November 14 – As the world goes into the winter with serious concerns about fuel shortages, some states are wondering could nuclear energy be the answer?
In fact, a Pennsylvania House resolution rolled out last week by Representative Tom Mehaffie from Hershey is asking the Joint State Government Commission to carry out a study on the benefits of nuclear energy and small modular reactors in PA.
He’s suggesting that nuclear power could be the answer for the energy problems.
Attorney Clint Barkdoll said, “He’s making the point that we keep getting more and more pressure from energy availability and energy inventory and that nuclear power could be an overlooked option that would not only create a lot of jobs, but he’s saying could solve a lot of these energy shortage problems throughout Pennsylvania. Hard to say where this goes.”
But because he’s officially asking this, could there be some appetite in the PA legislature to do this?
Barkdoll said, “We’re already in the top five states in the country for nuclear power production. It’s actually a very clean energy. Yes, it’s controversial. There’s always concerns when we’re talking about nuclear power, but the way things are going with shortages in natural gas and other types of energy, I would not be surprised if you saw more discussion about this kind of an issue.”
Michele Jansen of NewsTalk 103.7FM noted, “Let’s be honest, if people really think, and honestly I’ve seen college students in tears over this. They have been so terrified by the propaganda they constantly hear at school. Not that it isn’t real. Man-made climate change is real. I get it. But this idea that you have to do it the progressive left’s way, which doesn’t include nuclear. They call that a black energy, but if people were really concerned the world was going to end in a couple of decades, they would be considering nuclear. It is the cleanest form of energy. That’s the big tell that this is more about power and keeping people afraid than it is about actually trying to find solutions. I applaud him for this. If we’re not going to use our clean energy fossil fuel, which we could do, we have to find an alternative and that is the sane alternative. Wind and solar, the technology is just not there for it to give us what they say we need.”
Barkdoll added, “There are substantial tax credits and incentives in that plan (the Inflation Reduction Act) for nuclear energy.”
The state of Georgia is working on a major nuclear reactor project that should be online within the next year or so.
Barkdoll said, “Georgia looked at this, they said they can’t wait around for these shortages to start catching up to the public and businesses. So they got on board early, putting up a nuclear energy plant that will solve a lot of their energy needs in the state of Georgia.”
