Dear Editor Crawley,
Thank you for asking the Fundamental Data representatives, at the Davis Town Hall May 16th, if nuclear energy–that 20th century costly and deadly energy technology–was a part of Fundamental Data’s proposed development. Your insightful question allowed all who listened that Fundamental Data’s plans include three phases, and nuclear is potentially a part of their “baseload solution.”
I am quoting above, and below, in this paragraph, a letter written by Fundamental Data to several members of Congress. Some of these members of Congress had expressed concerns about Fundamental Data’s plans for Tucker and Grant County and had written to the company to express those concerns.
In a March 27th letter, addressed to The Honorable Sheldon Whitehouse, Casey L. Chapman of Fundamental Data responded to these Congress members’ concerns. Chapman wrote that “nuclear is a critical long-term asset for this country, and it is a technology we are actively considering as part of this project’s future development.” The letter goes on to state that “a close look at the current U.S. development pipeline reveals that there is virtually no new nuclear capacity capable of producing energy by 2030.”
The reason that there is no “nuclear capacity” is because of the 20th century reality: huge, costly nuclear developments with cost overruns; nuclear waste and the problem of where to dispose of it; and accidents like Three Mile Island. These realities made it all too clear that nuclear energy was not the peacetime boon its promoters claimed it would be, as they sought to take what had been developed as a weapon used by President Truman in WWII and turn it into a domestic energy option. The improved capability of truly renewable energy sources (especially when scaled small, and locally or regionally) and their decreasing cost further made nuclear energy undesirable. Nuclear has progressed since that time (for example, smaller reactors), but despite these advances has never regained the traction its promoters sought last century.
It seems Fundamental Data not only is NOT transparent as to its overall plans, but also seeks, along with billionaire/millionaire investors now again promoting nuclear energy in our current century, to foist onto the citizens of Tucker and Grant county more possibilities of destruction of our way of life. Diversification of our tourism economy is desperately needed, but not at the expense of our peace of mind. Deborah Stiles Limestone Mountain Farm, St. George
