New Web Site

I’m pleased to announce a completely renovated web site. In a few weeks this blog will go inactive and my blog and podcast transcripts will be contained entirely at http://thisweekinnuclear.com.

Features include:

For Podcasts – a web based audio player, show transcripts, an archive of all prior shows, and the ability to search the shows by key word.

For News – there’s a new feature that automatically compiles recent nuclear related blog posts and news from around the Internet into a single, easy to read page. The update is dynamic; new articles and blog posts are automatically added as they are published.

My last several blog posts and show notes are right on the home page, so it is easy to locate my most updates.

I’ve added nuclear related videos to the site, including a page that automatically pulls in new videos from YouTube. Like the news feed, this page is dynamic and new videos arrive as they are created anywhere in the world. I’ve also posted some of my favorite videos, and will add more in the future.

I included a calendar of events that I will be attending. If you are going to be at one of these events please look me up.

I’ve integrated social networking tools to make it easier for us to stay in touch and up to date. There’s a live Twitter feed, a link to the Facebook Fan Page for “This Week in Nuclear”, and a link to my LinkedIn profile ( John Wheeler’s LinkedIn profile).

Finally, there’s an updated shopping page. When you shop at Amazon.com you can support the show by starting your search at my site. You’ll get the same low prices and I’ll get a small percentage of sales to offset the costs of producing and hosting the show.

I am really pleased with the new web site and I hope you will be too! Please post your comments below!

Please update your browser bookmarks, links, and blog rolls.

If you subscribe to this blog via its RSS feed, the new feed is: http://thisweekinnuclear.com/?feed=rss2

Anti-Nuclear Edward Rep. Markey Releases Draft Climate Change Legislation.

It has not received any attention in the media, but on March 31, 2009 House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Henry Waxman and Rep. Edward Markey, Chairman of the House Committee on Energy and Environment released their plan to fight global warming. As I predicted back in Episode 62 of This Week in Nuclear , they are promoting a federal mandate on wind and solar power funded by huge increases in energy costs.

Although nuclear energy produces 70% of the CO2-emission free energy in the USA today, in the entire 648 page bill the word "nuclear" is mentioned only twice (once is to provide an editorial change to a prior bill).

Full Text of the Draft Legislation

House Press Release

Key parts of their plan:

• Create a national renewable portfolio standard to force utilities to generate (or purchase) at least 25% of the electricity they sell from "renewable sources" and pass the cost to rate payers (see page 15 of the bill)
• Establish a green house gas trading system (see page 358)
• And yes, federal government regulation over personal hot tubs (see page 223)

The Markey/Waxman bill would force California-style energy rules on the entire USA. We all know how that turned out! The Senate will have their hands full in creating a more balanced, logical approach to fight climate change that is based on sound science and good economics.