Thursday, July 10, 2008

Dems searching their souls on drilling

Politico.com reported Although Senate Democrats are slowly easing away from opposition to offshore drilling, it’s clear that the majority party is not giving it away for nothing. One idea floated by Reid would require that whatever oil is drilled in newly opened areas would need to be sold in the United States.
Because of transportation costs I suspect it would be anyway.
Democrats also want any compromise plan to include investments in clean and renewable energies,
If that includes nuclear, I agree. The rest does not offer that much promise.
a crackdown on oil speculators and proof that the oil and gas companies are fully utilizing land that is already leased for exploration. “If they were showing in good faith that they were drilling on some of the 68 million acres they have now, it might change some of our attitudes,” said Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.).
If there was oil on them I suspect they would be drilling. How about allowing them to swap lease space they currently have with space in ANWAR, at 1 million acres for 1 thousand acres.
Majority Whip Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill.) said that he was open to drilling in new areas but opposed to “offshore drilling if there is any environmental impact.” Durbin reiterated the call for oil companies to drill in areas covered by existing leases first,
Even if there is no oil there?
but then added: “Beyond that, if there is a suggestion of some new area to go into, I’ll look at it.”
ANWAR.
Sen. Jim Webb (D-Va.), fresh from his GI Bill victory, said that he is now making energy a major priority. “We need to look at all our assets,” he said, suggesting a large package including expanded offshore drilling, alternative energy, nuclear power and technology to make coal cleaner.
Alternative energy does not offer much but I agree on the other three. And by the time we get a bunch of nuvclear plants up, we should be able to perfect electric cars.

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

I don't like nuclear plants, because I am in the danger zone of one. Electric cars would have to be "plugged" in somewhere to go speeding off - if they could speed at all. The are alternate sources of energy, but WE WERE NOT PREPARED FOR THIS MESS NOW!!!...ANON

PS IT IS A JOKE WHEN THEY SAY A TEN MILE RADIUS IS ALL THAT COUNTS - LETS JUST SAY THE RADITION COULD COVER HUNDREDS OF MILES. AGAIN I WILL SAY THAT LAZINESS ON OUR PART CREATED ALL THIS MESS.

Anonymous said...

God Damn It - drill somewhere already!!!! Let's get our energy on our home bases!....ANON

Don Singleton said...

Do you have a swimming pool in your area? You are in danger of drowning if you get too close to it.

Danger can be addressed if you know what you are doing.

Gasoline cars need to be plugged in to a station to get more gas periodically.

Anonymous said...

With the gas prices today, who wants to be plugged into a gas pump?....ANON

Anonymous said...

Do the people who work in nuclear power plants really know what they are up against, or for that matter what they are doing for a living? People have been found sleeping on the job. Remember Chernobyl and Three Mile Island?...ANON

PS And what is the cost for these mistakes-contaminated land and HUMAN LIFE!

Anonymous said...

I was never an active protester, but to build more nuclear plants, danm it I'm getting my sign ready, and I would march thru the streets, if it would help prevent more nuclear power plants from being built....ANON

Anonymous said...

Don, if we had a major nuclear meltdown in an BIG heavily populated city, you think the economy is bad now, just imagine what would happen....what you said in your response to my comment before is like comparing apples to oranges. Sure you could drown in a pool, but if you don't have one or have a fence around it, it is unlikely to happen. Put a kabosh on nuclear power, we didn't need it before and we don't need it now.

Anonymous said...

Don, if we had a major nuclear meltdown in an BIG heavily populated city, you think the economy is bad now, just imagine what would happen....what you said in your response to my comment before is like comparing apples to oranges. Sure you could drown in a pool, but if you don't have one or have a fence around it, it is unlikely to happen. Put a kabosh on nuclear power, we didn't need it before and we don't need it now.

Don Singleton said...

The only reason to say we don't need it is if you see absolutely no reason to cut down on greenhouse gases. Whether you think GW is as urgent as some claim or not, nuclear power generates absolutely no greenhouse gases and countries like France get 80% of their electricity from safe nuclear power.

Other proposed "alternative energy" solutions all have their own inherent problems and none will really provide more than a very small amount of needed power

Don Singleton said...

Remember Chernobyl and Three Mile Island?...

Yes. Chernobyl was at a poorly funded Russian site that did not worry about safety.

Three Mile Island was the worst disaster on US soil and there were 43,000 curies of radioactive krypton released, but under 20 curies (740 GBq) of the particularly hazardous iodine-131, and there were no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of the nearby community which can be attributed to the accident.

Since then significant improvements to safety have been made, and many European countries get a significant amount of their electricity from safe nuclear power.

Anonymous said...

I'm glad Europe is getting "safe nuclear power". Are we getting the safety net we need for "SAFE NUCLEAR POWER???? I AM NOT SO SURE. I don't want my home leveled and my security in the toilet!!!...ANON

PS TALK ABOUT MENTAL ANGUISH - JUST THINK ABOUT THAT DON....NEVER MIND THAT THE ECONOMY WOULD FALL IN THE DANGER AREA.

Anonymous said...

As you can tell Don, no matter what you say, nuclear power does not sit well with me and never will!!!....ANON

Don Singleton said...

The economy wall fall in the toilet if we allow people to block drilling for oil we have, and allow prices to increase, seemingly without end, when we have the solution

Anonymous said...

We have the resourses to have oil in this country, however, we have counted on foreign ways to get it. It is time we get our oil supplies from here. I don't have a problem with that, only nuclear power and THAT will destroy us in the end.

Anonymous said...

I would like to know how many people contracted cancer after the THREE MILE ISLAND MISHAP...ANON

Anonymous said...

There was a situation many years ago called "The Love Canal". A highly polluted area IN UPSTATE NY where the residents fought and FOUGHT to get monies for their land that was polluted. I think they won their case, however, to some great anguish and illness to their families. It is a damn shame, that with technology comes ruin....ANON
ANON

Anonymous said...

I know this sounds corny, but I don't believe we were ever meant to split the atom. Harry Truman would be rolling over in his grave over that statement....ANON

PS AND JUST MAYBE WE WOULD HAVE LOST THE BIG WAR - WW2. YES I AM A BABY BOOMER.

Don Singleton said...

Love Canal involved dumping of toxic waste, not drilling for oil or nuclear plants, and then building a school over the toxic waste dump

Anonymous said...

Toxic waste can be a number of things including nuclear waste. I know love canal was a different case scenerio, however, the logistics are the same in my book. Whatever we try to do to make things better, there is a cause and effect. It seems that if they put nuclear power plants in more locations, ideally nothing will go wrong, but this is not the case. Indian Point has had several leaks, and the sirens go off periodically. That part is a joke, because a ten mile radius would not protect anyone. Maybe I am getting on my high horse on this one, but I don't believe we should have nuclear plants. We should be able to figure out alternate ways of creating energy. Brazil has solved their gasoline problems by making ethenol. We do have some here, however, it is not enough and we don't grow sugar cane like they do. Do you agree with any of this Don? I value your opinion....ANON

Don Singleton said...

It is true that toxic waste could include nuclear waste, but in the case of Love Canal no nuclear waste was involved. It was just toxic waste and then they stupidly built a school on the top of it.

The Three Mile Island accident was the most significant accident in the history of the American commercial nuclear power generating industry and there are no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of the nearby community which can be attributed to the accident.

The Indian Point power plant has a history of problematic performance and there is considerable controversy about the plant's future, but it provides 30 percent or so of the electricity used in the New York metro area, and on February 23, 2007, Greenpeace co-founder Patrick Moore wrote an opinion piece in the New York Post in favor of keeping Indian Point open, saying: "I strongly support renewal of the license for the Indian Point nuclear plants".

The sirens may have gone off a few times, and failed to go off other times, but it seems to be safe.

We just have a few; France gets 80% of its power from nuclear plants.

Brazil may have solved their gasoline problems by making ethenol, but when they found oil there they are drilling for it, and we have found that the ecological damage done using ethanol to replace oil costs more than the oild does, and it causes the price of food to rise, because corn is being redirected into ethanol production.

I believe the solution is domestic drilling to lower the price in the short term, and building nuclear plants for the long term. I would invest alternate energy funds in improving battery life, being able to recharge quickly, and development of electric cars and improving the distribution facility for electricity.

Anonymous said...

I do believe that "electric cars", if there is a good power source to run them(how about an everyready battery) - only kidding -is a good idea. Since I live near Indian Point, I am not too happy about some of the reports. One of the workers fell asleep and there were other controversies surrounding that plant. There has also been leakage from the fuel rods, I believe, therefore, it contaminates the water. One of my children has cancer. So Don, you can maybe understand my feeling about this plant. It is impossible for me to move away at this point, and no matter where you go you really can't get away from pollution or other toxic situations. Thank you for your reply....ANON

Don Singleton said...

I can understand why you might not like Nuclear, living so close to Indian Point, but just think how much better things would be if we had been installing new plants all along, and upgrading the old ones with what we learned. Indian Point is over 30 years old

Anonymous said...

Hi Don, haven't had time to read newest blogs, as I was away. I will say this about nuclear energy - you make a good point, but my position has not changed. I still think we should seek alternate measures. I think nuclear waste will be our destruction....ANON

Anonymous said...

When I moved near Indian Point alittle over 30 years ago, I wasn't so worried about it, but over the last 30 years or so, I think people have become lax over the building of nuclear plants. I don't always think new is better and by putting a band-aid on a bad situation will fix it it in the long term....ANON

Anonymous said...

I know we went over this before and I don't want to keep repeating myself, but I have a bad flavor from Three Mile Island and of course, Chernobyl. I do know that Chernobyl was a poorly constructed situation....ANON

Anonymous said...

Another point I would like to make is would the workers in these plants, or the people building them,
really know HOW TO MAKE THEM SAFE?
....ANON

Don Singleton said...

over the last 30 years or so, I think people have become lax over the building of nuclear plants.

There have not been new plants in the US have there? I thpught since TMI no new ones have been built. And there certainly have been new ones in France, etc., and no major problems.

I feel sure any new plant in the US would be much safer than one 30 years old

Don Singleton said...

I think nuclear waste will be our destruction

We have a perfectly safe place for it in Nevada, if we are just willing to push for it to be used.

Anonymous said...

Don, will Nevada become a "dead" state if all the nuclear waste is stored there? I wouldn't want to move there if they were storing that stuff....ANON

Anonymous said...

My uncle witnessed the first nuclear blast and he died at a young age from Leukemia. Come on now, how can we store this nuclear waste and be so sure we would be safe for ALL TIMES>>>>>>.....ANON

Don Singleton said...

With the exception of Las Vegas and Reno, most of Nevada is desert, i.e. already dead space and the planned storage site is far from the populated areas.

Anonymous said...

The experts think that Long Island, New York was built over a toxic waste bed, aka, a very high incidence of cancer, especially breast cancer and leukemia clusters in children. I would be afraid to move my family to one of those areas if I knew waste was stored nearby OR UNDER MY HOUSE...ANON

Anonymous said...

Don, Las Vegas was once a desert wasteland and now there are casinos there. Who's to say they would not someday build in the other part of the desert area?

Anonymous said...

I think we could banter all day on this subject - I am just not a supporter for nuclear power plants - cities are always being built around these areas - the population is growing, not shrinking.

Anonymous said...

Sadly, I will say that they probably will renew the license for Indian Point. I would be surprised if they didn't....ANON

Don Singleton said...

Las Vegas was once a desert wasteland and now there are casinos there. Who's to say they would not someday build in the other part of the desert area?

To make a desert area habitable you need water. There are water shortages with what has been constructed.

If you have enough inexpensive electricity you can desalinate sea water (Israel is doing it). Where are you going to get plenty of inexpensive electricity? From nuclear power.

Anonymous said...

Don, you make valid points, however, I still disagree - take a barron wasteland and make it useful? The power comes from a nuclear reactor. How good or bad could safety measures be?> Do you really think that the people working in these plants are totally qualified? I don't. How were they trained, and how interested are they in the safety measures supposedly put in place. I have seen this with my own eyes at Indian Point. The joke is on us. The only thing they can do right sometimes is set off the alarms and they don't even do that correctly....ANON

PS MOST WORKERS IN THESE PLANTS ARE ONLY INTERESTED IN THEIR PAYCHECKS AND IF THEY LIVE NEARBY, THE PERKS OF LOWER TAXES. I JUST HOPE THEY DONT "FALL ASLEEP" ON THE JOB, AS HAD HAPPENED BEFORE!

Anonymous said...

It cracks me up when they have a "drill" and send all students, downtown another ten miles or so. This does nothing for the traffic problem,and, if it were a real disaster it would be horrendous....ANON
PS:
The Indian Point drills are a real joke and quite stupid. I saw it with my own eyes. There is no place to run and hide. I am not all doom and gloom. I am just being realistic.

Don Singleton said...

I realize your opinion is tilted by your close proximity to a 30 year old plant, but if things were as bad as you say, why would 80% of the electricity in France be from nuclear plants.

I don't propose revitalizing the desert near the storage mountain, but a nuclear plant in Nevada could desaliate enough sea water to make some of it liveable.

The land in Israel was mainly desert before Israel was born.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Europe has a better handle on nuclear power than we do. I wonder what their safety measures are, and do they have evacuation plans that actually work....ANON

Don Singleton said...

We really don't have much of a nuclear power infrastructure in this country (I realize you have a plant near you). We need to develop one soon, and it should use the best technology that there is.

I really believe that it should involve many many layers of redundant safety and security, and not that much on evacuation. There are many reasons for a need for evacuation plans (chemical spills, terrorism, hurricanes, etc) but evacuating everyone in a major metropolitan area is just not feasible.

Anonymous said...

New York City would be wiped off the map if there should be any kind of chemical disaster at Indian Point. This would also destroy our economy (as if it isn't destroyed now). I still say that these plants are not safe enough to warrant continued use....
ANON

PS I do get your point Don, however, this is my general feeling on the subject.

Anonymous said...

I will say this. The so called plans they have to evacuate Indian Point are all failures. They could never work....ANON

Don Singleton said...

There are a lot of radical Muslims dedicated to wiping NYC off the map. I don't think a chemical (or any other kind of) disaster at Indian Point is required.

Anonymous said...

That's why we have to protect Indian Point and other power plants, so the enemy doesn't one up us....ANON

AND HOPEFULLY THERE WILL BE ENOUGH SECURITY TO DO THE ABOVE.....

Anonymous said...

Maybe I should start my own blog on the subject of "nuclear power".
Hey Don, what do you think?....ANON

Don Singleton said...

Fine with me. Give me the URL and I will take the other side

Anonymous said...

Don,I think you have an excellent blog site and I wouldn't want to to blog us into a death match. I would probably lose my point anyway. Not that I give up, because I don't. (I had a budget voted down), I just think you are so darn good at this....ANON

Anonymous said...

You have my deepest respect, for putting so much time into this blog. By the way, my budget went down, because, of my editorials and blogging. It was a group effort, and I was not alone.
Keep up the great work. I will be around reading your stuff and probably commenting....ANON
PS:
IT WAS A RIDICULOUS HALF BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET FOR FUNDS THAT WOULDN'T BE GOING WHERE THEY SHOULD BE.

Anonymous said...

Don,just wanted to add another little tidbit - from what I've seen and know about Indian Point, they are more concerned about the "horns going off" instead of safety. This is why I am so worried about that plant. They keep talking about evacuation plans that are impossible. When they have a 10 minute drill that runs thru your TV, they consider that useful. I don't. The sirens cannot protect anyone from possible danger from the plant. Yes, they can try to make the plant safer, however, there has been a lot of negative press and that's because, there have been investigations into this.
When you talk about nuclear power, you are looking at the "big picture", I am looking at a smaller one and of course, the plant that looms near me. I am beating a dead horse, because nuclear power is the future. Maybe a disaster here and there is enough to make people realize how dangerous this really is.BUT, people want cheap power supplies, and this is how they will get them.
Nuclear power serves its purpose, but the downside are possible disasters. Do you live near a power plant?....ANON

Don Singleton said...

I do not live near one, but I would not fear to do so.

I agree that that they are doing with the horns is stupid.

I believe that if we had as many plants as we should, they would all be forced to handle safety in a much different fashion than they do now.

Anonymous said...

Last night the Indian Point drill came blasting through my TV set again. I was ready to throw something at the TV, but I didn't want to break it.

PS THESE DRILLS ARE SUCH A JOKE!!!

Anonymous said...

The last message was from me....ANON