[Vision2020] Say What?

[Dan Carscallen]

Paul's post is quite timely.  Yesterday evening the Chamber of Commerce had
a get-together with the leadership of Idaho National Laboratory.  Councilman
Brown and I met with Rear Admiral Art Clark (ret.), who is one of the
directors of nuclear support and production, and we learned more about
nuclear energy and using waste products in breeder reactors in the ten
minutes we got to visit with him than I did in my entire college career.  Of
course, I majored in Agricultural Education, so that could have some bearing
. . .

 

Anyhow, it was very interesting to learn how INL is trying to leapfrog ahead
by researching the state-of-the-art nuclear reactors.  We need to get past
the bad juju we feel when we hear the word "nuclear" (no matter how you
pronounce it) and listen to (and fund) the experts who are developing these
reactors that can use the majority of the waste product in energy
production.

 

DC

 

-----Original Message-----
From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com]
On Behalf Of Paul Rumelhart
Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2010 12:21 PM
To: Vision 2020; Art Deco
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Say What?

 


What we need, in my opinion, is a Manhattan Project-esque effort put into
building state-of-the-art nuclear plants.  Nothing else right now is a
viable drop-in replacement for our energy needs.  Solar, wind, geothermal,
ethanol, hydroelectric, tides, etc are all supplemental technologies that
will never work in the short to medium time frame to cover our energy needs
alone.  They still need to be developed, but none of them are reliable forms
of base energy generation.  Build breeder reactors that can use the majority
of our nuclear waste as fuel so we don't run into supply problems, and build
enough of them to handle a minimum level of our electrical needs.

In concert with that, start minimizing the use of foreign oil even if it
means letting the "drill, baby, drill" folks loose.  I'd rather deal with
the occasional oil leak then with crazy dictatorships.  Build up the current
alternative energy technologies as a supplemental system to cover problems
with the nuclear plants or high usage scenarios.  Develop the "smart grid"
and work on energy storage for off-peak hours.  Move over to electric cars
in a big way after our base electrical needs are taken care of, and then
drop the transportation and energy-production portions of oil use.

Let's make ourselves self-sufficent for energy generation without resorting
to an agrarian life style.  Reduce our dependency on Middle Eastern
religious states and South American dictatorships first, then reduce oil use
to making plastics and fertilizer and lubricants.

The only way I could see the supplemental alternative energy technologies
producing the majority of our power would be converting every house and
place of business to be as energy neutral as possible with solar panels,
wind, etc.  You'd need an extremely complex distributed smart grid energy
transportation system for that to work.  Maybe someday, but we're currently
fighting two wars with the same type of religious fanatics we buy our oil
from.  Not a good way to do business.

Any thoughts?

Paul

--- On Tue, 5/4/10, Art Deco <deco at moscow.com> wrote:


From: Art Deco <deco at moscow.com>
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Say What?
To: "Vision 2020" <vision2020 at moscow.com>
Date: Tuesday, May 4, 2010, 10:41 AM

And this is exactly why we need a large scale public/private effort to
develop solar and other less environmentally adverse energy sources.  Those
of us who are old remember the space race effort.  Why not one like that for
alternative energy?  Think of the jobs such an effort could engender,
especially now when the economy needs a boost at the bottom -- creating
wealth the old-fashioned way through labor, skilled and unskilled, while
creating huge public benefit worldwide.

 

W.

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Garrett Clevenger 

To: vision2020 at moscow.com 

Sent: Tuesday, May 04, 2010 9:42 AM

Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Say What?

 


What an idiot! But what else would we expect from Brown. Coming from his
mouth, with his background, whatever he says is meaningless, anyway.

For anybody who has concerns for the environment and people, this disaster
is exactly what we don't want.

This is precisely why offshore drilling should be banned and precisely why
the drill, baby, drill people are so shortsighted.

It's too bad that some people just don't get it and that things like this
will keep happening.

How many catastrophes like this do we need to wake us up?

Garrett



"This is exactly what they want, because now President Obama can pander to
the environmentalists and say, 'I'm gonna shut it down because it's too
dangerous.'"

- Katrina-era FEMA head Michael Brown, on the oil slick approaching shore
and possibly moving up the east coast

Video
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/05/03/michael-brown-obama-wante_n_562004.
html

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