In the next piece that I post here, I will touch upon the issue of the health hazards posed by exposure to ambient radiation, which I believe is the least discussed and among the most insidious components of the nuclear powered utility legacy.
He supports replacing coal-powered utilities with nuclear power, but he also extols largely untested processes, like shooting particles into the atmosphere to deflect the sun's rays.
Along with Chinese coal-powered utilities, those of the US and Australia faced the highest degree of environmental-related risk.
Most notably, in 2011 the US Supreme Court ruled in a case filed by several states against fossil fuel-powered utilities companies that federal courts couldn't issue rulings or requirements that would regulate emissions.
The decision will be seen as a blow by environmental groups, who had urged the administration to close a 20-year loophole that has allowed coal-powered utilities considerable latitude in disposing of the waste.
But, with plenty of cheap shale gas available, power utilities are likely to accelerate the recent trend of closing coal plants and replacing them with cheaper gas-powered plants.
This month, the board of directors of the Tennessee Valley Authority, the country's largest public power utility, voted to shut eight coal-powered plants in Alabama and Kentucky and partly replace them with gas-fired power.
Hyundai Motor recently started mass-producing a hydrogen-powered sport utility vehicle for the United States, Korean and European markets.
An American company will soon build a solar-powered electric utility in China, and China has agreed to help build a wind farm in Texas.
BMW is recalling almost 30,000 of its diesel-powered 2009-12 X5 sport utilities because the power-assist for the steering may fail, according to a report from the automaker posted on the Web site of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Much of its Wednesday news conference was spent touting a lineup peppered with high-powered cars, sport utilities and even a version of its Dodge Caravan minivan aimed at male buyers and labeled a "man van".
