<div>The claim is made, and disputed, in the article below, that the US stores some of France's nuclear waste, because the US did not want them to store it in France, not that France needs to store it in the US:</div>
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<div><a href="https://cleantech.com/news/2162/french-nuclear-waste-being-stored-in-the-u-s">https://cleantech.com/news/2162/french-nuclear-waste-being-stored-in-the-u-s</a></div>
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<div>But without more research into this question, I'm not sure what the truth is; and it's possible the truth might be a matter of "national security" and thus hard to verify.</div>
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<div>But NASA climate scientist James Hansen in the following presentation, presents a case from Tom Blee's "Prescription for the Planet" that 4th generation nuclear power (fast or breeder reactors) addresses the waste problem and availability of nuclear fuel. Currently stored waste can be burned to generate energy. And the reactor designs can be made very safe regarding accidents. If these claims are true, nuclear power becomes more practical. I suppose the objections regarding terrorism or proliferation of nuclear weapon materials might still be a problem, but with good security measures, which we already have given the thousands of nuclear weapons the US must secure, these problems can be addressed:</div>
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<div><a href="http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2008/20080804_TripReport.pdf">http://www.columbia.edu/~jeh1/mailings/2008/20080804_TripReport.pdf</a></div>
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<div>I've been reading British scientist James Lovelock (who has issued dire warnings regarding climate change) on nuclear power. He also advocates it as a solution to the climate change crisis, claiming the dangers of nuclear power are exaggerated.</div>
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<div>I'd rather see solar electric or thermal, wind, biofuels, geothermal, hydro, tidal and wave, fuel cells, hydrogen or nuclear fusion, if this technology can be developed, be rolled out as fast as possible to get humanity off fossil fuels as soon as possible. The evidence I have read on these alternative energy sources indicate the potential is enough to supply humanity's energy needs, and the base load problem with solar and wind has solutions. Solar thermal can address the base load problem of no power when the sun goes down or on cloudy days, by storing fantastic amounts of heat that can generate electricity at night (molton salt thermal storage). Wind can pump water to higher elevations when wind is abundant to generate hydro power when wind is down. Read on this incredible claim from the National Academy of Sciences regarding wind power potential:</div>
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<div><a href="http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=winds-power-potential-quantified-09-06-26">http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=winds-power-potential-quantified-09-06-26</a></div>
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<div>In a report in the <i>Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences,</i> researchers calculate that U.S. wind turbines could produce 16 times the electricity we now use. Karen Hopkin reports </div>
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<div>But if these more advanced nuclear power plants can be built without exorbitant cost, and address the problems with nuclear power mentioned above, I'd rather have nuclear power than runaway climate change, given that the alternative energy technologies mentioned may not be rolled out fast enough.</div>
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<div>Ted Moffett<br></div>
<div class="gmail_quote">On Wed, Jul 8, 2009 at 3:57 PM, Paul Rumelhart <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:godshatter@yahoo.com">godshatter@yahoo.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
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<td valign="top">I'm afraid I don't have the authority to speak for France.<br><br>I think we should create more base energy with more nuclear plants, and *also* invest in wind, solar, geothermal, hydroelectric, wave power, and any other type of power we can find. We're going to need the energy.<br>
<br>Paul<br><br>--- On <b>Wed, 7/8/09, Tom Hansen <i><<a href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com" target="_blank">thansen@moscow.com</a>></i></b> wrote:<br>
<blockquote style="BORDER-LEFT: rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px"><br>From: Tom Hansen <<a href="mailto:thansen@moscow.com" target="_blank">thansen@moscow.com</a>><br>Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Idaho Governor Otter Asks US Energy Secretary Chu About the Future of Nuclear Energy<br>
To: "Paul Rumelhart" <<a href="mailto:godshatter@yahoo.com" target="_blank">godshatter@yahoo.com</a>><br>Cc: "Moscow Vision 2020" <<a href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020@moscow.com</a>>, "Ted Moffett" <<a href="mailto:starbliss@gmail.com" target="_blank">starbliss@gmail.com</a>><br>
Date: Wednesday, July 8, 2009, 2:34 PM
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<div>Paul Rumelhart stated:<br><br>" . . . the half-life of the waste by-products would be reduced to decades<br>instead of thousands of years. The waste is more manageable . . . "<br><br>That certainly explains why France wants to dump their nuclear waste right<br>
here in Idaho, instead of Nevada where the locals are up in arms over<br>their current pile of "manageable" nuclear waste, or at home in France<br>where . . . uh . . . uh . . . why isn't France securing their own nuclear<br>
waste, Paul?<br><br>Why not create energy with windpower . . .<br><br><a href="http://www.windpowerexpo.org/" target="_blank">http://www.windpowerexpo.org/</a><br><br>The waste produced by windpower is far more manageable, probably because<br>
there isn't any.<br><br>And, besides, this gives me an opportunity to share my favorite song from<br>"Paint Your Wagon" with y'all . . .<br><br>"They Call the Wind Maria"<br><a href="http://www.tomandrodna.com/Songs/Wind_Maria.mp3" target="_blank">http://www.TomandRodna.com/Songs/Wind_Maria.mp3</a><br>
<br>Seeya round town, Moscow.<br><br>Tom Hansen<br>Moscow, Idaho<br><br>"The Pessimist complains about the wind, the Optimist expects it to change<br>and the Realist adjusts his sails."<br><br>- Unknown<br><br><br>
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