California, an enormously populous and wealthy state with an outsized impact on the culture, economy and politics of the United States, has a gubernatorial election this year. Jerry Brown, who has served a total of four terms and is the son of a former two-term California governor, isn’t running for reelection due to term limits. […]
Atomic politics
Deep state actors at OMB turn DOE leaders into red-faced liars. Cannot revive, revitalize and expand nuclear energy with 25% less money
Mark Menezes, the Undersecretary of Energy at the Department of Energy, gave an optimistic, forward-looking, audience-flattering, stage-setting talk at the Advanced Reactor Technical Summit. At least five times during his 10-minute talk, he repeated various combinations of a phrase – “revive, revitalize and expand” – that is apparently the mantra that the Administration has chosen […]
Time to Re-examine Alternatives for Plutonium Disposition – Dr. Peter Lyons explains why dilute and dispose is wasteful and unworkable
By Peter Lyons Somewhere in Russia, 34 tons of surplus weapons-grade plutonium—enough material to make about 10,000 weapons—are awaiting disposal. Moscow was supposed to start destroying this stockpile, but has yet to start, leaving a huge threat lurking in an unknown location. If even a tiny fraction of this material fell into terrorists’ hands, they […]
Career OMB employees sabotaging Trump’s quest for energy dominance
For now, I’m going to leave all names out of this piece of hearsay. Please believe me when I say that my sources are good and varied. Throughout his campaign, President Trump ran on the slogan “Make America Great Again.” That inspired many to attend his rallies and probably convinced many to vote for him. […]
Will the U.S cold wave help solve OPEC’s oil inventory hangover?
Since 2014, investor-focused publications have used terms like ‘awash in oil’, ‘oil glut’ and even ‘world is “drowning” in oil’ to describe the world’s stockpile of already extracted and stored inventory of crude oil. Similar phrases have also been occasionally used to describe inventories of various refined products like gasoline, distillate fuel oil, and kerosene. […]
Vogtle continuation decision tells me America still produces leaders that can make complicated, long-term decisions
The Georgia Public Service Commission unanimously approved a plan to continue the Vogtle Expansion Project. Georgia Power, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Southern Company, immediately accepted the deal contained in the plan and will continue moving forward with due diligence and effort. The announced decisions made me even more confident that there is strong […]
Did the Republican tax reform bill add the last straw that halts large nuclear plant construction in U.S.?
Early this morning, Senate Republicans passed a tax reform package. Despite passing generous, deficit-increasing legislation that includes many provisions that favor corporations and most forms of energy production, it did not include an extension of the operational deadline that must be met to qualify for the nuclear production tax credit. In my analysis, there is […]
Michael Shellenberger explains why he is running for governor of California – Part 3
Editor’s Note: Sometimes stories are best told out of sequence. We’re starting here with part 3 of a timely tale about a strong leader with a moral compass who has decided to enter into a political race out of faith in his country, its system and himself. By Michael Shellenberger When I started Environmental Progress […]
Atomic Show #260 – Pro-nuclear voices from COP23 in Bonn. Not a warm welcome
This episode of the Atomic Show is a conversation among five clean energy advocates who attended the COP with the goal of sharing what they know about the ways that nuclear energy can help reduce global emissions while also providing a growing amount of reliable power. With more power, more people will have a pathway […]
UN Environment Program Rejects WNA’s Money. Won’t Allow Sponsorship Of Sustainable Innovation Forum (SIF17)
The UN Environmental Program (UNEP) has rejected the World Nuclear Association’s (WNA) offer to provide financial support to the 8th Annual Sustainable Innovation Forum (SIF). Described by its chairman as the “largest business-focused side event during the annual Conference Of Parties” the event is scheduled to take place alongside COP23 in Bonn, Germany. Originally accepted as a gold sponsor […]
South Korean Panel Supports Nuclear Plant Construction, Rejecting President Moon’s Plan To Stop It
Supporters of South Korean nuclear energy are celebrating today. Earlier this morning, a citizen’s panel decided that President Moon Jae-in had made a mistake by halting the Shin Kori 5 & 6 construction projects. The 471-member panel, formed by President Moon to provide advice about his plan to phase out one of the world’s most successful […]
Logical Basis For Sec. Rick Perry’s Resiliency Pricing Rule.
The intense conversation Energy Secretary Rick Perry purposely initiated with his Sept. 29 letter to the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission continues to occupy the attention of specialists. The direction was concise: implement pricing rules that protect electricity generators that meet certain requirements from being pushed into early retirement. The marching orders came with an aggressive but […]
