Government must boost coal, nuclear power

[kristopher]

This is an OpEd demonstrating the belief system underpinning most support for nuclear power:

My Turn: Government must boost coal, nuclear power

By V.K. MATHUR For the Monitor
Saturday, December 29, 2012

... An active role for the federal government is needed to help achieve energy security and retain America’s edge in energy technology. Economic and environmental concerns – climate change, ensuring low-cost electricity and leading in two critical export industries – justify a concerted effort to boost domestic production of coal and nuclear power.

...

Here in New Hampshire, coal and nuclear power continue to serve us well, supplying about 60 percent of the state’s electricity, safely and reliably. But that won’t last for long, and our economy will suffer unless the government shows more support for coal and nuclear power.

In the years ahead, a cost-sharing partnership with private industry will be needed to achieve the promise of advanced clean-coal technologies and small modular reactors that can be built for a fraction of the cost of large nuclear plants. Coal and nuclear technologies are financially viable for a full range of energy companies in this country, and their development will position the United States to be a world leader in the commercialization of new and innovative power-plant designs.

To be sure, our nation’s energy future has become considerably brighter as a result of the enormous growth in oil and gas production. But we will continue to need a balanced mix of energy sources in order to hold prices down. Especially natural gas, with a history of price volatility, is a reminder of what could happen if we become heavily dependent on a single energy source for electricity production and neglect coal and nuclear power....

http://www.concordmonitor.com/home/3519172-95/coal-energy-nuclear-gas

(V.K.Mathur is a professor emeritus in the University of New Hampshire’s Department of Chemical Engineering.)

[XemaSab]

1. Where the hell have you been!

Last edited Sat Dec 29, 2012, 06:44 PM - Edit history (1)

We were actually slightly worried.

Also,

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1240&pid=195839

[dballance]

2. So I wonder how much this guy is getting

in speaking fees and research grants from big oil and big coal.

[GliderGuider]

3. Well would you look what the cat dragged in!

Welcome back!

[joshcryer]

4. Article summary: Coal exports will go up even as use goes down.

Virendra K. Mathur apparently is a chemical engineer who works on coal plant air purification, so he's somewhat biased on this matter and doesn't appear to have much knowledge of nuclear power outside of the fact that it's cleaner than fossil sources, as per Jacobson.

[AtheistCrusader]

7. Yep, they're planning on sending some out through PNW ports.

Tee hee hee look at us! We're green now!

[pscot]

5. Welcome back

Life has been tedious without you.

[AtheistCrusader]

6. Hey, you're back!

[CRH]

8. You are alive, ... hope the hiatus has done you well. n/t

[CRH]

9. Pretty incredible the linked article, ...

doesn't seem to believe there is a carbon problem. A professor in a department of chemical engineering, without a clue of consequence? Oh excuse me, he mentioned clean coal, whatever that might be. And that brighter energy future resulting from 'enormous growth in oil and gas production'? Has this guy been living in a science bubble that didn't include information of the Arctic meltdown?

Hey kristopher, you are uncharacteristically quite, after posting the views of a non supporter of alternatives? You going to break the ice before it all melts?

Welcome back.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. He seems to think mentioning "climate change" and "environmental concerns" in his 2nd para

excuses him from actually having to think about what that coal will do for climate change. He implies that a small improvement in coal-fired generation will fix the greenhouse gas problem. But it's not a surprise to find that this plea for government money to find more ways of burning coal turns out to be from someone who wants some grants to investigate more ways of burning coal.