(A John Jacob H Commentary)
Frank W. James notes the nuclear power hysteria emanating from the Japanese debacle seems to be generated by a cadre of anonymous commentators. CLICK LINK HERE
I am not sure if I qualify as hysterical enough or anonymous enough for Mr. James purpose but I certainly number myself as among those who always believed nuclear power was essentially a niche technology most useful in limited applications.
Send an aircraft carrier around the world three or four times without refueling? Nuclear is definitely the way to go.
Go under a polar ice cap in a submarine? Nuclear is clearly the technology of choice.
Travel to Pluto and beyond with a robot satellite? Definitely only the best onboard nuclear power plant will do.
But it is doubtful even the perfection of the holy grail of “cold fusion” will ever efficiently power our vehicles- planes, trains or automobiles.
Certainly land based nuclear fission power plants along with their eco-wacko cousins-wind turbine farms- share one mutual fatal flaw: they are central command-and-control facilities dependent on a small corps of highly trained, highly paid technicians whose main goal in life is to make sure you get a bill every month for their service.
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