Time To Go Nuclear
Last week the Saudi government announced that they had stopped a plot to disrupt oil production in their region. 172 individuals have been arrested as a result and many more may be involved. As a result oil prices jumped up $1.00 a barrel after the plot had been foiled! David Moore an analyst at Commonwealth Bank of Australia said "Saudi Arabia's announcement has served as a sharp reminder to the market of the potential risks to oil supplies. Those risks are not likely to go away soon." It is possible that those risks will only be compounded by our current involvement in the Middle East. Meanwhile, the big four (ExxonMobil, RoyalDutchShell,BP & Chevron) continue to announce record profits. However, some of the supply & demand issues seem to be self inflicted by US companies. According to CNNMoney.com "Low production from U.S. refineries due to maintenance and unplanned repairs have cut the nation's gasoline stocks nearly 15% since early February."
There has been an energy debate going on in America concerning what to do about rising fuel costs and the fact that we are too dependent upon a volatile region for our energy needs. This discussion has included geothermal, solar, coal, and the current darling of the administration ethanol. But one major player has been ignored entirely: Nuclear energy. The success that the French have had with nuclear energy should warrant some investigation on the part of Americans. Depending on the source, the French have 55 - 59 nuclear power plants, generating 76% of its electricity. The French people started down the path of energy independence in the '70's due to the OPEC crisis. France has very limited natural resources, so nuclear was the only viable option. The French government has a unique view on disposal of waste materials. Rather than "bury and forget it", the French have taken a different approach concerning waste, they stock and maintain it. The science of making nuclear waste less toxic is beyond our capabilities now, but in 100 years we may have solved this riddle.
Converting food resources, primarily corn for ethanol, into energy seems to be an irresponsible use of resources. Replacing gasoline with the product of least resistance will work for the short term, but we must look further ahead. Allowing U.S. policy to continually be dictated by the flow of oil is both dangerous and irresponsible. A renaissance in the nuclear industry must take place, and it is up to our legislators to take a bold new look at a tried and true means of supplying America with the energy she needs.
There has been an energy debate going on in America concerning what to do about rising fuel costs and the fact that we are too dependent upon a volatile region for our energy needs. This discussion has included geothermal, solar, coal, and the current darling of the administration ethanol. But one major player has been ignored entirely: Nuclear energy. The success that the French have had with nuclear energy should warrant some investigation on the part of Americans. Depending on the source, the French have 55 - 59 nuclear power plants, generating 76% of its electricity. The French people started down the path of energy independence in the '70's due to the OPEC crisis. France has very limited natural resources, so nuclear was the only viable option. The French government has a unique view on disposal of waste materials. Rather than "bury and forget it", the French have taken a different approach concerning waste, they stock and maintain it. The science of making nuclear waste less toxic is beyond our capabilities now, but in 100 years we may have solved this riddle.
Converting food resources, primarily corn for ethanol, into energy seems to be an irresponsible use of resources. Replacing gasoline with the product of least resistance will work for the short term, but we must look further ahead. Allowing U.S. policy to continually be dictated by the flow of oil is both dangerous and irresponsible. A renaissance in the nuclear industry must take place, and it is up to our legislators to take a bold new look at a tried and true means of supplying America with the energy she needs.
