Pragmatism, Nuclear Power, and HR7173

Pragmatism is defined as the practical approach to problems. This means if I am going to be pragmatic, I must set aside preconceived opinions and evaluate problems as level headedly as possible. It may also mean I will occasionally have to choose between the lesser of two evils.

How do you feel about nuclear power?  Back when I was resupplying navy ships, we had a three-day bomb transfer from the USS Ronald Reagan.  We completed this off shore from Japan. Because shipping traffic can be dangerous, we did our work steaming side by side through the radio-active prohibited zone east of Fukushima. Our number one hazard, collision, no longer existed.

But, if I glow in the dark, you can be sure it is not a halo!

Three-mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima justifiably make us skeptical of nuclear electric power generation.   

We have 99 operating nuke plants in the US which supply us 20% of our electricity. These plants are in a precarious position because nearly every other form of energy is cheaper. Since 2013 five nuke plants have closed, and if this continues, we should be extremely concerned.

When these atomic plants close, the electricity is most often replaced by fossil fuel powered plants. This means carbon dioxide emissions rise beyond limits we can hope to survive.  The National Academies of Science, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and all 13 of 13 US federal science organizations have warned us that we must reduce emissions to zero in just twelve years or face economic stagnation and eventual collapse.  Because nuclear power plants do not emit carbon dioxide,we cannot afford to shut down any of our nuclear plants at this time.

Carbon pollution is rampant because we subsidize dirty fossil fuels. On top of that the waste of fossil fuels is dumped into the air without penalty. And that waste, even if we do not consider the destruction of our climate, which we witness almost daily, also creates a myriad of health problems and even death. Sulfur Dioxide, Nitrogen Oxide, Arsenic, Mercury, and Lead all attack our health and environment when we burn coal. A coal planet even emits more radiation than a nuclear power plant by a factor of 100. Fatalities per unit of energy produced are not even close. For every person who dies in the course of nuclear energy production, coal kills 400.

We must punish energy that creates pollution and reward clean energy. Nuclear power, indeed, has its risks, but we need to protect nuclear power now because it does not create greenhouse gasses.   

Luckily, we have the means to do it! The House of Representatives will be voting on HR 7173 called the Energy Innovation and Carbon Dividend Act. This act will put a long overdue penalty on carbon pollution. This will make nuclear power competitive.  It will do it in a well thought out manner. One important element of HR7173 is that the carbon pollution fee will be returned to the US citizen by dividend. For more detailed information go to www.citizensclimatelobby.org .

This resolution will not magically pass because it makes common sense and will help save our children’s climate future. It will only pass if we call and politely demand that our congressmen vote for this long overdue legislation.

Like the Captain of my supply ship, sometimes we will have to steam through waters we would normally avoid in order to escape worse hazards.  In the short term, we must save our nuclear power plants until we can get solar and wind scaled up.

If you wish to delve deeper into this analysis, please email me at climatelynx@earthlink.net. I will send you the well-researched paper written by Michigan Technological Distinguished Professor of Environmental History, Nancy Langston.

Additional Reference: The Union of Concerned Scientists www.ucsusa.org                

Greyson Morrow

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