nuclear-news

Don’t muddy the word “clean” by including nuclear

Sklar’s advice to lawmakers has been not to accept the dilution of clean energy with nuclear energy ..

Obama Calls for 80% “Clean Energy” by 2035 By RenewableEnergyWorld.com   January 26, 2011 Clean energy advocates applauded the bold initiative, but cautioned against the inclusion of nuclear, clean coal and natural gas in a “clean energy standard.”

Washington, DC, USA — In an unprecedented move, last night U.S. President Barack Obama put clean energy front and center on the agenda of the American government — calling for an 80% clean energy target by 2035.

In his yearly State of the Union address to the nation’s lawmakers, Obama said that it is time for America to invest in the energy of the future and stop supporting the energy of the past.  He called on Congress to remove all subsidies for fossil fuels and to reinvest the money saved into clean energy initiatives.

The President said that he hopes America can obtain 80% of its energy from clean sources by 2035, the most aggressive target ever set forth by a president.  While renewable energy supporters were thrilled with the bold target, they were reminded during the speech that Obama’s idea of clean energy is broad: His target includes nuclear energy, clean coal and natural gas, in addition to traditional renewables like wind, solar, biomass, geothermal and hydro………

A “clean energy standard” that includes nuclear and clean coal is a mistake according to Scott Sklar of The Stella Group, who has written commentaries on the topic on RenewableEnergyWorld.com.

I hate to put my professor hat on, but excuse me, how is coal clean? Even if you could sequester carbon, it emits mercury, carcinogens, requires much water, emits other greenhouse gases, leaves us with coal ash waste piles, and drives the blowing-up of our mountain tops ruining waterways and farmland.

Nuclear energy, with its multi-thousand year wastes, imported uranium, and susceptibility to terrorism is another ploy to re-label non-renewable technologies and ooze them into our brand. This reminds me how the high fructose corn syrup industry has recently relabeled itself the “corn sugar” industry or how the food processing industry is fighting labeling requirements so that consumers might infer that they are “organic.”

Sklar’s advice to lawmakers has been not to accept the dilution of clean energy with nuclear energy and clean coal.

Obama Calls for 80% “Clean Energy” by 2035 | Renewable Energy News Article

January 27, 2011 - Posted by Christina Macpherson | general