Fermi 3, Round 2

(Originally published Thursday, May 21, 2015 on http://haltfermi.blogspot.com/)

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) has given DTE Electric (DTE) the license it needs in order to build Fermi 3. They plan to build this new nuclear reactor on the shore of Lake Erie adjacent to Fermi 2.

The Sierra Club along with the Alliance to Halt Fermi 3, Beyond Nuclear and other anti-nuclear groups, was opposed to this license. We delayed its issuance by more than 3 years. There are still open objections which should have been resolved before the NRC issued the license, but that part of the process is finished for practical purposes. Continue reading “Fermi 3, Round 2”

Without Warning

(Originally published Saturday, May 9, 2015 on http://haltfermi.blogspot.com/)

Not a lot of people living near the corner of Michigan and Ohio see stopping Fermi 3 and shutting down Fermi 2 as a high priority. That’s understandable. Neither the current operation of Fermi 2 nor the prospect of building Fermi 3 poses an immediate threat comparable to the immediacy of numerous other issues. Continue reading “Without Warning”

DTE Doubles Down on Danger of Disaster

(Originally published Friday, May 1, 2015 on http://haltfermi.blogspot.com/)

The Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) issued the final operating license that DTE Electric (DTE) needs in order to build Fermi 3, a new nuclear rector. They plan to build it on the shore of Lake Erie adjacent to Fermi 2, the world’s largest example of a Fukushima-type reactor. Fermi 2 was already built next to the site of Fermi 1, DTE’s first reactor which melted down in 1966. DTE is planning to double down on the risk of another meltdown. Continue reading “DTE Doubles Down on Danger of Disaster”

Michigan in the Solutions Project

(Originally published Friday, April 24, 2015 on http://haltfermi.blogspot.com/)
Using only existing known technology, Michigan can transition to 100% wind, water and solar energy for all purposes (electricity, transportation, heating/cooling and industry) by 2050. That’s the message from Prof. Mark Jacobson of Stanford University. The obstacles are purely political.

Continue reading “Michigan in the Solutions Project”

Michigan’s Energy Future At A Crossroads

This op-ed was originally published Thursday, March 19, 2015 in the Livonia Observer.

Just after the fourth anniversary of the ongoing catastrophe at Fukushima in Japan on March 11, here in Michigan we stand at a pivotal moment in the direction of our state’s energy future.  Although we are half a world apart from Japan, on closer examination we’re really too close for comfort. Continue reading “Michigan’s Energy Future At A Crossroads”