Unclear Power

The Utne Reader had a cover story called "Atomic Dreams" in their January/February issue about nuclear power and the environmental movement's changing attitude toward the carbon-free source of energy. Also included in this package is a short interview/sidebar with Deep Economy author Bill McKibben who stresses the unpopular solution of energy conservation over a radical changeover to nuclear power. As he correctly points out, no politicians are seriously campaigning for the 30% reduction in energy usage that many environmentalists claim is possible because there's no money to be made in slashing our energy use.

On a more local level, the state of Kansas has become a new battlefront in the environmental war versus big business. And on Thursday the Kansas "Senate passed a bill allowing Sunflower Electric Power Corp. to go forward with its plants outside Holcomb, in Finney County. The $3.6 billion project has been blocked since October by Gov. Kathleen Sebelius' administration over potential carbon dioxide emissions."
The Senate bill will now go to the House for vote. This is unfortunate but in no way a surprise -- I couldn't really see Kansas taking a progressive lead when it comes to alternative energy replacing traditional carbon emitting technology, even though the Western part of the state has a tremendous resource when it comes to wind power. More updates to come on this issue.