Nuclear Street Interview with Michael R. Fox, Ph.D.,
- By Randy Brich -
Dr. Fox not only talks the talk but has walked the walk. With a Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry, Dr. Fox has taught theory at the university level and applied that theory at the practical level for academia, industry, government and non-profit organizations.
He’s as comfortable in a radiochemistry laboratory as he is behind a lectern or a PC. Concomitant with Dr. Fox’s past experiences of developing applications for power production, waste management and environmental compliance is his capacity for new experiences.
This interview with Dr. Fox occurs in two consecutive weekly parts and focuses on the necessity of energy -- amplifying the nuclear paradox that symbolizes the state of education in the U.S. In addition to publishing pieces on a variety of subjects, Dr. Fox provides expert testimony as well as public appearances. He can be contacted directly at:mike@foxreport.org.
Part I
Nuclear Street: What is the number one energy problem facing the United States today?
Dr. Michael R. Fox: There are several huge energy problems facing the United States.
Problems with Importing EnergyA very large problem is the over-dependence upon imported oil, which of course is imported energy. Such energy is vital to the liberty, freedom, productivity, economy, and national security of our country. Energy is to our economy what blood is to the human body, it is vitally important. Because of this domestic sources are much preferable to imported sources. Future energy supplies are thus important as well, and superficial solutions with unworkable sources are recipes for tragedy. It is dangerous for our nation to be so dependent on the energy from foreign nations who do not like us. So yes, one of the biggest energy problems facing the United States is the continued policy of importing energy, and the failure to develop domestic energy, oil, coal, nuclear, natural gas and whatever other energy source can be made reliable and economical.
Problems of Energy Ignorance---Lack of Appreciation of Non-human EnergyOver the past 4-5 thousand years of human development, history shows that human backs were a common source of energy, frequently in the form of slavery. Armies of slaves, indentured servants, serfs, were used by warlords, kings, despots, and tyrants to build castles, summer palaces, pyramids, canals, coliseums, and other such structures. Today, a construction company with a relatively few skilled operators of large equipment fueled with gasoline or diesel can excavate, load, transport, unload, and level in a few days an amount of earth and rock which would have taken thousands to do in the Bronze Age. Massive excavation and construction projects could also be done faster, cheaper, and safer -- without the deaths of thousands which occurred frequently in large scale projects employing mostly human labor such as the digging of the Panama Canal. Today we use electricity, an extremely versatile form of energy, in ever expanding, beneficial, and innovative ways. Even electric powered cars seem to be just around the corner, requiring, of course, major new sources of electricity. I expect this to continue in unknown directions as new technologies and inventions become commercialized. To energize computers, video games, cell phones, HD televisions, iPods as well as the necessary internet communications, huge demands for electricity are looming.
Increasing Demand for High Quality ElectricityIn addition to the ominous possible future of electric cars, many other demands for electricity are here and now. For example, large non-descript buildings (ca 300,000 sq ft or ~7 acres) called server farms are going up across the nation. They require huge amounts of electricity not only to power the thousands of servers, but energy needed to keep the equipment cooled. They not only help in operating the internet and emails, but also provide enormous high speed information storage capabilities.
The power demands for the server farms can be in the range of tens of megawatts (MW) to bigger ones in the 200 MW range. This is enough energy to power a city of tens of thousands. Computers and the massive server farms and the electricity needed to run and cool them help make the American workers more productive, better trained, more competitive, and free to make more of life’s choices.
These server farms store trillions of electronic data in accessible form and are expanding very rapidly. I am told that the memory equivalent of 14 full length CD movies is being uploaded to these server farms every minute. Obviously, the demand for high quality electricity (both voltages and frequencies) is expanding and will continue to do so for the foreseeable future.
NS: Recognizing that one of your hobbies has been keeping track of the environmental movement’s progress over the past several decades, what do you think the U.S. energy future will look like 20 years from now?
Fox: Our energy future will depend upon the electorate understanding more its dependence upon energy, the impacts of energy on our lives, and how essential it is to our freedom, liberties, prosperity, and national security. The antinuclear movement has been in operation since the early 70s, nearly 40 years. They have been horrendously successful in stopping what is the safest, cleanest, most reliable and efficient way of making a kilowatt hour known to man.
The public’s image of the nuclear option is that promoted for nearly 40 years by the greens and their sympathetic media. The operating paradigm for the media, the public educational system, and the public, is that of the greens, namely that radiation = cancer = death. End of discussion.
The U.S. has not ordered a new nuclear power plant in over 30 years. The greens of the Northwest are actively pursuing shutting down major hydroelectric facilities. More recently, there have been more than 90 new coal plants shut down over the past 7 years in the U.S. This means at some point soon energy costs and/or energy shortages will be impacting our employment and unemployment rates, our industries and businesses, productivity, our prosperity, and our national security. This is over and above the current troubles of our depressing recession.
By contrast China now burns more coal than the U.S. and the E.U. combined with India coming up right behind. The Chinese plan to double this coal output by 2025. China now is building a new coal plant a week and opening mining facilities at about the same rate.
China is also nearing completion of the largest hydroelectric facility in the world, called the 3 Gorges Project. China also has 11 operating nuclear power plants, 17 under construction, and 58 more planned. While many Americans believe that the U.S. is the world’s leader in energy, we no longer have that leadership role. There is also the commonly held belief by adult Americans that the U.S. can meet its future electrical needs from sun beams and gentle breezes. Some people have called this belief that renewable energy can power America ‘The Peter Pan Principle’ – simply put, if you wish it, it will happen. Period. End of story.
Because of public complacency, the declining quality of public education especially in mathematics, and science, and widespread energy illiteracy, other nations have taken the lead. The next 20 years could be very difficult with the crippling of U.S. energy supplies.
NS: What is the quickest way to reduce the quality of life in the United States?
Fox: Short of all out warfare, one of the best ways for reducing or destroying our quality of life, would be to destroy our access to abundant, low cost, reliable, domestic sources of energy. Nations which do not have access to such abundant energy are almost by definition 3rd world countries. For thousands of years mankind derived much of its energy from human backs, most often in the use of slavery. We now have lots of Americans (instead of foreign enemies) who are working hard to destroy most of the energy generation facilities in the U.S., nuclear, fossil, and hydro. Millions seem happy (and unconcerned) with that.
NS: Thanks for sharing with us your thoughts and ideas. We’ll continue next week with Part II, An Exclusive Nuclear Street Interview with Dr. Michael Fox.
Fox: You’re welcome and thanks for asking me some tough questions.
About Randy BrichRandy graduated from South Dakota State University in 1978 with a M.S. in Biology. After developing the State of South Dakota’s environmental radiological monitoring program, he became a Health Physicist with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission, eventually transferring to the Department of Energy where he specialized in environmental monitoring, worker protection, waste cleanup and systems biology. Later in his career he published a multi-sport adventure guide book and became a regular contributor to The Entertainer Newspaper’s Great Outdoor section.
Since then he has retired from the federal government and, after taking time out to build an energy efficient house near the Missouri River, has formed Diamond B Communications LLC. Diamond B Communications LLC uses a multimedia approach to explain complex energy resource issues to technical and non-technical audiences. He also guides for Dakota Bike Tours, the Relaxed Adventure Company, offering tours of the Badlands National Park, the Black Hills and Devils Tower National Monument.
If you have questions, comments, or know of a book that you think Randy should review Email Randy Brich>> randy@nuclearstreet.com