Assignment 2 – Finding Sources – Due June 6
Identify an environmental issue – state it in your own words in a sentence or two.
Locate four sources dealing with this issue, at least twoof these should be academic
Summarize the contents of each source in a paragraph
Based on your summary state your position on the issue at the end of the assignment in a
paragraph
5. Assignment should be 2 pages, double spaced.
15% 1.
2.
3.
4.
SAMPLE
Nuclear Waste disposal and groundwater contamination – environmental groups have expressed concern
that nuclear waste disposal facilities are inadequately designed to avoid groundwater contamination,
nuclear engineers have argued that existing safeguards are sufficient.
Source 1 – Pippen, Robert, Nuclear Waste Disposal in Context, Oxford University Press, 2009
Pippen provides an insider’s view of nuclear waste disposal based on his 20 years working for
Westinghouse in the US. Pippin points out that actual instances of ground water contamination from
nuclear waste have been comparatively rare. However, he also points out that they may be underreported
as nuclear waste disposal is a highly controversial topic, and the industry has a tendency to silence
whistleblowers.[ p 10] Another valuable contribution of Pippen’s volume is that he does an international
comparison of waste disposal standards (rather than a comparison of waste disposal incidents, as they are
underreported), and he finds that on the whole international standards have converged for the most part,
with the most glaring exception being France, where standards are considerably higher. [pp 33-35]
Finally, Pippin focuses on ground water contamination rather than the larger question of soil
contamination and local radiation exposure in storage facilities. While this makes his analysis narrower in
scope, it allows him to present a detailed and convincing case that existing regulations are sufficient,
assuming that underreporting is not extremely common.[pp 189-197]
Source 2 – Smith, Barry Windsor, Drawing a Circle Around Nuclear Waste, Black Rose Publishing, 2012
SUMMARY
Source 3 – Davis, Alan, “Ground Water Contamination, Who’s Worried about Nuclear Waste?”,Time
Magazine, Dec 2008, p 33-39.
SUMMARY
Source 4 – Perez, George, “Nuclear Waste Boondoggle, Feds Estimate 2 million to clean up soil around
Texas waste disposal facility, New York Times, Sept 3, 2011, Section A, Page 12, Editorial.
SUMMARY
Conclusion
Although Pippin makes a convincing case that existing waste disposal regulation should be sufficient to
reduce the risk of ground water contamination (particularly if best practice standards from France were
adopted), he fails to sufficiently deal with the issue of underreporting. Both the Davis and Perez example
suggest that underreporting might be widespread, and Smith argues that nuclear waste contamination
has proven difficult to localize, both of which suggest that ground water contamination is a larger
problem than engineers are willing to admit.
Comments
1. As I have asked for four sources, try to do two per page, each with a one paragraph summary (e.g.
two summaries per page).
2. At least two of the sources have to be academic, so up to two can be non-academic. An academic
sources is a book or journal article by a credentialed academic (e.g. a PhD or a MA, MSc, etc.), usually
published by a university press. Note that it doesn’t matter if an academic source is electronic or text.
No matter what source you use, there must be a few references in the paragraph so I know where you
found your points. As with previous assignments, please give some sort of a text string if you are
referring to on line sources.
3. There is no requirement that the sources all agree with each other, in fact, since this is supposed to be
a controversy I would like to see at least one dissenting opinion amongst the four references you
provide. Please identify that dissenting opinion and what they are dissenting on.
4. For the final component of the assignment, please state your opinion on the subject as clearly as you
can based on the sources you have considered. There is no ‘right answer’ here, but I do want you to give
me a reason to believe that your final position is both:
a. Informed by the sources you have discussed
b. Clearly argued in a non-contradictory way
Note that you are welcome to state that you cannot come down on one side of the controversy or the
other, HOWEVER, if you do this you must give some evidence that suggests WHY it is not possible to
decide one way or the other based on what you have found.