Enviro Wackos: BANANA Republic

Gone is NIMBY (Not In My Back Yard), to be replaced by the BANANA — Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything.

The recent blackout in the Northeast is just a symptom of our "Green BANANA" problem. So are the wildfires we face in the Western states.

But, it's not the science-bound environmentalist that is the problem, it's the pseudo-scientific environmentalist, the one with the loudest voice, posters, bullhorns and condescending attitude that is to blame. They are the ones that have caused this by effectively driving environmental policy for the past three decades.

Serious environmental scientists are just now being heard, (on the idea) that forest protection requires forest management. The hairy tarantula in the bunch of Green BANANAs would rather the scientists just go away.

The same goes for energy production. We can generate safe, relatively clean energy, but for every solution, there is a BANANA with a reason why we shouldn't:

Hydro-electric energy is safe and clean. Sorry, the fish don't like it. Blow the dams.

Nuclear energy, as designed with current technology, is both safe and clean. But the BANANA will scare you with tales of old technology and fourth-rate Soviet workmanship, and tell you the same will happen here.

Coal, with the new technology, is cleaner than it was, but it won't last forever. The BANANAs may be right on this one.

Wind power is clean, safe, and wind farms are cropping up in many places. But, Green BANANAs think they are a threat to birds, and the vibrations may cause other problems. And, dude, they don't look nice and they take up a lot of space.

Tidal power is being used in Japan and places in Europe. But, there's a Green BANANA objection there as well; they return to the fishies for that one.

We cannot progress as long as we are buying Green BANANAs, and I'd be willing to bet that the environment will further be harmed if we continue to listen to the unripe bunch as well.

In Gig Harbor where Mr. Phipps lives the state is building a new additional Tacoma Narrows Bridge for BILLIONS, (Galloping Gertie the bridge that blew down in the '40's caught on film). It will be a toll bridge holding us Olympic Peninsula residents hostage. The only toll free way to Seattle/Tacoma will be a 100 mile adventure to Olympia, Washington, then North on the I-5 corridor. Big hassle.

An engineering firm offered to build the bridge for FREE if the state would give the firm the rights to install a tidal wave generator on the support piers. You would have believed they had asked for all the first born males in the state for a generation. The green weenies are killing us.

Add to that list the millions of tons of "green-house" gasses that are emitted by any gas/coal/oil/garbage burning power facility.

Nuclear is the answer, the problem is that no one is thrilled with the idea of huge cooling towers looming on the horizon. Because of deregulation, there is an abundance of generation capacity (outside the Alice in Wonderland World of Kalifornia), but because of deregulation and the legal, social and eminent domain issues surrounding the aquisition of right of way to install power transmission lines, that electricity doesn't get from source to destination very well.

Let's say that one hundred nuclear power plants are built. Because the abject fear of proximity to one of these things based on ludicrous fears of "radiation" these things need to be located far from population centers. Ironically, the BANANAs will say we don't need nuclear power because of radiation, instead we should make our homes more efficient. So we made our homes more energy-efficient which also gave us the side benefit of not allowing the dwelling to vent radon build-up, and thus instead of being exposed to 1 milli-rem of radiation from a nuclear power plant literally in the backyard, each house dweller experiences 100 milli-rems of radon radiation without a nuclear power plant anywhere near the house. So the environmentalists have decided that nuclear power plant radiation is bad, but exposure to two orders of magnitude more of radiation is benficial. Who knows? The radiation hasn't shown to be as hazardous as the Chicken Little crowd alledges.

So here are the plants installed. Now since they are miles away from population centers, the power needs to be transmited to these urban locales. Greater distance requires greater voltage, or "pressure", to get the power to the people. This requires expensive step-up and step-down transformers, highvoltage lines and beaucoup Right-of Way to install these ugly monstrosities. Now the soccer moms are worried that little Johnny is exposed to deadly high voltage radiation. Just being within eyesight of one of these things is enough to strike Johnny dead while he plays in the sandbox. Better to bring Johnny in and expose him to the television set that sports a fly-back transformer that emits its own electro-magnetic radiation beamed into Johnny from point-blank range. Let's not even talk about the mortal dangers of exposure to fluorescent lighting...

Face it, we ironically mock previous generations because of their fears of the unknown and how they believed in mythology. We make them look like brilliant scientists and intellectuals in comparison in how we systematically fear the wise and prudent choices and for demonstrably foolish fears pick the wastefull and dangerous option.

There is no other electrical power generating source (other than very large dams) which can approach the power generating capacity of a nuke plant

While I share your enthusiasm for nuclear power, I would like to say that coal power units are every bit as big as nuclear units. The size of nuclear generating units range from 800 MW or so up to 1300 MW for the largest. Coal plant generating units at 800 MW are not uncommon, 900 MW is not uncommon. The largest coal units are 1300 MW. There is no difference in size.

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