MIT's Ernie Moniz shortlisted for Secretary of Energy

[wtmusic]

"President Barack Obama intends to nominate air quality expert Gina McCarthy to lead the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and nuclear physicist Ernest Moniz to head the Department of Energy as early as this week, according to a source familiar with the process."

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/20/us-obama-cabinet-epa-energy-idUSBRE91J0ZE20130220



In MIT's Update to the 2003 Future of Nuclear Report (2009):

"Nuclear power, fossil fuel use accompanied by carbon dioxide capture and sequestration, and renewable energy technologies (wind, biomass, geothermal, hydro and solar) are important options for achieving electricity production with small carbon footprints. Since the 2003 report, interest in using electricity for plug-in hybrids and electric cars to replace motor gasoline has increased, thus placing an even greater importance on exploiting the use of carbon-free electricity generating technologies. At the same time, as discussed in the MIT report The Future of Coal, little progress has been made in the United States in demonstrating the viability of fossil fuel use with carbon capture and sequestration—a major “carbon-free” alternative to nuclear energy for base-load electricity.

With regard to nuclear power, while there has been some progress since 2003, increased deployment of nuclear power has been slow both in the United States and globally, in relation to the illustrative scenario examined in the 2003 report. While the intent to build new plants has been made public in several countries, there are only few firm commitments outside of Asia, in particular China, India, and Korea, to construction projects at this time. Even if all the announced plans for new nuclear power plant construction are realized, the total will be well behind that needed for reaching a thousand gigawatts of new capacity worldwide by 2050. In the U.S., only one shutdown reactor has been refurbished and restarted and one previously ordered, but never completed reactor, is now being completed. No new nuclear units have started construction.

In sum, compared to 2003, the motivation to make more use of nuclear power is greater, and more rapid progress is needed in enabling the option of nuclear power expansion to play a role in meeting the global warming challenge. The sober warning is that if more is not done, nuclear power will diminish as a practical and timely option for deployment at a scale that would constitute a material contribution to climate change risk mitigation."

http://mitei.mit.edu/publications/reports-studies/update-2003-future-nuclear-report

[unhappycamper]

1. From 2.22.2013:

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/02/22-0

Obama's Possible Frack-Friendly Energy Plan a 'Nail in the Coffin' for Climate
- Jon Queally, staff writer
Published on Friday, February 22, 2013 by Common Dreams

Reports that President Obama is poised to nominate MIT professor Ernest Moniz to be the next head of the Department of Energy is raising serious concerns for those worried that the administration will betray its promise to take on the threat of the climate crisis by making a major domestic push for natural gas drilling using the controversial practice known as fracking.

The choice of Moniz, known for his adamant support for fracking—which he's called "paradigm-shifting"—seems to confirm reporting last week that a major part of Obama's plans for energy creation in his second term will be to "initiate widespread gas fracking in the US."

“Mr. Moniz is affiliated with the industry-backed MIT Energy Initiative, so we shouldn’t be surprised about his favorable position on fracking," said Mitch Jones from Food & Water Watch. "But President Obama could do a lot better."

"Appointing Mr. Moniz," Jones continued, "would be a nail in the coffin for one of his most lauded inaugural speech promises: a commitment to focus on climate solutions.”

[wtmusic]

2. I don't often bother to respond to commonbullshit.org, but here goes:

"In December, while speaking at the University of Texas at Austin, Moniz warned that while natural gas could reduce carbon emissions by displacing coal-fired electricity, its increasing use could also slow growth in the clean energy sector.

'When it comes to carbon, [natural] gas is part of our solution at least for some time,” said Moniz, who served as undersecretary of energy during the Clinton administration. “And we should take advantage of the time to innovate and bring down the cost of renewables. The worst thing w[ould] be is to get time and not use it. And that I’m afraid is where we are.'"

http://grist.org/politics/meet-ernest-moniz-who-may-or-may-not-be-the-next-secretary-of-energy/

A thoughtful answer from a thoughtful man. Now - who the hell is "Mitch Jones", and why the hell should anyone care what he says?