In 1969, Robert O. Anderson, an oil man whose long career included a stint as the Chief Executive Officer of Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) (now part of BP, the company formerly known as British Petroleum), gave David Brower $200,000 to start Friends of the Earth (FOE). Here is a quote from that organization’s page about nuclear…
Mark Halper recently published a piece on SmartPlanet.com titled Nuclear power cheaper than gas. He cited an article from InvestorIntel.com written by Canon Bryan titled Nuclear versus Natural Gas. That article was based on a report from a private consultancy named Energy Path Corporation. The Energy Path report is titled “Will Low Natural Gas Prices…
This video from the International Atomic Energy Agency includes many enlightening facts and images that should help people to understand why nuclear energy is a valuable, long-term investment.
Galen Winsor was a hands-on nuclear expert in the fullest sense of the phrase. Before irrational radiation protection rules were imposed, he and his colleagues directly handled used fuel. Since they needed to touch radioactive materials to accomplish their mission, they could not maximize distance or use shielding. Instead they limited their exposure time and…
Dr. Mark Cooper is strongly opposed to the use of nuclear energy, but on July 18, 2013, he issued a report sponsored by the Vermont Law School titled Renaissance in Reverse: Competition Pushes Aging U.S. Nuclear Reactors to the Brink of Economic Abandonment that may inadvertently spur action to create a more competitive industry. If…
This post originally appeared as a comment in response to an Atomic Insights post titled Global corruption in natural resource industry. It discusses energy issues from the perspective of someone deeply engaged in action to improve conditions for people in the developing world. It is too important to be buried in a comment thread. By…
Though there are many admirable people working in the oil and gas industry, the global enterprise of extracting hydrocarbons has a long history that continues to present in which incredible sums of money are concentrated into the hands of unsavory people. The world’s banking industry often holds its collective nose and continues dealing with the…
Author blurb: Paul Lorenzini earned his PhD in Nuclear Engineering from Oregon State University and later earned a JD. He had a distinguished career in the electric utility business and was the Chief Executive Officer for NuScale Power for its first five years. He is now retired and sharing some of his thoughts about energy…
Editorial note: I received an interesting note in my inbox from Dr. Benjamin Sovacool. Hi Rod/Atomic Insights, I believe you already know me as I see multiple posts attacking my research. One of the most recent ones is from Paul Lorenzini. Given that this post has a number of factual errors in it (and it…
I’m not sure how many people realize that there is a history of oil production in Southwest Florida. Though I grew up in Florida and have been studying energy issues for many years, I first heard of the Sunniland Trend this morning. Apparently, there is a “massive, onshore oil reserve” that stretches from Ft. Myers…
Nuclear energy in the United States and Europe is far more expensive that it should be. There is plenty of blame to spread; nuclear professionals have to accept some of the responsibility. If you want to do something about the high cost of nuclear energy, it might be best to start with taking the actions…
There is no doubt that the Russian natural gas supply industry is a major interest group that expects to be a big winner in Germany’s Energiewende (energy transformation). The only news here is the concise clarity with which this Deutsche Bank analyst cheers his nation’s growing dependence on a supplier with a questionable record in…