Obama making ambiguous noises about nuclear power
by Christina Macpherson President Obama is making some rather ambiguous noises about nuclear energy. This is, of course, in the context of present debates on the USA’s Climate Bill. And we know that the Democrats are so keen to get some sort of Climate Bill passed, that just about anything goes, even nuclear, if the word “Climate” is tacked on to the Bill.And, of course, there’s always the dear old “military-industrial complex” , and now, the pressure to somehow put so-called “peaceful” nukes, into nuclear disarmament plans.
Perhaps Obama is just placating them all with these seemingly pro-nuke noises. He can’t be unaware of the financial and waste-problem debacle that is the present state of this dying industry.
net news by Martin LaMonica October 23, 2009 Obama: U.S. needs to lead clean-energy race by Martin LaMonica * CAMBRIDGE, Mass.–President Barack Obama on Friday called on the U.S. Congress to pass energy-and-climate legislation, …………………..
The ingredients of energy policy should include clean use of coal, oil, and natural gas; “safe nuclear power;” sustainably grown biofuels; and energy from wind, solar, and wave power, Obama said.
Obama: U.S. needs to lead clean-energy race | Green Tech – CNET News
Obama Coming Around Slowly on Nuclear? NRO Weekend [William Tucker] 23 Oct 09 It might seem as if the Obama administration is stonewalling on nuclear, but there are indications that its attitude might be changing. Last Sunday in a little noted speech in New Orleans, President Obama made the following remarks:
” There’s no reason why technologically we can’t employ nuclear energy in a safe and effective way. Japan does it and France doesn’t and it doesn’t have greenhouse gas emissions, so it would be stupid for us not to do that in a much more effective way.” Now true, there are the usual hedges in there. What does “an effective way” mean?But something is happening in the administration. According to Bloomberg, Secretary of Energy Steven Chu told environmental ministers preparing for Copenhagen last week that the U.S. is “working aggressively to restart the nuclear industry. I believe the nuclear waste problem is solvable on a scientific level and a political level.”
No comments yet.
Leave a comment
This Month
Doncha get sick of all the nuclear hype? Meanwhile, where it’s really all happening is in truly CLEAN energy!
(This month on our Action page: 1. UK: Block the Builders is a campaign which aims, using nonviolent direct action, to prevent the building of new nuclear weapons facilities at AWE Aldermaston . 2. Belarus: A call for solidarity actions with Belarusian antinuclear movement on February 19-21)
For February 2010 we focus on RENEWABLE ENERGY and ENERGY EFFICIENCY
1. The most effective method of all: ENERGY EFFICIENCY
The false message of the nuclear lobby is that in order to reduce greenhouse gases, and have enough energy, we need nuclear energy.
In fact, both of these goals can be met quickly, cheaply and cleanly, by just stopping wasting energy.
Energy wastage can be stopped – in the home, in business, in transport, building and manufacturing. The European Plan has already shown how effectively energy can be saved through existing energy efficincy procedures. http://www.energyscience.org.au/FS04%20Energy%20Efficiency.pdf
Cost-effective energy management. There are many ways to implement cost effective energy in homes, offices, industries. Many countries are not doing this yet, due to market problems, lack of information, differing aims of landlords and tenants.lack of institutionalset-ups for delivering services such a sheating and cooling in the least costly way.
Government action would solve these problems by regulating energy performance standards for both existing and new buildings, appliances, equipment and industrial processes.
2. The other component: renewable energy – (and let’s not forget,- while there are set up and maintenance costs – the fuel is free.)
Gas is a good energy source to tide us over the change to renewables, and can provide back-up for solar. Wind power and Solar energy are advancing, but would require special assistance schemes.
The BASELOAD FALLACY
A baseload power station, in theory, provides elctricity 24 hours a day.. In practise, they are costly to manintain, and do break down.. So they have reserve plant, and peakload pland (gas turbines or hydro-electricity.
Renewable energy can provide several different baseload technologies.:
- bioenergy – burning crops and rsidues, or converting them to gas
- hot dry rock geothermal power
- solar thermal electricity, with heat storage in hot water or hot rocks
- large scale distributed wind power, with a small amount of occasional backup from peakload plant
Contrary to general opinion, wind power is generally not intermittent, when it is part of a system of several wind farms, or when connected to a national grid.
A renewable energy system would consist of a mix of different energy sources. Ultimately, its success would depend on some limit to economic and population growth.
http://www.energyscience.org.au/FS05%20Sust%20Energy.pdf
-
Archives
- February 2010 (54)
- January 2010 (211)
- December 2009 (211)
- November 2009 (152)
- October 2009 (149)
- September 2009 (140)
- August 2009 (93)
- July 2009 (97)
- June 2009 (131)
- May 2009 (149)
- April 2009 (156)
- March 2009 (151)
-
Categories
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
