For once both political parties agree on something but it's not doing any good at the moment. That something is nuclear energy, which truly is sad because with all of the clean energy movements it is the cleanest viable form of energy production. As with everything else the economy has people scared to make a move which is understandable when taking a multi-billion dollar gamble.
In the past one of the biggest road blocks was getting an actual license from the Nuclear Regulatory Commission but now that gateway has been opened along with the government opening up even more loan guarantees. For once the government is doing the right thing to cultivate a true solution to a problem. Not just a temporary patch like they're so prone to do. President Obama has been one of the biggest proponents for clean energy and seems to truly understand the value of the atom and its ability to create massive amounts of power while having relatively low impact on the environment.
While the residents of Japan might disagree with that, there were inherent problems with the design of their reactors and were never updated like their American counter-parts. That subject leads to another reason why the industry may be a bit sluggish to kick off now that the tools to break ground have been laid by the government.
With energy consumption growing in the world market the need for more power production will need to be met. Nuclear energy is the biggest and best solution to this problem and the US government seems to grasp that concept and is embracing it. Hopefully with the government's good-faith investment into the industry will help spark more new construction and help America get the energy sources it so badly needs.
1 comment:
In response to “Clean Energy on the Backburner” from the Burn After Reading blog.
I completely agree with you on this issue. Nuclear power plants, along with other renewable energy sources are the way to go. I was pleased to hear that Obama has set the nation a goal of using a minimum of 80% of our energy from renewable sources by 2035. Although 2035 is a bit too modest of a goal, at least there's now a goal. I agree, along with the rest of the world, that the events that occurred in Japan were extremely unfortunate, not only for the harm caused to the people but the setback this creates for nuclear power. I think it is important that this event doesn't get taken to heart by Americans- like you said, “there were inherent problems with the design of their reactors and [they] were never updated like their American counter-parts.” Nuclear power, when harnessed, has the capability to do great things. I think France is a great example of this. Beginning with the oil crisis of the 70's, the French committed to switching over to nuclear power and have seen great results as an outcome. Because almost 80% of their energy comes from nuclear power plants, the French now have extremely low carbon emissions when compared to other European countries, and have reduced their output of nitrogen oxide by over half while still increasing their energy output. This leading example is great encouragement for our government to get behind clean energy, including nuclear power, so it is wonderful that they are offering loan guarantees and are really embracing this. I'm with you in hoping some new construction will come about from this.
PS- good blog name, Burn After Reading is an awesome movie!
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