| By his own admission, a certain former President was | | | | And then there is nuclear. I had thought to myself, |
| not keen on “the vision thing” as a general | | | | years ago when Shoreham was shut down, that a |
| proposition. He never did get around to proposing a | | | | terrible mistake had just been made, that we were |
| Unified National Energy Policy. The successor | | | | going in reverse, and that we would come to rue the |
| co-Presidency brought forth many initiatives, but a | | | | day. That is not to say that “Shoreham” |
| Unified National Energy Policy was not one of them. | | | | was the right installation in the right place, because it |
| Iteration II of the “no vision thing” has done | | | | probably wasn’t - only that the mob-like, |
| no better in this regard. | | | | frenzied reaction to its construction evoked an |
| Apparently the next Presidency is to be neither a | | | | animalistic, irrational streak in human nature which has |
| Restoration nor a Continuation, which is probably a net | | | | been seen before over the centuries, and will no doubt |
| positive. The prospect of a breath of fresh air carries | | | | be seen again. |
| with it a certain appeal. Whoever is elected President | | | | Rather than “shutting down Shoreham” |
| next autumn has a great opportunity to bring forth a | | | | and stopping in its tracks the development of |
| unified national energy plan. It is indeed very late in the | | | | nuclear-powered electricity generating plants |
| day, but it ought to be one of the entries at the very | | | | nationwide, we should instead have been proceeding |
| top of the Priority List. | | | | apace with constructing those plants and building up a |
| So very much time has been wasted. It can’t | | | | uranium fuel reserve at the same time, especially since |
| be recaptured. The current thrashing-about for a | | | | uranium is available in reasonable abundance right here |
| “windfall profits tax” on Big Oil may be a | | | | at home. Canada has a pound or two of it too, we |
| reflection of a peculiarly human instinct to inflict | | | | hear. |
| punishment. There is a certain vengefulness about it all, | | | | Cursory reading reveals that good strides are now |
| with overtones of envy, jealousy, and coveting thy | | | | being made in solar generation of electricity. Surely, as |
| neighbor’s goods. Certainly, there is great pain | | | | the technology advances, solar will become an |
| involved in having to pay a small fortune to fill the gas | | | | ever-more-important part of the entire electricity |
| tank, but there would seem not to be very great profit | | | | picture. |
| in the retail side of the business, for otherwise Exxon | | | | The whole concept of deriving ethanol from corn has |
| Mobil would not be exiting therefrom, as has been | | | | turned out badly. I never understood the supposed |
| reported this morning. XOM concluded that the | | | | logic of it. The entire enterprise is one gigantic |
| availability of gasoline on the retail premises has | | | | boondoggle at the taxpayers’ expense, and it |
| become the loss-leader or zero-profit | | | | robs the world of food at exactly a time when it is |
| “bait” in order to bring the customer into | | | | most needed. I foresee that ethanol can become an |
| the store in order to pay for the gas and then sell him | | | | important fuel for cars and trucks, as it has in Brazil; but |
| pretzels and hot coffee at good markups, which after | | | | it ought not be made in great volume from food grains. |
| all is not really its chosen line of work. | | | | It is difficult to transport in bulk, as compared to |
| I lived on Long Island, New York, from birth until just a | | | | gasoline, partly because of its corrosive properties; but |
| few years ago. I clearly remember the drumbeat of | | | | in dilute form and in small package units it is widely |
| opposition to the proposed nuclear energy plant at | | | | available and is easily carried about. (see: research |
| Shoreham, which was actually fueled and ready to | | | | categories “beer” and “Jack |
| begin producing electricity when the naysayers finally | | | | Daniels”). |
| prevailed and the plant was shut down before it ever | | | | Liquefied natural gas is a bit of a puzzle. It’s |
| earned its first dollar. The memories of Chernobyl and | | | | devilish to handle; it’s dangerous; if it comes |
| of the close shave at Three Mile Island were fresh in | | | | from overseas, that adversely affects the balance of |
| the mind. The costs involved in building Shoreham and | | | | payments and does little if anything to promote our |
| then decommissioning it were inevitably | | | | energy independence. LNG may be and remain in the |
| “administered” to customers at the retail | | | | mix, but I doubt that it has the potential of becoming a |
| level, who continue to pay for it to this very day. | | | | major part of the solution. |
| France (perhaps unexpectedly, France?) generates | | | | I recall having a conversation some years ago with a |
| about 40% of its national electricity usage at its nuclear | | | | very book-learned man of academe. His main theme |
| generating plants. It is a world leader in the design and | | | | centered upon the necessity to mandate the |
| construction supervision of state-of-the-art nuclear | | | | manufacture of automobiles in such manner that they |
| power facilities. Other European countries, by contrast, | | | | would operate on stored electricity (batteries) only |
| reflexively stopped new atomic electricity generation | | | | – i.e., without petroleum-derived fuel whatsoever. |
| cold. Now chickens are coming home to roost, with a | | | | Recharging of the batteries would be accomplished by |
| newly invigorated Gazprom holding all of the face | | | | the use of electrical outlets at home and at |
| cards, possessing the power (and perhaps the | | | | universally-available “filling” stations. My |
| willfulness) to have its way with Europe in terms of the | | | | response was that it was a marvelous idea; but I |
| availability and the cost of natural gas. | | | | gently inquired what he envisioned to be the fuel which |
| It may be that we in the United States have tapped all | | | | would be used in order to generate all that electricity. |
| of our practical sources of hydroelectric power. And | | | | The question stumped him cold. |
| yet – one wonders about that, upon seeing | | | | There are not going to be any easy answers; and |
| pictures of vast acreage of farmland and entire | | | | they are not going to be provided by people whose |
| Midwestern cities inundated with flood water – | | | | lives are centered upon the concept of |
| all of it doing damage, and none of it generating a | | | | “No,” “Never,” or “Not |
| single kilowatt of power on its determined way to the | | | | In My Back Yard.” Many folks will be unhappy, |
| Mississippi River and the Gulf of Mexico, loaded with | | | | maybe including me. There may even be more drilling in |
| valuable topsoil to build up the Delta. What a waste. | | | | Alaska, wind farms in the sea within sight of Nantucket |
| Is there no reasonable way to capture the inherent | | | | or even (!) Hyannis, and oil rigs offshore Palm Beach. |
| generative power of much of that wasted water | | | | However, if the professional naysayers would prefer |
| – and prevent massive property damage and | | | | to remain mobile, warm in winter and cool in summer, |
| disruption of lives while doing so? | | | | and continue to see Pat and Vanna appear on the TV |
| Is there latent hydroelectric generative power available | | | | screen when they click the “On” button, |
| to be harnessed in northern Canada, which by mutual | | | | there may have to be some tradeoffs. |
| agreement might be developed? | | | | Every actual or potential source of electrical energy |
| We are told that the United States still has very | | | | should be on the new President’s desk for |
| substantial reserves of soft coal in the ground. | | | | discussion. He has the opportunity to get off to a good |
| Granted, coal is polluting, and utilities consider it to be | | | | start by gathering around him the best advice he can |
| the “fallback fuel.” (We read that they are | | | | find; and thereupon, for the first time, formulate a |
| falling back on it now, at least to some extent, in view | | | | Unified National Energy Policy, to be presented to the |
| of the prices of fuel oil and of natural gas). It would | | | | Congress and intended to be in place by the end of his |
| seem that coal will necessarily be a major part of the | | | | first year in office. It should include specific goals for |
| electricity-generation equation for decades to come, | | | | each actual and potential source of electrical power, |
| like it or not. | | | | together with targets for the substitution of alternate |
| Then there is wind power, which is still tiny, but growing. | | | | fuels in place of gasoline, Diesel fuel, home heating oil, |
| Denmark generates a very large percentage of its | | | | and jet fuel. |
| total electricity by wind power. It’s a small | | | | My Dad taught me a long time ago that there are only |
| country, to be sure, but it’s leading the way and | | | | two steps involved in getting a job done: 1) Start, and |
| showing us what can be done. | | | | 2) Keep Going. |
| Generation of electricity by tidal action or by wave | | | | On his very first day in office, the new President |
| action is in the picture. Those concepts are appealing | | | | should start work on development of a Unified National |
| because the source of power never goes away. | | | | Energy Policy. And then he should Keep Going when |
| They do seem to be a long distance from becoming | | | | the brickbats begin to fly. |
| real on any substantial scale. | | | | |