While getting my fix of the morning news today I came across a couple of articles that really got me charged up (in a good way). On November 22nd Our CEO Don Gillispie published a great article in his series “Fuel For Thought” (these articles can be read right from the AEHI Home Page www.aehipower.com ). The column was titled “Wake Up America! We’re Falling Behind in Nuclear Power” the article can be read here: http://www.alternateenergyholdings.com/news/11222010.aspx .
Don’s article was released as a press release and was picked up and republished by a long list of distinguished publications online. I won’t bore you by listing them all here, but trust me they are some of the most highly respected and influential publications in the world. If you are curious a quick Google search will impress you greatly.
Don’s column does not criticize the U.S., rather it is a call to rally the troops and remind people in the public and private sector alike that we are capable of being global leaders in science and technology when we are motivated. Not that I am criticizing our global neighbors. There are many great nations that have done colossally superb work in science and technology and I am very grateful for their contributions. These contributions have saved lives, improved the quality of life for people everywhere, and shown us wonders that we never even dreamed of.
Still, The United States of America has done some pretty amazing things in science and technology also. We were the first nation to split the atom and launch the industry of nuclear power. We invented the airplane, the television, the personal computer, and one of my favorites, THE INTERNET. We are the only nation that has ever sent human beings to the moon and returned them to earth. We are the only nation that has ever built and operated a working space shuttle. In addition, while other nations sometimes get the credit for the Compact Disk (CD), VHS, and the DVD, all of those items were first invented by American inventors. Just for the record we also invented post-it notes.
Don’s article was a call to all of us that there is still greatness within us, but in terms of nuclear power we have been slumbering too long and other nations are moving ahead with great purpose.
There will always be set backs and obstacles, particularly in nuclear science. But we never let obstacles and setbacks derail us when the prize is achievement. The U.S. space programs suffered some heartbreaking tragedies, but we still flew into space. The nuclear industry had Three Mile Island (which thanks to good engineering) managed to not take a single life even when seemingly everything went wrong. When the first shuttle disaster broke our hearts we rebounded quickly. After Three Mile Island and Chernobyl (a reactor that never could have been built in the U.S.) we did not rebound quickly.
But today is a new day and America is waking up! Back to what I saw in the morning news. It seems that The U.S. House of Representatives has passed H.R. 5866, the Nuclear Energy Research and Development Act of 2010, with bipartisan support.
Congressman Bart Gordon’s bill was written to ensure strong and healthy research and development efforts in the United States nuclear industry.
"The U.S. is losing its competitive edge in nuclear energy technology. This trend will represent billions of dollars in foregone opportunity for the U.S. But regaining our edge is not just a matter of keeping a foothold in a global marketplace with new competitors such as China," said bill author and Committee on Science and Technology Chairman Bart Gordon (D-TN). "With emerging threats from the likes of Iran and North Korea, and with a host of other countries recently announcing their nuclear ambitions, now more than ever it is imperative that the U.S. lead the world in developing and deploying the safest, most advanced, cost-effective, and proliferation-resistant nuclear energy and fuel cycle technologies.
“Nuclear power will need to remain a component of America’s energy portfolio, whether our goal is energy independence or responsible climate policy. This bill invests in research to develop nuclear power technologies that are more efficient, more cost effective and more secure."
The bill addresses the need for continued improvements in the fuel cycle, reactor design, waste management, proliferation, and new designs.
One area of particular interest specifically indentified in the bill is continued work on Small Modular Reactors (SMRs). This is an area where once again AEHI has been working to be a trail-blazer. AEHI has been involved with SMRs since long before SMRs were making headlines and everybody in the mainstream was singing the accolades of SMRs. AEHI signed a partnership MOU with Hyperion Power, one of the pioneers in SMR technology, a long time before Bill Gates made headlines with his SMR investments. Not that we are knocking Bill Gates and his company’s efforts. We like competition. Then, everyone with a strong game likes competition.
In the end, it’s great to see America waking up and getting into the game. Because winning in this game means helping people and making the world a better place. Does that sound corny? Show me a corny quote that isn’t true.
Articles covering the new bill can be read here: http://www.tennessean.com/article/D4/20101201/NEWS01/101201026/House+Passes+Gordon%E2%80%99s+Nuclear+Energy+Bill and here: http://www.tradingmarkets.com/news/stock-alert/erc_house-passes-bipartisan-bill-to-advance-r-amp-d-for-safe-cost-effective-proliferation-resistant-nu-1340324.html