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View Full Version : Nuke plant owner to pay $600 million in interim compensation




doodle
04-15-2011, 03:14 AM
People can forget about any new nuke plants being funded for a very, very long time:

http://edition.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/asiapcf/04/15/japan.nuclear.reactors/?hpt=T2

Kilrain
04-15-2011, 03:46 AM
Really don't see the problem here. If the government had ordered the owners to pay into a government slush fund, that would be one thing, but having the state facilitate direct compensation for those affected by the accident...well, that's why we have government to begin with.

If you cause damage to my property, you should be held liable, right? And here, the property owners have been directly affected, beyond the shadow of a doubt. I would actually argue that the plant owners should be forced to compensate property owners for both direct damage AND any value lost due to a drop in property values as a direct result of people not wanting to live in an area perceived as "contaminated".

But I don't know, maybe this makes me a "statist".

doodle
04-15-2011, 11:51 AM
Only problem I see is that investors won't touch new plants for a very very long time, no other problem.

paulim
04-15-2011, 11:58 AM
That would only reflect reality. As stated before, if the corporations running nuclear plants would have to buy insurance for any possible damage that may occur, nuclear energy would be too expensive compared to other energy sources. Therefore government should provide an environment that requires companies to insure for all possible damages. Otherwise its nothing more than a bailout, regardless whether the owning company goes bankrupt in the aftermath of a nuclear accident.