Global warming temperature increase is a response to atmospheric accumulations of human and natural carbon dioxide and methane emission since the 1750 CE start of the industrial revolution.
President Obama is now somewhat aware of the seriousness of the global warming temperature increase issues. However, the Republican candidates and U.S. Congress appear not to understand the significance of global warming temperature increase.
All those who are not yet born, and those who are now children and young adults under the age of 30-years, shall die 2050-2099 CE, ending the 160 thousand year journey of mankind.
Global Warming Temperature Increase
The current greenhouse gas increase above natural global warming concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) is increased ~39% and methane (CH4) concentration is increased ~164%. Existing carbon dioxide level is ~392 ppm. When carbon dioxide exceeds ~450 ppm, Earth’s physical carbon budget is exceeded and Earth’s carbon sinks become carbon sources resulting in Earth’s temperature increase accelerating rapidly. Within 2050-2099 CE the temperature increase is so great that Earth’s life support systems no longer function, resulting in the death of 9 billion people. Global warming is caused by human increasing use of global warming hydrocarbon energy (coal, oil, natural gas) and increasing releases of Arctic Region global warming methane gas (from methane hydrate vast stores). The ONLY solution available to stop global warming temperature increase is the replacement of hydrocarbon energy used to generate electrical energy with deployment of a rapid and vast build up of nuclear energy. Will this expansion of nuclear energy be enough to save human races from their 2050-2099 CE death? That question is yet to be acknowledged.
At 2017 CE the in-place global hydrocarbon energy infrastructure shall exceed Earth’s carbon budget; the point of no return is reached, human races are extinguished 2050-2099 CE.
NRC 30-Year Political Nuclear Logjam
Resulting from the 1970s politics, nuclear plant construction costs skyrocketed from an estimated $660 million to $8.87 billion. This was typical of the time due to increased NRC member regulations after the 1979 CE Three Mile Island accident. In the 1970s, NRC members political nuclear regulations were to make nuclear energy costs very high and force nuclear utility rates to be unaffordable; therefore new nuclear energy was no longer a viable contender as a energy suppler. Since 1979 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) members have been building a nuclear energy political energy monopoly by denying nuclear construction with NRC members’ unwarranted and costly “safety” demands. For more than 30-years, coal, oil, and natural gas greenhouse gas emissions was never reduced with nuclear power replacing hydrocarbon energy. President Obama and the left Democrat political machinery have now completed the more than 30-year U.S. political phase out of nuclear energy. Congressional political machinery is still fighting new U.S. nuclear construction.
09 February 2012, President Obama’s Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) members have issued the Combined Licenses (COL) to Southern Nuclear Operating Company’s application at the Vogtle site in Georgia. NRC staff is expected to issue the Vogtle site COLs within 10 business days. NRC members COLs should also have block authorized for the construction and conditional operation of many new Westinghouse AP-1000 nuclear power plants in the U.S.
The Combined Construction and Operating License (Regulatory Guide 1.206, COL) replaced the previous Draft Regulatory Guide 1145 as the licensing process for new nuclear power plants in the U.S. The COL is a part of a new "streamlined" or “fast track” process that is hoped to prevent delays in operation that contributed to the mothballing of many plants since the 1980s.
Previously (under Draft Regulatory Guide 1145), the licensing process had two steps, construction and operation, each of which required a different license to be issued. Oppositions raised before a plant started operation versus before it started construction could thus be extremely financially damaging to a utility.
Under new Regulatory Guide 1.206, a COL alone is still not enough to construct a nuclear plant, an Early Site Permit (ESP) application must also be filed. The ESP addresses the site that plant will be built on. ESP is unique to each site. The COL addresses the reactor design and construction. It is my understanding that since the AP-1000 is a “standard design,” the NRC COL approval for Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 applies to all AP-1000 reactor design and construction that are backlogged at the NRC.
COL and the ESP could happen simultaneously for Bellefonte Nuclear Station Units 3 and 4 (Hollywood, Alabama), Levy County Units 1 and 2 (Levy County, Florida), Shearon Harris Units 2 and 3 (Wake County, North Carolina), Vogtle Units 3 and 4 (Burke County, Georgia), and William States Lee III Units 1 and 2 (Cherokee County, South Carolina). Virgil C. Summer Nuclear Station, Units 2 and 3 (Fairfield County, South Carolina) mandatory hearing requirements appear complete.
A Clouded Future
Neither President Obama nor the Republican candidates or the U.S. Congress have established a viable national or multinational response plan to counter global warming temperature increase.
Resulting from the 1970s politics, nuclear plant construction costs skyrocketed from an estimated $660 million to $8.87 billion. This was typical of the time due to increased NRC member regulations after the 1979 CE Three Mile Island accident. In the 1970s, NRC members political nuclear regulations were to make nuclear energy costs very high and force nuclear utility rates to be unaffordable; therefore new nuclear energy was no longer a viable contender as a energy suppler. Since 1979 the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) members have been building a nuclear energy political energy monopoly by denying nuclear construction with NRC members’ unwarranted and costly “safety” demands. For more than 30-years, coal, oil, and natural gas greenhouse gas emissions was never reduced with nuclear power replacing hydrocarbon energy. Left Democrat political machinery continue more than 30-year U.S. political of opposition to nuclear energy.
Neither President Obama nor the Republican candidates or the U.S. Congress have established a viable national or multinational response plan to counter global warming temperature increase. A response plan for global warming would take about ten-years to develop. Earth does not have ten-years, it only has five years till 2017 CE to stop building carbon energy infrastructure. Human carbon emissions war to peak 2015-2010 CE and than decrease to zero over time.
Global hydrocarbon infrastructure lock-in is around 2017 CE, and it takes about 3-4 years to build a large nuclear facility. How is the U.S. going to produce enough clean nuclear energy soon enough to cap and reduce carbon emissions so that human races are saved from total destruction 2050-2099 CE?
The start of any Republican or Democrat global warming recovery plan is to expand U.S. nuclear energy. To properly expand U.S. nuclear energy it is necessary to replace the politics of the NRC members with an experienced panel of three military nuclear officers and one presidential appointee. To meet Earth’s 2017 CE carbon budget criteria, military nuclear design, construction, and operation experiences within the NRC is required to quickly expand U.S. and global nuclear capacity. Not doing so results in the destruction of 9 billion people.
