A Dispassionate View of Nuclear Energy

         Nuclear energy isn’t an abstract issue.  It’s a fact of life, but the facts are often lost in emotional and partisan debates.  It’s time to take a dispassionate view.

The 400 nuclear plants throughout the world account for 20% of the world’s electricity.  France garners 75% of all its electricity from nuclear power. There are one hundred nuclear plants throughout the USA. Since 1962, six nuclear plants, beginning with the Oswego facility in 1962, have been built in New York.  They account for about 13% of the state’s electric generating capacity, 26% of its power supply, and 11% of total consumption. 

They were developed largely due to the fact that they produce power far more economically than other sources.  Overall production costs are approximately 1.76 cents per kilowatt-hour.  Coal is the next cheapest, at 2.21 cents, and natural gas costs about 7.61 cents. Unlike oil and coal, there is little in the way of supply problems. Supplying plants utilizing those two sources require constant and large scale delivery efforts. By contrast, in nuclear plants, a single uranium pellet can deliver the equivalent of 1,780 lbs. of coals, or 149 gallons of oil. Because of this, nuclear plants are not subject to significant supply problems.  The source is home grown, freeing Americans from the whims of unfriendly foreign governments. The various factors that interrupt deliveries to other types of plants don’t affect nuclear facilities. 

          Operationally, nuclear plants are environmentally friendly.  James Hansen, who introduced the concept of global warming in 1988, advocated the use of nuclear power as a means to combat the issue. Unlike hydroelectric plants, there is no need to dam rivers or disrupt the surrounding environment.

         Radioactivity is one of the most frequently cited concerns in discussions on the use of nuclear power plants. Oddly enough, old fashioned coal-fired plants actually emit more radiation into the air than nuclear facilities. No American has ever been killed or seriously injured because of a reactor accident or radiation exposure from a U.S. nuclear power plant. (Even the well known Three Mile River incident failed to produce any significant radiation problems.) Internationally, the Chernobyl incident resulted from an inherently faulty design; another example of the blatant disregard for worker and environmental safety that characterizes Communist nations. The harm done to Japan’s Fukushima nuclear plant—Japan depends on nuclear plants for about 30% of its power-- resulted from a level of poor planning not characteristic of the American experience, questionable plant siting, an unprecedented combination of extreme natural disasters, and the failure of conventional power to allow safety mechanisms to work.

New York’s need for abundant, home-grown, affordable, nonpolluting energy renders nuclear power a viable option, providing that safety and security remains a top priority for plant operators.

10 Point Plan to Restore NYS to Prosperity

On his WVOX show this morning, COMACTA president Frank Vernuccio unveiled his 10-point plan to restore NYS to prosperity:

1.     Allow Public Referendums on key issues.  For far too long, “three men in a room”—the Governor, the Assembly Speaker, and the Senate leader-- have controlled all that occurs in state government. Individual legislators have little say in the ultimate outcome of key issues.  We need to break that logjam, and insure that the people’s business—not the interests of the politicians—gets done.  Allowing easy access to public referendums on key issues would change the dynamics of Albany.

2.     Freeze all taxes.  For over three decades, New York has ranked either first or second in the nation as the highest taxed state. We have little to show for it.  Our roads and bridges are crumbling, our grammar and high schools are not serving our children adequately, and our economy, particularly upstate, is far too weak.  Giving more money to Albany is about the same as giving extra drugs to an addict.  It will cure nothing, and only make matters worse. Halting future tax hikes would give businesses the confidence to hire employees and energize the economy.

3.     Impose the nation’s most stringent measures of proof for benefits, to ensure that only citizens and legal residents have access to them, and that only those truly qualified—by both legal residency and eligibility—receive them.  We should not shortchange those New Yorkers truly in need by wasting scarce resources on con artists or those with no legal right to be here.

4.     Abolish member items, and replace them with objective criteria.  Worthwhile civic organizations should not have to support individual politicians just to get the funds they are entitled to.  This encourages politicians to provide funds based on how many votes or campaign contributions they receive from organizations, rather than on how worthwhile an organization is.

5.     Adopt a voucher system.  The fact is, despite spending more per student than any other state in the nation, (NY spends $18,126 per student, compared to the national average of $10,499) the results are poor.  Schools must strive for excellence, not bureaucratic compliance.  We need to refocus our educational system to emphasize the needs of students, not educational unions and bureaucrats.

6.     Make use of our natural resources.  New York has vast supplies of natural resources that cannot be tapped for reasons having more to do with ideology than ecology. This limits our economy, increases unemployment, and robs the state of revenue that could be used to limit taxes.

7.     Free local governments—eliminate unfunded mandates.  Albany’s politicians enact measures that make them popular in the eyes of their campaign contributors or party leaders, but force local governments to carry the burden.  This takes away local government’s ability to pay for truly essential services to meet the political needs of Albany.  This harms communities across the state.

8.     Establish a statewide Ombudsman’s office with appropriate power—and mandate that those who administer it cannot run for political office for a decade after leaving their position.  The vast bureaucracies that administer New York’s numerous agencies and regulate so much of our daily lives and businesses frequently fail to do what is necessary to protect New Yorker’s rights. Intra-agency appeals offices frequently do little more than affirm what their parent agency does.  A statewide ombudsman office, manned not by politicians but by fair, dedicated professionals, could change the balance of power between citizens and the bureaucracy.  The ombudsman’s office would also have jurisdiction over all complaints and charges of misdeeds of elected officials, and have the prosecutorial power to bring charges against them.

9.     Forbid elected officials from engaging in any profit or fee generating activities with those doing business with the state, both while in office and for a period of five years thereafter. The reasons are obvious. We must insure that the needs of New Yorkers are paramount.

10.  Forbid public service unions from contributing, as an organization, money, endorsements, office space, or volunteers to political campaigns. Public service unions have gained so much clout in Albany that it seems we work for them, not they for us.  Their unmatched influence has totally eclipsed the ability of all citizens or organizations to have a voice in Albany.

     New York can be both prosperous and a great place to live—if only Albany will get out of the way of the wisdom of its constituents, and the ability of its enterprises to reignite the economy.