Wilson wants to explore energy options 5/10/2009 12:33 AM Rep. Joe Wilson of South Carolina's Second Congressional District has a new proposal that could bode well for the Savannah River Site throughout much of this century.
Rep. Wilson has proposed a bill that will provide for use of a variety of energy sources - coal, oil and nuclear among them. SRS is mentioned as a potential site for new commercial reactors.
With the Obama administration still feeling through its first few months, the overwhelming task of pointing the nation toward energy independence is still in the distance. Yet Rep. Wilson's idea is a positive step forward. Too often the thoughts on reducing our dependence on foreign oil focuses on unproven technologies - wind, solar and hydrogen - at the expense of more efficient means of energy production.
All should be investigated as we cannot afford to put all of our energy eggs into one basket. With an abundance of coal, the U.S. should look to find ways of burning it cleanly. With oil reserves, efforts should be made to explore accessing it without harming the environment. With nuclear, efforts should be made to bring new plants on-line in a timely manner without jeopardizing the safety of American citizens.
SRS is an ideal site for future generations of nuclear reactors. There is plenty of open land, an expertise in the nuclear industry, an unmatched culture of safety and community support unseen elsewhere in the nuclear industry. Rep. Wilson's idea has merits which should be explored, not just for the benefit of our area, but for the future of our nation.
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Posted by: Hydrogenator On: Sunday, May 10, 2009 6:30 AM
Comment Title: Conservative it ain't
So, "conservative" Wilson is proposing that the government facility SRS go in competition with private utilities, such as SCE&G and Georgia Power, which are planning on new reactors near to SRS?! These big-government big-spenders need to be reigned in with their whacky ideas, like the idea of government-sponsored gas-cooled reactors (for hydrogen) or Areva/socialist reprocessing. Cool down until 100% private money steps forward, which guys like Wilson will never talk about.
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