Chevron has a discussion site at www.willyoujoinus.com. The level of discourse is good, topics are well-managed, and you can read opinions from people like Amory Lovins, CEO of Rocky Mountain Institute , and Patrick Moore, co-founder of Greenpeace. The question in focus today is "What Role Should Nuclear Power Play in the World's Energy Future?" Mr. Lovins is against nuclear power; Mr. Moore makes a powerful argument in favor of it.
We posted the New Energy Watch view, as follows:
Nuclear power seems to hold the promise of a slam-dunk fix. Still, even assuming that the dangers of nuclear disasters and of managing waste are overblown, perceptions are powerful. There will be big public resistance to the construction of nuclear plants, even if, as a matter of local economics, such plants are welcomed in some areas. Also, safety requirements, engineering and building costs, maintenance and waste disposal, and a host of other factors will make these plants wickedly expensive. Between the debates and protests on one hand and the expense and engineering hassles on the other, it would take years and years to get these plants up and running.
Wouldn't it be better at least to try conservation on a level that would reduce or eliminate the need for a nuclear power resurgence in the first place? This would involve simple measures that are already being discussed: 1. An aggressive, temporary federal tax on every gallon of petrofuel for vehicles, with proceeds to finance development of alternative energy programs. 2. Much higher mileage requirements for new vehicles and continued incentives to buy fuel-efficient vehicles. 3. A temporary highway speed limit of 55 mph. It worked before, and it can work again. We'll be able to get away with 65. That's enough. 4. Federal and state funding linked to incentives for conservation and disincentives for waste of energy, from local governments right down to the home and office level.
In WWII, fuel was strictly rationed. Nylon stockings were hard to come by. Metals were carefully collected and recycled. Our crisis of energy, energy politics, and global warming demands at least a modicum of sacrifice. With decent leadership, we could see results in a matter of months.
~ Doug Logan, New Energy Watch
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