RSS 2.0 FeedMarch 31, 2011, Weekly editorial
Re-thinking nuclear energy
Years ago, Long Island held its own heated debate on the merits and perils of nuclear energy, and ended up shuttering its Shoreham plant before it was ever online for commercial use. One of the concerns voiced was how the Island could be quickly evacuated in case of an accident. There are no bridges east of the Throgs Neck.
Meanwhile, up in New England, a similar debate was going on. To objections that a proposed nuclear energy plant would ruin the views, one construction worker countered “We need jobs, and we can’t eat the scenery.”
The accident at Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania will never be forgotten, and concerns about Indian Point’s proximity to New York City have grown since the September 11 tragedy brought fears of more terrorist attacks.
Enter the disaster in Japan with earthquakes and tsunamis damaging nuclear energy plants there. It brought back memories of the disastrous accident at Chernobyl in the Soviet Union. France, which relies heavily on atomic energy, has to be concerned. Germany has gone so far as to change its policy and plans to eventually replace nuclear with green energy.
What about our national energy policy? At present, a good part of the costs of producing nuclear energy are subsidized by our federal government. What if we switched our priorities to investing more in green energy? Solar power, wind power, hydro power and hydrogen power all have the advantage that projects can come in all sizes and in a variety of locations. Installation can also be much quicker than the construction of an nuclear energy plant.
Green guerrilla projects could just become the way of the future.
Those holiday lights
Recently, the question of funding of holiday lights has been in the news. Traditionally, we consider it the responsibility of the chamber of commerce, because the lights help create good vibes in local shopping districts during an important shopping season.
But those lights help us all. They create a festive mood in the dark of winter and help prepare us spiritually for important religious holy days. They help the local shops win customers. Empty storefronts don’t pay much electricity, don’t pay sales taxes, don’t help pay property taxes and certainly don’t increase the desirability of our location.
