I ask because currently the hot button topic is energy. It's not as big as it was in the 70s when it was a fighting issue but it's big again and everyone seems to have an answer to the problem. (Well except the people in the business, clueless lot aren't they that people on the street know their business better than them ?)
Our presumptive nominee Senator McCain has proposed that the U.S. should try and build 45 Nuclear power plants by 2030.
From Reuters
"If I am elected president, I will set this nation on a course to building 45 new reactors by the year 2030, with the ultimate goal of 100 new plants to power the homes and factories and cities of America," he said.
To me this is an amazing statement. I am very pro nuclear myself and applaud the idea of new plants being built. They provide abundant reliable power at a low cost. I have to ask though, just what does our nominee know about running a power utility ? Further why does he feel he should set the agenda for them ?
Second let me ask, Will nuclear power do anything to solve our current energy problems ?
The answer is not one bit.
WE DON'T HAVE AN ENERGY CRISIS OR EVEN A MINOR ENERGY PROBLEM
The problem is so completely misstated and characterized by the media we can't even speak about amongst ourselves in a meaningful framework.
Our nominee speaks of adding nuclear plants to solve our energy independence needs. Well they won't.
We Don't have an energy shortage: We have a shortage of transportation fuels
See the difference ? We don't use "ENERGY" to fuel our cars we use petroleum distillates. If we had the additional hundred nuke plants now they wouldn't reduce the price of gas or even electricity. We can't use what they make to get around.
If we build nuke plants to be green we will only wind up displacing coal fired plants. This is where the bulk of our electrical power comes from. (Over 50% of our current capacity is coal, 20% combined cycle gas, 3% oil (guess what building the nukes isn't going to get rid of the oil either)).
Just how does getting rid of a fuel source we have more of than anywhere else in the world help us ???
Why are we speaking of nuclear power in terms of fixing our reliance on foreign oil ?
Well we have adopted the lefts position on Man Made Global Warming and are looking at the problem with their eyes instead of our own. The left seeks power sources that don't violate the holy carbon content of the atmosphere. They have sold us on the idea that the only good power sources are those that are somehow or someway green. Instead of looking at how to meet our needs, we look at how we can be "GREEN".
We have to ask ourselves are we about solving problems or supporting an ideology that's not our own ? Nuclear power can play a big part in our energy picture but if we build the plants just so we can be more green we will be in a worse place than we are now.
Crossposted at Redstate
