The government just discovered 37 billion$ in loose change in the sofa. This was earmarked for high-level nuclear waste disposal, most of which is not waste at all.
An opportunity exists for solving 4 urgent national problems, using money the government has already collected.
Below is the email I just sent my Congressional representatives. If this seems reasonable and you would like to use this as a template to write your own Congressional representatives, feel free to do so.
You can do so at zero cost using their webmail. To identify, and access their webmail see
===== email follows ===== To: Senator Moran Senator Roberts Representative Jenkins Representative Pompeo
From: Dr. George McDuffee snipped-for-privacy@mcduffee-associates.us
Date: Mon, May 19, 2014
Subject: Solution of *FOUR* pressing national problems using existing funds.
Ref:
It is rare an opportunity exists to solve 4 separate serious national problems, without requiring considerable additional funding.
productize existing LFTR [liquid fluoride thorium reactor] technology for serial manufacture and deployment, using [most of] the existing $37 billion in the high level nuclear waste disposal trust fund [Yucca Mountain]. For LFTR details see
fuel rods, which are not waste at all, as these still contain 99.5% of the original nuclear energy. LFTR can use these rods as auxiliary fuel, extracting the remaining 99.5% of energy, reducing the bulk by 95% or more, reducing the required secure storage time from tens of thousands of years, to a few hundred, and the waste is already vitrified [in glass] so is much safer (no leaks). Hundreds of tons of
for many years.
*PROBLEM 2: Energy shortages in the U.S., for large scale desalinization and pumping because of the drought, and for electricity generation as coal is phased out. Deployment of LFTRs can supply the energy, and in many cases can be retrofit to existing coal fired electrical generating stations because of the much higher LFTR operating temperature. Once a LFTR is in place, it should only require a few weeks to reroute the steam lines, avoiding significant downtime.*PROBLEM 3: There is an increasing waste disposal problem, of not only municipal but also agricultural wastes. The inexpensive electricity and high process heat of LFTR makes the conversion of most any organic material, including municipal and agricultural waste as well as coal to synthetic petroleum very economically viable. Synthetic petroleum produced from municipal/agricultural waste and shale gas is particularly valuable because it is ultra low sulfur/wax, producing premium diesel and jet fuel.
*PROBLEM 4: STEM unemployment and under-utilization of domestic heavy industry remains excessively high. Productization and deployment of LFTR will provide significant employment for the large numbers of highly skilled STEM workers currently unemployed, and will provide our heavy industry with considerable demand for many years for their services. In many cases these will not need to be reactor companies, but ship yards, refinery or oil rig manufacturers, etc. for much of the material. Deployment will also provide a considerable boost to our domestic electronic/electrical firms.economically productive, and LFTR operation/maintenance will provide long-term high-tech, high-pay jobs. The improvement in the availability of domestic energy will support our transition into the 21st century global economy.
I would be pleased to discuss this in greater depth, with you or a member of your staff. Please feel free to forward this email.
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