RE: Gas Prices
Gas in Houston at $3.18/gallon, 2/28/2011.
As for the Nuke option for energy: The French and others have bee recharging their spent fuel rods. LIke rechaching batteries. The US is slow to adapt new technologies we do not develop - special interest groups have a vested in terest in storing spent fuel rods, so we cannot try a new technology that would really answer our needs.
Additionally, the UN has a paper out that is at least 10 years old (I read it last summer) wherein Nuke plants also convert seawater to fresh, drinking water. Gee, that would make sense in, say, California, which lacks energy and water. But no, politicos MUST stop all development, kill off farming and save a little fish, rather than apply a tried and proven technology to address all the problems.
As to fuel cells, there are many heavy metals and pollutants used in their manufacture that would require massive funds to recover or store. A nasty little secret that the environmentalists don't want out. I know this as I have been peripherally involved in this issue. We had all the environmental concerns, liabilities and duties with little benefit, all due to the mandates of the Federal Government.
By the way, Wind and Solar energies are not developed to an economically feasible stage, at this point. Howwever, if Nuke plants are built, they would afford a lot of space to place mnay windmills and solar panels as no one wants to be too close to the nuke plant. Also, nuke plants could regulate the energy put on the grid by wind and solar, neither of which is consistent enough and suffer periods of ineffectiveness. Nuke plants can be adjusted continuously with little effort in comparison to wind and solar.
Drill now, use what we need. Meanwhile build the other options for future needs. It will never happen, makes sense and we know no politico (R or D or I) can accept anything that makes sense.
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