Editorial: Reconsidering Nuclear

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By Bart King When I read that Dr. James Hansen, head of NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, sent a letter to Barack Obama asking that-among other things-he renew funding for nuclear research, it got my attention. I have been against the proliferation of nuclear power on the grounds that air and water pollution are bad enough. Radioactive pollution that remains a threat for thousands of years is simply abhorrent. Also, like many other people, I am frightened by nuclear’s unnaturally destructive potential. However, I admit that my knowledge of what are called "fourth generation" nuclear power plants (NPPs) was exceedingly limited. Thus, when Hansen, whom I respect for his early and sustained warnings on climate change (not to mention his stand against the Bush Administration’s censoring of scientists) said a new class of NPPs could burn nuclear waste as fuel, I decided to get more informed. Of course, doing so is no easy task, because when an industry is positioning itself for billions of dollars worth of investments and revenues, it’s easy to see how information might get "massaged" to fit a particular end. And on the other side of the fence there are people like myself, who-despite its […]

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Weekly Clean Energy Roundup: January 7, 2009

EIA Projects a Clean Energy Shift that Stifles Oil Growth Federal Tax Credits Return for Efficiency Improvements to Homes DOE Awards 16 Contracts for Energy Savings at Federal Facilities Residential Water Heaters can now Carry the Energy Star Label BLM Finalizes Plans to Open 190 Million Acres to Geothermal Power DOE Offers up to $200 Million for Integrated Biorefineries EIA Projects a Clean Energy Shift that Stifles Oil Growth The latest look into the future of U.S. energy use from DOE’s Energy Information Administration (EIA) projects a steady growth in renewable energy use, a dramatic shift toward cleaner vehicles, and a rapid growth of biofuels, resulting in virtually no growth in U.S. oil consumption through 2030. The reference case for the EIA’s Annual Energy Outlook 2009, released on December 17, projects renewable energy use to increase steadily at 3.3% per year, with renewable energy power plants competing mainly with natural gas for new additions to the nation’s power generating capacity. The EIA’s crystal ball also reveals a significant decline in light truck sales and a sharp increase in the sale of unconventional vehicle technologies, as hybrid vehicles account for 38% of all new vehicle sales by 2030. That includes sales […]

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