An Energy Policy for America
Submitted by Barry Robertson
“Nuclear energy from fast reactors resolves every energy issue facing the world today-depletion of oil, pollution from fossil fuels and even the prospect of global warming from greenhouse gases.”1 Shuster has a roadmap to America’s energy independence by 2040, at which time the mix of energy sources could be: 42% nuclear, 30% wind and solar, 12% nat gas, 6% bio/geo/tides, 5% hydro and 5% plasma mediation. A surcharge on fossil fuels of $300B per year for a period of 20 years will pay for everything. Americans will save $2.5T on energy expenses in the decade starting in 2040.2 Congress must act now to 1) mandate the surcharges and 2) appropriate $6.1B for a fast reactor pilot plant, complete with waste fuel reprocessing. France, Japan and Russia began this work 30 years ago.
Nuclear France: France gets 80% of its power from nuclear reactors, while simultaneously exporting electricity to several neighboring countries. France reprocesses nuclear waste and stores the residual mass in one location. This waste, the result of 25 years of nuclear reactor operation and fuel reprocessing, amounts to two ounces per person. America’s waste is 50 times this amount on an annual basis. France currently imports excess weapons grade plutonium from Russia and mixes it with depleted uranium to produce a fuel for nuclear reactors that is known as MOX. MOX is used in Japan, America, Germany, Switzerland and France.3
Bio-Energy: America’s ethanol from corn program offers some insights. About 20% of our corn crop is converted to ethanol, which is then blended, to a 10% level, into gasoline. Using all of our corn for ethanol would meet only 10% of our transportation needs. This use of corn for fuel has raised claims that food prices have doubled in places where people are very poor. The claim is disputed.
The vignettes that follow describe current or proposed federal government policies that need to be stopped.
The Road to Dependence on Imported Oil: We imported 20% of our oil in 1975, 40% in 1990, and 62% in 2009. The cost of 4.35B barrels in 2009 was $265B. Shuster and others estimate that the hidden cost for current governmental subsidies of gasoline (defending Persian Gulf oil sources, social and health care costs from pollution) is $6-$8 per gallon. How did you feel when, at the height of the oil price surge, President George W. Bush flew to Saudi Arabia to deliver a personal request for more oil. He didn’t get it, either. I am not sympathetic to news that Saudi Arabia’s economy suffers when oil prices drop below $70 per barrel.
The American Clean Energy and Security Act: This bill, sometimes known as the Waxman-Markley Bill, is being considered in Congress. It defines the system known as Cap and Trade, and proposes to cap greenhouse emissions at 17% below 2005 levels by 2020. At this time, the cap will be lowered incrementally until 2050, when emissions must be 83% below 2005 levels. The consumer pays twice-once for the permit and again for the equipment needed to reduce emissions. Sightline Institute claims that 7400 American companies will be affected. Congress estimates that pollution allowance revenues will be hundreds of billions of dollars, maybe even trillions of dollars. I hope that you will look at how Congress plans to spend the money. The president of MidAmerican Energy Company (Warren Buffett owns 80%) believes that his customer’s bills will increase by 25% in 2012 if this bill becomes law.
Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS): For a modern coal gasification combined cycle power plant, the cost to capture and store CO2 is estimated to be $25 per ton. The pressurized and cooled (super-critical) CO2 must be injected into suitable geological cavities about one–half mile underground, where it must stay. A 1000 megawatt power plant will produce 6 million tons of CO2 per year. Capturing and storing this CO2 consumes 20-25% of the capacity of a power plant; therefore, CCS will result in a similar increase in electric power bills. This cost increase may double for older power plants. 4 In January, 2010, Appalachian Power informed it’s customers of the “world’s first integrated carbon capture and storage project at a coal fueled power plant.” AP has applied for an additional $334M government grant to build a larger facility at their Mountaineer Plant by 2015.
The Bottom Line: Nuclear power, supplemented by wind turbines and solar
panels, can make America energy independent by 2040.
The alternative: We will remain slaves to the cost of oil imports, a
people oppressed with the expense of reducing polluting emissions from
fossil fuel power plants and a country with no plan for maintaining our
way of life when oil supplies are gone.
Submitted by Barry Robertson
Brobertson4500@embarqmail.com
References:
1. Beyond Fossil Fools-The Road Map to Energy Independence by 2040;
Joseph M. Shuster, Beaver’s Pond Press, 2008
2. Energy Independence Day, July 4, 2040, Joseph M. Shuster- Copies may
be obtained at www.beyondfossilfools.com. There is no cost.
3. Terrestrial Energy-How Nuclear Power will lead the Green Revolution
and End America’s Energy Odyssey; William Tucker, Bartleby Press, 2008
4. Can We Bury Global Warming? Robert H. Socolow, Scientific American,
July, 2005
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Reply #1 on : Tue April 12, 2011, 02:25:27