The fallout:

Tuesday – March 15, 2011

The fallout:

The term fallout is usually associated with a nuclear accident. In Japan, today, the fallout of the explosions at four nuclear power plants is a reality. Though we will not know the immediate effects of the small amounts of radiation that have leaked into the immediate environment, in Japan, we do know that there is a brewing calamity.

Before the fallout, it is known that there has been an effort to call for nuclear safety around the world. Many of the nuclear plants in our country that are now in operation are designed to take a 7.9 magnitude earthquake. We have been told that there are a number of redundant safety factors that are designed into these plants. There are 104 nuclear power plants in our country. Out of the 104 plants in operation 23 are of a similar design to those that are in distress now in Japan.

Many leaders in our country are calling for a moratorium on future nuclear power plant construction. I would agree that we should slow down the efforts of nuclear energy, because the risks of a catastrophe do not equal the benefit of this type of energy production.

The fallout on the immediate horizon is one that we should all take note of. As we witness the events in Japan, the world should be working to ensure that if similar events occur any where else in the world the risk of fallout is minimized. If it takes more robust designs or more redundant backup systems then there should be standards that the world community can agree on.

Like food, we consume vast amounts of energy. We need energy to live on. We need energy to sustain life. We need energy to move economies of the world forward. Without energy there would be little advancement of the human race. If we know this why are we not using energy more sensibly? The fallout of the earthquake and subsequent tsunami that hit Japan will be far reaching. It will be noticed in the physical sense the emotional sense and now the environmental sense.

We should, as a world community, learn from this and use our energy in a smart way, instead of using energy to hold countries hostage. We should work to prohibit the risky forms of energy production from being the main form of production. The risk is far too great to allow a potential crippling of a nation, because they don’t have ready access to cheaper and safer forms of energy production.

The fallout here at home is two fold. We will not be able to borrow money from the Japanese and we will feel the effects of Japans standstill economy immediately. The need for additional oil in that country will now tip the fragile supply chain. They are our trading partners and like it or not we are connected to them economically and militarily. Japan is the world’s third largest economy.

For instance, all Japanese auto production facilities, except one, will experience an interruption in parts supply. The one remaining facility in Flat Rock, Michigan that produces the Mazda 6 will continue operating, because of their relationship with Ford Motor Company. Our domestic Auto Industry suppliers have been working for years to produce parts for the Japanese Automobile manufacturers. The Japanese have for years refused to use our domestic parts suppliers in large capacity. The fallout of this will now be felt in Japan. The electronics industry will also feel the manufacturing pinch as the products coming out of Japan will be few, if any.

The United States will feel the fallout, because as we come out of our recession other areas of our economy will now suffer as a result of less trade due to the shutdown of Japan’s manufacturing facilities.

We will find it harder to finance our debt as a result of Japan having trouble financing theirs. Japan’s debt today is 200% of their GDP. Tomorrow it will be higher as they print more yen to liquidate their economy.

In our country, we have not had a consistent and well laid out energy policy for fifty years. We use politics to determine a four or eight year policy initiative, due to who is in the White House. We use the politics of fear by the environmental lobbies. We use the politics of liberal versus conservative ideology. We use the politics of political correctness. The only thing not correct here is that we are not using our energy resources in a smart or correct way.

One of the contributing factors of World War II was over the need for oil in Japan. The politics of the day were being used to embargo oil to that nation. In our early founding of this country, our early emissaries reported back on the use of this black liquid that was bubbling up to the surface on the ground in huge pools. It was in abundant supply and it was reportedly used to produce energy.

Oil has been used for trade and for energy for hundreds of years and yet today it is still the source of world conflict and world safety. Alternate forms of energy should be explored. But when alternate forms prove to be deadly and not as efficient then the fall out is great.

In this country, we have tremendous supplies of oil. Canada, our trade partner to the north, has the world’s third largest supply of untapped oil reserves. The fallout in Japan should be enough to use our own domestic reserves for our own needs. Oil can be efficient and it is safe. While we can readily tap into these reserves we cannot forget to explore new forms of energy. This is how technology improves. What we shouldn’t be doing is using oil as a political tool to create fallout on one side or another in the political sphere.

Nuclear power, when used safely, is great source of energy. However, when confronted with the energy and power of the earth the results always prove to be catastrophic. We are temporary inhabitants of this planet. Natural sources of energy should be tapped so that we do not destroy nature itself by other laws of nature that can destroy.

The time has come to say ‘no’ to the politics of the past. The time has come to use our natural sources of energy for the natural advancement and safety of humans. The time has come to create a real energy policy that we must come to terms with. If we don’t, the fall out will be something worse than we are seeing today in Japan and that in and of itself is a frightening vision.

Gregory C. Dildilian
Founder and Executive Director
Pinecone Conservatives

A footnote: The fallout of some bad decisions is now on display. Systems can be designed to give security to man made energy resources but at what costs - or systems can be designed to gain security by an abundant resource found in nature itself.