Wasn't America once the leader in alternative energy?

To the Editor:

Of recent date, I heard Bill Watenberg, an engineer-scientist-nuclear-physicist, speak to why we are behind in renewable, clean power and our refining technology of nuclear waste.

In both of these we led the way! What happened that we are now behind?

Clean renewable electric power are these: Hydroelectric dams, nuclear power plants, coastal tidal power, solar power and wind generation. These are non-polluting and virtually constant.

Supplementing hydro and nuclear power with coal, diesel, natural gas and electric generation has problems: pollution, high costs and the renewable factor.

What about a new refinery? None have been built for more than 30 years to increase fuels available and lower costs. Why? Barring the lawyers and environmentalists of the ACLU and the Sierra Club, it takes three years to build a refinery.

Geothermal and landfill dumps are not sufficient.

Current nuclear power plant sites can be expanded with little or no environmental studies. So we developed nuclear refinement and aren't using it (the French, Germans, Japanese, Russians, English and maybe the Chinese are), and the question is: If it works so well, why don't we get past stupid by going forward rather than sideways, since Carter (in fear), stopped our nuclear programs?

Freeman Johnson

Troy