While it's not currently commercially viable, there fact is that there's very little that needs to be taken care of to make it so; mainly the issues are in the manufacturing process.

Here in the US we've been doing research for decades, and the only reason that one of the most promising programs in fusion power isn't commercially viable is the fact that we don't have a collection device that can handle the discharge from the device because there's too much power coming too quickly from the device. It's called the Z Project, and operates less than 30 miles from where I'm writing this. A high-efficiency fuel cell can change that, but fuel cells are expensive, and difficult to manufacture in the capacities that are needed.

The main problem, though, with fusion is that it needs funding that is being cut. With all of the spending in the budget, the DOE is getting cut back hugely, I've had two family members lose funding for their projects because of it. If the funding for the advanced research was there, then it'd be 10 years max to be able to use these devices.

As far as the nuclear waste restrictions, this started way back in the Carter administration, and continues to this day. Why, I don't know. The simple fact is that the law can be changed, and for the cost of getting a bill through Congress we can reduce the costs of nuclear waste disposal to almost nothing, and double our nuclear power (or, almost, at least). Almost a quarter of all electric power generated in the US is nuclear already. Why the tree-huggers don't like it, I don't know, but I'm betting most of the problem is waste disposal, which is eliminated here.

Who knows, hopefully it'll happen, but not in the next four years.

Stuart Mitchell is mostly right, but congress prevented the the further use of breeder reactors with The Nuclear Waste Policy Act of 1982. Waste was required to be disposed of, not reprocessed.

Fusion is working in France, but it is not commercially viable. http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2009/01/international_thermonuclear_ex.html

On the article:
$197 million for the Yucca Mountain to "explore alternatives"? BILLIONS have been spent since the 80s. More government waste.

http://www.ocrwm.doe.gov/ym_repository/index.shtml#4

Ivan:
"The technology exists NOW to completely rid us of fossil fuels. There are technologies out there that are incredibly efficient that are classified."
Name them.

Copyleft needs to take his medication, since he is hallucinating about using facts and evidence, while providing.... none. Here, I'll help you:
Dr. Mark J. Perry is a professor of economics and finance in the School of Management at the Flint campus of the University of Michigan. He disagrees with Copyleft:
http://mjperry.blogspot.com/2007/02/corporations-dont-pay-taxes-people-do.html

So does the Congressional Budget Office:
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/3xx/doc304/corptax.pdf

"Maybe you'll be smart enough to play at my level someday." One needs severe brain damage to play at your level.

Go LEARN something, Copyleft.

I've heard there is only 50 more years worth of crude oil under the ground. This means our grandkids will need horses!

Now, think. Whose oil is it? Ours, or our grandkids? The stuff is darn near priceless, yet we burn it in cars? Why should we argue about the current situation when we should be ashamed of what we are stealing from future generations?

Let me see if I can clear it up for you, Copyleft.
I work for an evil, greedy trucking company. We are making -3% profit right now. That's right, MINUS.
It's called competition. All trucking companies are cutting rates to the bone to try to survive until things get better.
Obama raises fuel taxes, because the evil, greedy trucking companies are ruining our roads and bridges with their evil, heavy trucks.
Every evil trucking company pays more for the evil fuel.
So every evil, greedy trucking company raises their rates by the same amount, killing the same number of cute, cuddly polar bears.
The evil, greedy Wal-Mart has to pay more to get their evil, polluting toys to the shelves.
So the evil, greedy Wal-Mart has to charge more for those toys so they can stay in business and sell more toys, and their evil, greedy, non-union employees can keep their evil, dangerous sweatshop jobs.
So, Copyleft, when you raise our taxes at the truckyard, you pay them at the Wal-Mart. Or wherever you shop.
And thanks for the invitation, but I'm afraid I'm not interested in being smart enough to play with you, Copyleft. I would have to remove 67% of my brain cells to reach that level.

The technology exists NOW to completely rid us of fossil fuels. There are technologies out there that are incredibly efficient that are classified. The trickle down process is too slow. The Obama administration needs to open up the flood gates on experimental classified projects dealing with alternate forms of energy.

Copyleft,

You wouldn't know "facts and evidence" if it smacked you upside your head.

Please, just stop.

I wasn't questioning how much profit oil companies make... I was pointing out the oft-repeated, and yet never supported, claim that "corporations don't pay taxes."

Which I've already dismantled with facts and evidence several times on this very site. It's just corporate-cheerleading nonsense, and it even contradicts the OTHER "poor-me, corporate victim" line Neal likes to repeat about our "punitive" tax rates.

Speaking of basic economics: What happens to a company that decides to jack up its prices rather than cut costs, compared to smarter companies that accept a smaller profit margin?

Yeah, thought so. Keep trying, folks! Maybe you'll be smart enough to play at my level someday. But first you'll have to TURN OFF THE RADIO and do some REAL learning.

Even if we reduce our usage of oil, the rest of the emerging world( China, India...) probably will not. And I don't think we'll be seeing elimination of oil for machinery and manufacturing even if we found alternatives for fueling our planes, trains,automobiles. The ethanol thing isn't what it was billed as and hybrids rely on expensive and toxic batteries. Maybe our great grandchildren will still be working on it while we are feeding the microbes. Unless everyone wants to go Kazinski, we'll be using oil for a longtime to come. Maybe Obama should nationalize Exxon-Mobil and show those evil oil companies he means business.

I totally agree with Neal. I believe the saying goes something like, How fortunate for governments that men do not think. Funny, but that was said about 70 years ago by Hitler. This is going to get ugly my friends.

So there's tax loopholes, big deal. Every time some lobbyist (of ANY group) sticks his nose into a taxation bill, a loophole or two is created. It's called "compromise" (at least by idiot politicians).

The thing that everyone forgets is that oil and gas companies have learned from their bad image, and fixed it long ago. My state's a major antural gas producer, and I've spent time on the gas fields that are open for hiking, horseback riding, and other outdoor activities, and they're BETTER MAINTAINED THAN THOSE THAT ARE FEDERAL AND STATE FOREST!!! So what if they're drilling for oil and gas? We need it! We also need more refining capabilitiy as well.

On another note from the full article, my state also houses the WIPP (Waste Isolation Pilot Plant) facility, which is a smaller version of Yucca Mountain. Drive on the western side of the state, and you see 18 wheelers full of nuclear waste. It's a mundane fact of life. If you really want to do something about nuclear waste, do what the Canadians and Japanese did decades ago: create a breeder reactor program. It's possible, and even relatively easy, to build two nuclear power plants (pollution is non-existent, only a bit of non-radioactive water vapor) that are paired with each other: the waste from one's the fuel for the other, and vice versa. ou reduce your waste to a thousanth of the former level, and dono't have to hollow out a mountain to store it, becuase the radioactivity has such a short half-life. No transport except to the other end of the facility, no radioactivity, and LOTS more electricity in an environmentally friendly facility. Unfortunately, the hippies will be mad, but who cares? Are they going to throw organically grown, non GMO produce at the plant?

Finally, on the last point in the article, hydrogen IS used as a fuel source in Europe, for their OPERATIONAL fusion power plant off the coast of France. Why say it's impossible to do when the Europeans have done it already.

Are you guys serious? Stan, as was said, adjusted for inflation, gas prices under Carter were the highest ever. I remember seeing a picture of a newspaper where a gas station in Massachusetts charging $4 a gallon...in 1980. Also, yes, for a time gas was cheap under Clinton but in 1998 it shot up to $2 a gallon and hasn't looked back. Prices go up. But get a clue you 2.

Reading any of copyleft's posts can make you feel dumber for having read any of it.


Seriously, you are in bad need of some very BASIC education on macroeconomics

destroy this once-great country. The left has eclipsed anything the republicans have done in the past. The trolls on this site may want to consider that before crying Booooooosh. (But they won't. Sad)

Let's do whatever Nixon did. Gas was thirty cents when he was president.

(BTW Stan: Where do you get this idea that gas was 75 cents when Clinton was president? Gas broke the dollar mark in 1979.)

This is just an attempt to make it even tougher to produce oil thus raising the price. Once the price is higher Obama and his minions will tax you to death. I don't think people realize the kind of taxation we are about to endure.

After all, corporations have an infinite capacity to pass along ALL their costs to the consumers without consequence. Consumers have no choice but to buy from a single supplier and cannot exercise any other options... and all industry competitors are going to be in perfect (and illegal) agreement to follow this exact same policy, rather than compete in some fashion.

We should be shoveling MORE loopholes and tax breaks at them, not less. Why, the very notion of taxing corporations AT ALL is ludicrous!

Hee hee... are we done with this silliness now? The notion that "corporations don't pay taxes" is repeated very, very often on Neal's show--but it remains a blatant lie.

The funniest part is that Neal ALSO complains about how many corporations are moving operations overseas to escape our "punitive corporate tax rates"--which they allegedly don't pay! Funny stuff.

If you hear someone logically contradict themselves within the same ten seconds, you know they've been listening to talk radio. (chuckle)

Whatever Bush did with oil, do the opposite. Whatever Clinton did with oil, do the same. I dont care who is on what political party, when Clinton was President gas was less than 75 cents a gallon, and when Bush was president it got up to $4 a gallon, and I never saw it below $1. I would say inflation, but there terms were consecutive.