David Lochbaum
Biography:
David Lochbaum is Nuclear Safety Engineer for the Union of Concerned Scientists. He has more than seventeen years of experience in commercial nuclear power plant start-up testing, operations, licensing, software development, training, and design engineering. Prior to joining UCS in 1996, David served as a Senior Engineer for Enercon Services, Inc., System Engineer for General Technical Services, Reactor Engineer/Shift Technical Advisor for the Tennessee Valley Authority, Instructor for General Electric, and Junior Engineer for Georgia Power.
Mr. Lochbaum received a Bachelor of Science in Nuclear Engineering from the University of Tennessee in 1979. He has been a member of the American Nuclear Society since 1978. In addition, David has written numerous articles on various aspects of nuclear safety and published books entitled Nuclear Waste Disposal Crisis and Fission Stories.
Past Shows:
Nuclear Plant Safety
Nuclear safety engineer for the Union of Concerned Scientists, David Lochbaum, discussed the status and safety of the 103 nuclear plants in America. A lot of safety features were built into the plants, he noted. But at a number of the now aging facilities the "weakest link" is "too close to the surface," and complacency and neglect have become common place, he said. The U.S. currently derives around 20% of its energy from nuclear power. Though this technology generates less global warming and pollution than carbon based systems such as coal burning, nuclear costs may not have been fully realized yet, Lochbaum pointed out. For instance, the storage of nuclear waste can lead to hazardous environmental situations that would be expensive or difficult to clean-up if something went wrong. Lochbaum also touched on the issue of nuclear plants as terrorist targets. He detailed that the plants are surrounded by high barbed wire fences and that the reactors are protected by a heavy enca ... More »
Host: George Noory