Lone Candle
Champion of Truth
Small modular nuclear reactors may not have a large enough market to gain from the advantages of mass production, especially when there are multiple companies trying to do it around the world, splitting the market further.
Renewables combined with storage may be getting cheaper faster than progress on making small modular reactors profitable.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1TeAE7rW_6s
“About six months before the first U.S.-Israeli attack on Iran, the Trump administration gutted the Bureau of Energy Resources (ENR), an 80-person team within the State Department tasked with leading international energy diplomacy. The cuts were part of the then Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) initiative to reduce the federal workforce, with the goal of slashing the federal budget.
More than a month into the conflict—with President Donald Trump indicating he will redouble attacks on Iran in the coming weeks—former ENR officials are warning DOGE eliminated key roles that would have helped the administration navigate and mitigate the energy chaos of the conflict and its impact on global oil markets, as well as foresee potential consequences of ongoing actions.
Fortune spoke with two former ENR officials—who wished to remain anonymous out of fear of retribution from the department—who are sounding the alarm on the insights and knowledge the federal government has lost as a result of the cuts, especially during a period of widespread oil and energy disruptions.
“It’s shocking how poorly prepared the administration is,” one former employee told Fortune. “You took away the people with the expertise and contacts who would be insanely useful in this context.””
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/shocking-poorly-prepared-administration-doge-082100372.html
“The Trump administration will pay $1 billion to a French company to walk away from two U.S. offshore wind leases as the administration ramps up its campaign against offshore wind and other renewable energy.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/french-company-stops-us-offshore-172230712.html
Compared to the alternatives, coal is worse for air pollution, worse for ocean pollution, worse for global warming, uses more water, is less efficient, and costs more. Coal was a competitive source of energy before we had modern gas plants.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfvBx4D0Cms
“In the executive order, Trump directs the Department of War to enter into agreements to purchase electricity from coal plants to power military operations.”
Bad for the environment, bad for the economy, bad for the military.
Coal is not just bad for global warming, but adds to regular air pollution that kills.
We should use energy that is most efficient to use, not that the president forces people to use, with the exception of protecting the environment.
The military should use whichever energy source best serves its purpose, not the energy source that Trump likes for confused/incompetent purposes, or political purposes.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-orders-pentagon-invest-beautiful-233907955.html
“Categorical exclusions mean that no National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) environmental impact statement or environmental assessment is required before a project may be approved. This saves a lot of time and bureaucratic effort since compiling an environmental impact statement takes nearly three years on average to complete.
The May executive order adopts many of the recommendations on how to improve nuclear power licensing outlined in an April 2025 report by researchers associated with the Idaho National Laboratory (INL). Among other items, the report suggests clarifying that the DOE does not need Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) approval to “authorize any non-commercial demonstration nuclear reactor projects with no exceptions.”
Now, the DOE is issuing a notice for a new categorical exclusion that would apply to new advanced nuclear reactors sited on federal facilities and land. In support of this determination, the DOE finds that “advanced nuclear reactors have key attributes such as safety features, fuel type, and fission product inventory that limit adverse consequences from releases of radioactive or hazardous material from construction, operation, and decommissioning.””
https://reason.com/2026/02/05/energy-department-moves-to-fast-track-advanced-nuclear-reactor-approvals/
Even when comparing an electric vehicle getting electricity from a gas power plant to a gas vehicle, electric vehicles are still more carbon friendly because a car’s engine is less efficient at generating power than a gas power plant, and because a lot of carbon is used to transport gasoline. And, as electric grids use more and more low-carbon sources, the electric cars have an even greater carbon advantage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp5KF2IhUtY
Renewable energy from salt and fresh water doing some weird shit together!?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kko09WIC6yc
As the U.S. backs away from clean energy and limiting global warming on the president’s false belief that climate change is a hoax, China is stepping in as a leader globally, leading on the issue and selling its technologies and products to countries around the world. Despite its leadership and its massive renewable production, it still uses a lot of dirty coal. China’s clean energy partnerships around the world give it influence. The Trump-led U.S. is banking on past fuels and energy, while China is advancing into the future.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ENJ6UmECe1Q
Radiation below a certain level is harmless toward humans. It may even be helpful as the body ramps up to heal the radiation damage.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gzdLdNRaPKc