Indeed it could. But the enviros and Obama's minions don't want it to happen for a multitude of reasons of which most if not all are bogus. Their goal is to reduce the US to a third-world country with regulations on any type of expansion which is good for the common man.
So why do you think BO's regime continues to close power plants and block the Keystone Pipeline?
Lieutenant just got promoted to captain.
Imagine what the building of the Keystone Pipeline, building a new oil refinery planned in South Dakota and increased oil production in the US would do for the economy. Note all of these would be accomplished wholly with private funding. Better still consider what an across the board tax cut would do for the economy.
If the reactor does work and generates electricity far safer than today's pressurized light-water uranium-fueled reactors, that would make it possible to generate electricity on a gigantic scale. And that would make electric cars, electrifying our long distance rail lines, large-scale seawater desalinization, etc. possible without spewing poisonous pollutants into the atmosphere. And because 1) we don't need that much thorium-232 per reactor to operate one and 2) thorium-232 is as common as lead (and there are plentiful supplies on the Moon and possibly even Mars), we could have a power source that could last tens of thousands of years at current electric generation capacity.
If things stay afloat long enough, around my parts things are going to explode economically in 18-24 months. As of current, there are three wellpads within 10 miles of my home, a fourth just started construction last week. I am in the Marcellus shale region.
These wellpads are going to be “spidiring” out 6000 feet below us and most in the area (myself included) will get 15-17% royalties a month on whatever they extract and sell.
The good news (for me) is that I live tucked away in between local farms. I was once worried about farmers selling their land to developers and this place becoming suburbia. Not any more, no one is selling now and those that are up for sale are at hefty prices because they are selling their leases “speculatively” in the price of the home.
There is NO downside to robust American Energy Production.
NONE
It is a Win no matter what. It helps the Economy by creating Jobs, By lowing the price of Energy, which lowers transportation costs which are passed on to the Consumer which leaves more money in the American Peoples hands for other endeavors.
Second, it will only help in our Nations Security, Russia can pull it's weight around using her Minerals? Well we can use ours to push back. It is the ONE thing that would at least have Putin looking at his Pocket Book and asking himself "Maybe I Don't have enough money for all this crap."
Absolutely in awe of this fine man. Worked there when he was County Chairman(that’s what Shell calls their President in the US).
I’m with Victor Davis Hansen on oil. America ceases to exist without cheap oil. We are a big country with big transportation needs, that also needs to ensure the free flow of goods and services world wide. Cheap oil is the only way to do this. Give Shell and others the latitude they need, but within sensible environmental protection regulation.
As for world unrest, I’m also with VDH. Secular dictators are the lesser of the evil. Give them parameters, human rights limitations, territory expansion limits etc., but let them obtain law and order. Yes, Saddam’s abuse of Iraq’s population pales in comparison with what they are about to suffer. The Arab spring in 2011 is a disaster for all. Anytime we intervene and obtain order, we have to leave a force behind, otherwise it is Saigon 1975 all over again.
That’s actually the #1 action any politician could take to stimulate the economy: free up domestic energy production. (Again, note that the best thing the government can do to help matters economic is to STOP MESSING WITH THEM!)
Assuming we get a GOP President after the 2016 elections, the first order of business should be to clean house at the EPA and then work with Congress to open up drilling/fracking/natural gas deposits/nuclear plant construction/etc. All economies run on energy, and economies that produce energy run that much more efficiently.
If it is good for America, then Obama, Holder, the Secy of Transportation, Comrade Perez at Commerce, and Reid/Pelosi are dead set against it. PERIOD!