"On an issue that affects our economy, our security, and the future of our planet, we can't continue to be mired in the same old stale debates left and right, between environmentalists and entrepreneurs. Our competitors are racing to create jobs and command growing energy industries. And nuclear energy is no exception, "said President Obama during a stop at a job training center outside Washington (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35421517/ns/business-oil_and_energy/). To which President Obama pledged more than $8B in federal loan guarantees for the construction of the United States first nuclear power plant in nearly three decades. Did Obama finally read my daily emails to the White House? Did he stumble upon my blog? Probably not but who cares. Obama is seeing the future in clean energy, sustained job growth and a green policy we can all stand behind.
The new nuclear power plant will be built in Burke County, GA. As an FYI, Burke County is represented in Congress by Sen. Isakson (R), Sen. Chambliss (R), and Rep. Barrow (D). The president did warn that technology and storage are concerns going forward. Now, this is really good news for those in Georgia as the nuclear power plant will add sustainable, high paying jobs to the area as well as spring up organic growth to support the people working at the plant. We need a similar project in every state in the Union times two. Now, we need President Obama to write an Executive Order reversing Jimmy Carter's Executive Order banning the use of spent rods. The technology exists, just ask the French, to re-use spent rods safer than it had prior to Carter's Executive Order.
I read this interesting article on this website.
ReplyDeletehttp://motherjones.com/environment/2010/02/obamas-nuclear-giveaway
I am not quite sure about the sources or the slant that this publication makes, but it makes a good case that nuclear energy may be more expensive than we think. Now, I am not entirely against this given how dirty burning coal is, but who is actually putting the money up for this? Federal loan guarantee is just a backing of the money right. The federal government is on the hook for $8B if the actual financier default?
I think what really needs to be done is an overhaul of the antiquated power grid system. I have heard that millions in electricity dollars gets wasted in the old grids. Upgrading this would also help in making wind and solar energy more efficiently used.
I am not against nuclear power. I just think that the cost of it could be used somewhere else as well. I hope you somewhat agree with me
I agree that the cost to establish or build a Nuclear Power plant is expensive. I have read various articles on Nuclear Power and depending on the source the range per kilowatt is large.
ReplyDeleteFrance currently gets over 80% of their engergy from Nuclear Power and we do not hear of rolling black outs that we'd seen exist in California from wind and solar farms. I am trying to locate an environmental impact study on all three forms of power too.
A side note though. Of the three sources of alternative energy, only Nuclear Power provides for thousands of sustainable jobs while creating an need for other infrastructure such as schools, grocery, gas stations, etc... Wind and solar farms can be run with a relative skeleton crew and could be outsourced in regards to monitoring the production of energy.
I do agree that our electrical grid is antiquated and need of an overhaul. When people look to government for action, it is this type of action that government can assist in. Government's role should be limited to infrastructure, foreign policy, ensuring the safety and rights spelled out in the Constitution, and protecting consumers from fraud and abuse. Outside of that, leave local communities to determine the social issues that impact them the most.
As Obama moves forward with his Nuclear plan, I'd like to see him start building reactors near towns that are dependant on coal production in order to transistion those workers first to the new technology.