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The Nuclear Safety Paradox

June 29, 2011 by Meredith Angwin
with 931 views
11

Over the past several months, a thought has been at the back of my mind about nuclear safety. I feel is important to enter this issue into the ongoing discussion about Nuclear Power in our country. [read more]

Why 60 MPG Can Be as Standard as Catalytic Converters, Airbags, and Seatbelts

May 25, 2011 by Peter Lehner
with 549 views
7

One of the first cars I drove was my dad’s Buick Regal. I was only 14, but my older brothers let me sit behind the wheel. After college, I moved to DC and was happy to have an old VW Rabbit to wedge into tight parking spaces. I have fond memories of both those cars—they brought me a taste of freedom—but they can’t hold a candle to today’... [read more]

Talk to the (invisible) hand (of the free market)

March 24, 2011 by Lou Grinzo
with 62 views
0

You can find the whole comic here, permission from Tom Morrow.     [read more]

Elementary Particles, Complex Challenges

July 8, 2010 by Breakthrough Institute
with 650 views
0

This is a guest post from the Breakthrough Generation blog. To read more writings from this year's 2010 Breakthrough Fellows, head to http://breakthroughgen.org. By Mark Caine, Breakthrough Fellow Environmentalists have long couched their opposition to nuclear power in the argument that tinkering with elementary particles to produce... [read more]

Nuclear Energy Safety Is Different From the Deepwater Horizon Oil Drilling Safety

June 27, 2010 by Rod Adams
with 1,831 views
9

There is a depressing meme circulating around the Internet and in the commercial media that attempts to use BP's incredibly costly accident on the Deepwater Horizon as a reason why we should avoid using nuclear energy. (See, for example, BP spill an argument against nuclear power.) The very idea of trying to use what is happening in the... [read more]

Nuclear Energy Practitioners Spend Their Careers Thinking "Something Could Go Wrong" AND Planning How to Respond

May 19, 2010 by Rod Adams
with 496 views
12

There is an interesting discussion taking place on ScienceBlogs.com on a post titled The myopia of energy production: "Nothing will go wrong". The post is quite short, consisting mainly of a cartoon that plays on the world's intense concern about the continuing uncontrolled gusher deep in the Gulf of Mexico to raise safety questions... [read more]

Was the Advent of the Power Reactor Premature?

May 17, 2010 by Charles Barton
with 582 views
30

The Light Water Reactor has never been an unqualified success. It is perceived as dangerous by many people, the disposition of its spent fuel remains a matter of political controversy, and it is often alleged, quite wrongly, to be a useful nuclear proliferation tool. In addition the light water reactor has taken much criticism... [read more]

Friday Factoids: Fatalities from Energy Production Accidents

May 14, 2010 by Breakthrough Institute
with 602 views
1

Update: Thanks to Karen Street for bringing it to our attention that there have, in fact, been at least 11 fatalities from wind power accidents in the U.S. According to the Caithness Windfarms Information Forum, there have been 47 fatalities directly as a result of wind power worldwide. Here are some Friday Factoids to stew on over... [read more]

Oil Industry Can Learn from Nuclear’s Good Safety Record

May 14, 2010 by Senator Lamar Alexander
with 529 views
9

The oil spill currently threatening the Gulf Coast – not to mention the future of offshore drilling – is a reminder that no technology is without risk or cost when it comes to producing energy. In the past few months we’ve had a serious explosion at a natural gas plant and a coal mining tragedy that both cost lives.  Just last... [read more]

Motives for Molding Public Opinion On Climate Change - Al Gore Contrasted With Fossil Fuel Interests

May 14, 2010 by Rod Adams
with 239 views
0

I have recently been visiting a blog published by the American Gas Association. It is both a learning experience and a bit of Sun Tzu motivated research. It is obvious from the blog posts that the utility segment of the natural gas industry wants to take advantage of concern about climate change and CO2 emissions as a selling point for... [read more]

Redoubling the Commitment to Safety

May 4, 2010 by Jane Van Ryan
with 152 views
0

Editor's note: The following is a guest post from API's President and CEO Jack Gerard. In a USA Today op-ed, Gerard announced the oil and natural gas industry is forming two task forces "to review technologies and procedures to improve safety." Jack's comments on the tragic Deepwater Horizon accident are below: This was a tragic... [read more]

Explosions and Slicks - More Reasons for Considering the Benefits of Nuclear Energy

May 4, 2010 by Rod Adams
with 198 views
0

I am not a fear monger. I enjoy the fruits of human civilization and celebrate the accomplishments of engineers, designers, architects, manufacturers and builders. I recognize that consuming energy at a high rate is the very definition of "power" and that power is the ability to do work. However, I also love the natural world and want... [read more]

The Future of Offshore Drilling

May 4, 2010 by Jane Van Ryan
with 393 views
0

In the wake of the Deepwater Horizon accident, one of the most often asked questions is: What does this mean for the future of offshore drilling? While many people are understandably concerned about the safety and environmental risks associated with offshore drilling, we are encouraging all Americans not to rush to judgment on this... [read more]

Overreaction to Outside Pressure Puts Vermont Yankee Safety Culture Into Question

February 26, 2010 by Rod Adams
with 141 views
0

In an long delayed effort to prove to Vermont legislators that they are taking action to correct leakage of mildly radioactive water into the ground under the buildings that house Vermont Yankee, Energy as announced that they have disciplined 11 senior employees, five of whom have been removed from their positions and placed on... [read more]

Privacy and the emerging smart grid: lessons from the Internet

November 17, 2009 by Tyler Hamilton
with 171 views
0

My good friend Ann Cavoukian, Ontario’s privacy commissioner, has co-authored a new report that highlights the potential privacy breaches that could result as we move toward a smart grid infrastructure, one that will certainly have dozens of applications layered on top with the capability of capturing information about how and when we... [read more]