Energy Obstructionists

There is just no pleasing the tree huggers.

When it comes to formulating a national energy policy, there is nothing that can please them. Oil is downright evil in their book. Coal isn't far behind. Ethanol? It will make food more expensive. Wind power? The turbines kill lots of birds and they spoil the view. Nuclear power? Are you kidding? What do we do with the waste? We can't be absolutely certain that the waste will be handled in a safe manner. So what energy sources does a good environmentalist prefer? Why wave technology and cold fusion of course. And for those who are smugly pointing out that neither of those technologies are currently available, I just want to say you must be one of those global warming deniers.

There are problems with every kind of energy. If the liberals would recognize that one simple fact, we might be able to move forward and make some choices. And, yes, that means trade offs, something that makes those of the liberal persuasion go crazy. They just don't seem to understand that we are not going to come up with a fuel that produces oxygen as it burns and is in abundant supply.

I don't know if I believe that man made global warming is taking place or not, but if I did believe that I'd certainly be looking hard at the one type of energy that produces zero greenhouse gasses, nuclear. But it turns out that Jane Fonda made a movie 25 years ago about a fictional nuclear disaster and we haven't gotten over it yet. But here is something to ponder if you are concerned about how we would reassure ourselves that nuclear waste in the United States was being handled properly: China has recently opened 8 new nuclear plants, and has another 45 on the drawing board. It appears that nobody in China has ever seen The China Syndrome. So while you can sleep better knowing that Americans will not have to face the question of how to safely handle our nuclear waste, I'm hoping you will now lose a lot of sleep wondering if China, where they just had a devastating earthquake, has built those new plants up to code.

My point is the nuclear plants are going to be built. It's just a matter of who will build them where and who is capable of doing so safely. So from what I see, it looks like we are convinced that the Chinese can do it better than us.