NUKES NOW!!

An interesting possible consequence of the Global Warming movement/fiasco: massive numbers of political activists who might switch their long-standing opposition to nuclear power.

It is unremarked upon, but the Greens have been quite effective in opposing the building of nuclear power stations. Nuclear power, on about any criteria, has been the best option for power generation since at least the oil shocks of the early 70’s. This is evidenced not least by France, that usual bellwether of idiocy. More than 75% of its power comes from nuclear reactors, and France is one of the leaders in the use and export of nuclear technology. Our own need for energy independence and security alone would justify nuclear power, but it is also the most cost effective form of power generation. And unlike coal powered plants that do not include in their cost structure clean up expenses of pollution, nuclear power does; encasement and storage of nuclear waste in certain approved ways is mandated under the law.

And yet, the building of new nuclear plants has almost completely stopped in the US. From 1992 to 2005, new gas-fired plants produced almost 20 times the amount of power as nuclear and coal combined. This is because the regulatory overhead associated with licensing and the like is built into the cost structure of nuclear power. And this is where the Greens have been so successful. They have become masters at not only getting new regulations issued, but also at objecting to and slowing down the permitting process. As a result, it takes over 10 years to build a nuclear power plant, when it should take only about 3.

Is it really possible that Global Warming, that most irrational of religious beliefs, might be the impetus towards a rational national energy policy?