Idaho at the Center of a Global Energy Revolution
Idaho is going to be at the center of a world changing event. The announcement Idaho National Laboratory will produce small scale nuclear reactors is great news for the state's economy. It's even better news for the world. Thorium reactors aren't accident prone and aren't much larger than three or four garden sheds strung together. Just two such units could power all of Twin Falls. The same for Idaho Falls and Pocatello. The units can be moved on flatbed trucks and then loaded in place.
Some of history’s bloodiest battles have been fought over access to energy.
J. Kent Millington is a businessman promoting the technology. He also is a brother of Twin Falls County Republican Party Chairman Steve Millington. The Millington brothers joined us on Newsradio 1310 KLIX and Magic Valley This Morning. You can hear a portion of the discussion by clicking on the YouTube video below. "J.K." answers some common questions about cost, safety and availability of thorium.
I have some thoughts about this energy revolution. Some of history’s bloodiest battles have been fought over access to energy. Hitler sent his troops into the Caucuses in pursuit of oil. Millions died as a result of the excursion.
Japan seized the Dutch East Indies after President Franklin Roosevelt embargoed United States oil. The Empire of Japan also attacked Pearl Harbor in retaliation. Much of the conflict in the Middle East over the last 100 years was over oil. It started to subside when the U.S.A.became the world’s largest producer of energy (to go along with being largest consumer). Now imagine electricity available for a few pennies per kilowatt hour.
In plain language, you take the fuse out of the bomb.