Your Voice

Recently, Ray Pearcey discussed utilizing nuclear energy because it emits no greenhouse gases. He cited Dr. James Hansen, one of the world’s top climatologists, and author Stewart Brand and their promoting nuclear energy as one means of dealing with the real and present danger of climate change. They might be justified in believing that nuclear power is the new green, but all that radioactive waste poses tons of problems, and we have no way of safely dealing with it at this time. 

We either must find a safe way of storing the nuclear waste or learn how we can produce radioactive-free nuclear power. Until this is solved, nuclear power cannot be considered a safe option for powering the 21st century’s technological thrust into the future.

Mr. Pearcey is being farsighted in looking at some of the ongoing research. But we are not yet there. Hopefully, research can solve this problem quickly.  

The Carrie Dickerson Foundation supports efforts to use cleaner and safer energy resources such as wind, geothermal and solar, along with a strong conservation program.

When nuclear truly becomes green, then and only then do we begin adding it to our energy repertoire.

Bob Rounsavell 
President of the Carrie Dickerson Foundation  

[Editor’s note // Rounsavell’s letter echoes the concerns of several readers who have responded to Ray’s story. For more information about efforts to address the problem of nuclear waste, Pearcey directs readers to transatomicpower.com or to Eric Roston’s June 2014 piece for Bloomberg Business, “Transatomic Power’s Safer Reactor Eats Nuclear Waste.”

Pearcey has this to say about the Transatomic project: “They’re proposing to both reuse atomic waste to produce big power yields and to transmute highly radioactive conventional wastes into less toxic stuff, at old-hat nuclear sites and at shuttered reactor sites. The Transatomic project and a couple other new atomic ventures are explicitly designed to provide powerful, climate-centric solutions to the very real problems that have long bedeviled nuclear power in America.”]

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Thanks for the short course on road safety. When I was riding every day, I found several items were must-haves:

• A handle bar mounted white flashing LED for day and night. Get a ticket without one at night. Yes, TPD will stop you. 
• Fenders that cover the tire and a mud flap on the front fender. This stops the stripe up your back and keeps your face and feet dry. 
• $20 Handheld Signaling Horn from Overtons.com (Item 75609). I used zip ties to mount it next to my brake handle. It’s loud! 
• A frame-mounted hand pump, small CO2 inflator, glueless patches and tire tools that will fit in your bag. Practice removing the wheel/tire/tube and    patching with these tools. 
• Mountain/road hybrid tires. Mountain lug tires have a high rolling resistance. These tires won’t wear you out. 
• Bike theft and accident insurance. Check with your home/auto insurance agent.

Your bike will weigh an extra 2 lbs. because you’ll have some accessories that make biking practical and safe, which means you WILL do it every day. 

Ms. Havah Gordon

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