles, he is referred to as the state’s nuclear engineer.

According to the article, however, he has an undergraduate degree in physics and a masters degree in health physics with a specialty in radiation protection. He has spent most of his career in government service as an advisor in nuclear safety to the state of Maine. There is little indication that he has any engineering experience at all – engineering is very different from science and public policy.

After Maine Yankee closed, Mr. Vanags held a series of energy related positions in Maine, but apparently kept his ears open for any opportunities more closely related to his experience in nuclear policy and radiation protection.

His resume reads like someone who makes a living by causing public concern and controversy by raising awareness of plant events that have no impact on public safety. As he admits in the article, without people dedicated to opposing nuclear power, he would be pretty much out of a job.

But he doesn’t mind critics like the New England Coalition and Citizens Action Network staying on the case.
“They bring up issues that you may not have looked at,” he said. “I don’t have a problem with people bringing up issues, even opposing the plant. If you had it the other way, if nobody opposed, that would not be good. You’ve got to have this check and balance.”

Later in the article, he claims Raymond Shadis, the technical advisor to the anti-nuclear group called the New England Coalition, as a friend. The picture I get in my mind is that old Loony Tunes cartoon of the rooster (Foghorn Leghorn) and the barnyard dog who have lunch together in between adversarial battles that the chicken always wins.

Without an adversary, like the New England Coalition, Mr. Vanags would be in a boring, invisible job instead of having appeared in the local paper at least 5 times since August. No one would have noticed the completely non-nuclear event of a damaged cooling tower and the maintenance error that caused a reactor trip would have been correctly assessed as a non-event where the protection system did its conservatively designed job.

If any of you know more about Mr. Vanags and believe that I have wronged him by the above description, please let me know. I have reached my conclusion based on scraps of information specifically about the man, plus about 30 years worth of dealing with other public servants with similar career patterns.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

About Rod Adams

Rod Adams is Managing Partner of Nucleation Capital, a venture fund that invests in advanced nuclear, which provides affordable access to this clean energy sector to pronuclear and impact investors. Rod, a former submarine Engineer Officer and founder of Adams Atomic Engines, Inc., which was one of the earliest advanced nuclear ventures, is an atomic energy expert with small nuclear plant operating and design experience. He has engaged in technical, strategic, political, historic and financial analysis of the nuclear industry, its technology, regulation, and policies for several decades through Atomic Insights, both as its primary blogger and as host of The Atomic Show Podcast. Please click here to subscribe to the Atomic Show RSS feed. To join Rod's pronuclear network and receive his occasional newsletter, click here.

Primary Sidebar

Categories

Join Rod’s pronuclear network

Join Rod's pronuclear network by completing this form. Let us know what your specific interests are.

Recent Comments

  • Eino on Oil and gas opposition to consolidate interim spent fuel (CISF) storage facilities in Permian Basin
  • Rod Adams on Can prototype nuclear reactors be licensed in the US under current rules?
  • Rob Brixey on Can prototype nuclear reactors be licensed in the US under current rules?
  • Jon Grams on Oil and gas opposition to consolidate interim spent fuel (CISF) storage facilities in Permian Basin
  • Rod Adams on Oil and gas opposition to consolidate interim spent fuel (CISF) storage facilities in Permian Basin

Follow Atomic Insights

The Atomic Show

Atomic Insights

Recent Posts

Oil and gas opposition to consolidate interim spent fuel (CISF) storage facilities in Permian Basin

Atomic Energy Wells

Enough with “renewables!”

Can prototype nuclear reactors be licensed in the US under current rules?

Atomic Show #303 – Bret Kugelmass, CEO Last Energy

  • Home
  • About Atomic Insights
  • Atomic Show
  • Contact
  • Links

Search Atomic Insights

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Atomic Insights

Terms and Conditions - Privacy Policy