Not Innovation but Cognizant Expectation
The Nuclear Option
You can easily identify that the “Accelerating Deployment of Versatile, Advanced Nuclear for Clean Energy Act” is the inspired work of political staffers and government bureaucrats. The acronym for the act is ADVANCE and it likely expended several hours and taxpayer dollars in its completion.
For years I, along with all who have earnestly studied the anthropogenic climate change issue, have known that wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal were inefficient, ineffective, and unreliable sources of supplying sufficient energies to replace oil, coal, and natural gas. Not even close. Further, as a compromise to the climate change faithful, activists, and political left, I and other contrarians said only nuclear energy could provide sufficient electrical power requirements for a modern world.
Fossil fuels can never be eliminated since so many products use these fuels in the manufacturing and ingredients process. The viability of longer-flight electric planes may be in the future, but until then, flights will either have to be severely shortened or one is suited for flying a broom. Some of us will always need coal, especially at Christmas, to give to our overly frugal and naughty family and friends.
It seems Congress got the message at least on the regulatory process portion – sluggish as it may be. The ADVANCE Act was introduced in the Senate on March 16, 2023, passed on April 2023, and sent to the House of Representatives 4 days later. Absent much initial action, the House finally passed the bill on May 8, 2024. On June 19, 2024, the Senate passed the bill which was then returned to the House to resolve Senate actions and arrive at unanimously agreed legislation. The journey of the bill, constantly lengthy in Congress, is linked here.
According to the linked Verge article, “The bill is supposed to speed up development of next-generation nuclear reactors and position the US to lead the international market, while also helping aging reactors stay online”. Being a progressive news organization they could not help, but say “Nuclear energy is still a divisive solution for reducing greenhouse gas emissions causing climate change, but it has gained bipartisan support in recent years.”
Essentially the bill instructs the Department of Energy (DOE) and the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) to create a suitable and sensible path for the regulatory approvals as required in the construction of nuclear power plants. If Congress would speed up the process, it could travel to the Whitehouse for the President’s signature and made law.
Even the leftist television network CNN calls this a step in the right direction, although they highly praise the nonpartisanship of Congress for the legislation. Before this, they were a climate change cheerleader and, like most unlearned activists today, nuclear energy detractors. I suspect Bill Gates’ influence and wallet, as I wrote about in my article, “The Gates to Some Reasonable Rationale” had some weight and effect on the politics and politicians of this specific issue.
The nuclear option has been pushed and presented by those opposing the faulty science of anthropogenic climate change. It is the only true and viable energy source that is CO2-free. It is intended and proven as the one and only, workable compromise to fossil fuels - some, like 10-day-old puppies, are finally opening their eyes.
