MUENCHHAUSEN, Aug. 11, 2011

MUENCHHAUSEN

AN ELECTRONIC NEWSLETTER ABOUT ENVIRONMENT,

RENEWABLE RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY,

AND RELATED TOPICS

By BOOTSTRAP PRESS, INC.

BETHESDA, MD

JJGREENBARON(at)VERIZON.NET

WELCOME!

The Green Baron (TGB) welcomes one and all who take the time to read Muenchhausen. He aims to “tell it like it is” as much as possible, and avoid advocacy and ideological positions. There are enough of those to go around in other publications.

The Green Baron also welcomes comments from anyone who may read Muenchhausen. Please send comments to the e-mail address above.


NUCLEAR PROSPECTS
On July 18, 2011, TGB had the privilege of meeting personally Gregory Jaczko, the chairman of the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), at the National Press Club (NPC). Jaczko expressed cautious optimism for the future of nuclear power, despite the catastrophic events in northern Japan of March 11, 2011. TGB, perhaps is not quite so optimistic. He was planning to address this topic further, and will do so now.


Yes, TGB will, for the nonce, remain with his current evaluation that the prospects for the expansion of nuclear power generally are "iffy", particularly in Japan and several Western countries. The March 11 earthquake-tsunami's destruction of the Fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant in northern Japan has rendered many people of that country, not to mention several others worldwide, quite "skittish" about nuclear power. Indeed, it could be said that to a fairly large extent, the débâcle has imbued to nuclear power an aura of political unpalatability.

March 11, 2011 tsunami about to hit Japan nuclear plant

Actually, had the earthquake alone happened without the tsunami that followed, the Fukushima Dai-ichi plant and its neighboring facilities might have had a good fighting chance to survive the event and even possibly resume production after some rigorous repair work and safety inspection. But a seismic wave or tsunami of the magnitude of the one that followed the earthquake was just too much for many an otherwise stoutly protected structure could withstand.


Somewhere in his home, TGB has his old textbook on waterways and harbor engineering. In that book is a formula by which one may compute the force that a water wave brings to bear on a structure, be it a breakwater or a tsunami gate. Generally, if one knows the forward velocity of the wave and the area of the structure that will be struck, one can come up with a number for the force with which the structure will be hit. Thus, if a tsunami is perhaps 15 meters tall and is traveling forward at about 150 kilometers per hour when it hits the structure, one can imagine the extent of the resulting damage. If TGB can find that book, perhaps he can locate the formula and share it with Muenchhausen's readers. The formula, as TGB recalls, does not seem all that complicated.


But back to nuclear energy prospects. At the NPC luncheon July 18, Jaczko said that in the US, "no imminent safety risk is seen. But any risk [emphasis TGB's] of a big accident is unacceptable. Our aim is to prevent a repeat of Fukushima Dai-ichi in the US." Perhaps this is why Jaczko seemed hesitant to express optimism about nuclear energy prospects. As he noted, "...regardless of safety improvements, some believe that safe nuclear power does not exist." He also suggested that voluntary safety and operating standards are "unacceptable," especially in view of Fukushima Dai-ichi, and that tight NRC supervision is the only way to go (1).


Still, it seems that prospects for the construction of nuclear power plants are not all that dim. Although Japan and some European countries may have soured on nuclear power, perhaps 25 other nations have plans to expand or build them and have them in operation by 2030 (2). These include Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and Vietnam. Moreover, China and India have "ambitious goals" for expanding facilities; China is looking at 100 gigawatts of new capacity by 2050. According to The Kiplinger Letter, this expansion could be a boon to the US nuclear industry and government, which could manufacture the parts needed for new plants, and provide operational, regulatory, and safety expertise (2).


France, by the way, obtains about 80% of its electricity from nuclear power plants; this includes two liquid metal fast breeder reactors (LMFBRs). TGB will own some unsettles feelings about the coolant for these two reactors, which is not light or heavy water, but liquid sodium, a highly chemically reactive and flammable alkali metal.

TEA PARTY
The corporate charter and by-laws of Bootstrap Press, Inc. (BPI), not to mention federal law, do not permit Muenchhausen to endorse a political party, candidate, or campaign. These do not, however, forbid Muenchhausen from making objective future historical evaluations or predictions; indeed, Muenchhausen has presented such material in the past. Thus, TGB's look at this phenomenon that has existed since 2009, known as the Tea Party, reputedly founded by TV commentator Rick Santelli on Feb. 19 of that year (3). This movement, apparently without a formal leadership hierarchy, has been a boon for some, a bane to others.


Here is TGB's perhaps somewhat rash forecast: The Tea Party seemingly amorphous though it may be, begins to be a thorn in the side to numerous people of power and influence, who constitute what Professor Angelo Codevilla characterizes as the "ruling class" (4). Codevilla is a professor emeritus of international relations at Boston University. At first, they will attempt to derogate and ridicule the Tea Party and its adherents. TGB expects that this tactic will not work as well as hoped. The next step could be investigations, subpoenas, and interrogations by various federal, state, and local government agencies, and perhaps by certain US Senators. TGB is neither endorsing nor condemning the Tea Party; he is just stating in good faith what he believes the future may well hold.


INFESTATIONS ON THE WAY
Increasingly, invasive species are posing serious problems for many sectors of the American economy, private and public. This has become increasingly the case since world trade has expanded in recent decades. At this time of year, the brown marmorated stink bug will infest many portions of the US, including TGB's own residence. This insect is an unwanted import from Asia--probably first came during the mid-1980s--and has increasingly been a house and garden pest since then. More significantly, however, the stink bug has cost mid-Atlantic apple growers a cool $37 million in 2010 (5).. The stink bug is so called because if crushed, it emits a foul odor. It also can bite--TGB found that out for himself last May--but its bite is not (yet) known to vector any human diseases.

Brown marmorated stink bug. Photo by  G. Hamilton, Rutgers University.

Another imported infestation (among many) is the Asian tiger mosquito. This little monster is capable of vectoring diseases such as West Nile virus. It is aggressive, and can attack during broad daylight, which is a less common trait among other species of mosquitoes.

Asian tiger mosquito wants your warm blood.
University of California  Riverside,  Center for Invasive Species Research.

TGB hopes to discuss invasive species and their depredations in future postings of Muenchhausen. They have caused the US population and economy immense harm.


REFERENCES:


1. Jaczko, G. Presentation at National Press Club, Washington, DC, July 18, 2011.
2. The Kiplinger Letter 2011, 88, 31 (Aug. 5, 2011), p. 3.
3. Santelli, R. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zp-Jw-5Kx8k
4. Codevilla, A. "America's Ruling Class--And the Perils of Revolution". The American Spectator, http://spectator.org/archives/2010/07/16/americas-ruling-class-and-the/print#.
5. Fears, D. The Washington Post, Aug. 7, 2011. http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/as-stink-bugs-return-researchers-weigh-introducing-their-asian-predator/2011/08/03/gIQACQ6P1I_story.html.