Nuclear News from McGuinty’s Ontario (September 11, 2005)
www.thestar.com, Sep 15 ’05
Premier open to new nuclear plants (http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1126735811699&call_pageid=968256289824&col=96&DPL=IvsNDS%2f7ChAX&tacodalogin=yes)
Premier Dalton McGuinty yesterday made his strongest commitment yet to more nuclear power plants in Ontario, despite the industry’s history in this province of huge cost overruns and sky-high repairs.
“We are prepared to go ahead with … new nuclear if that is recommended by the OPA,” McGuinty told the Ontario Energy Association’s annual general meeting, referring to the Ontario Power Authority.
The Premier expressed skepticism of whether there is such a thing as cleaner-burning coal. He says, “I’m not going to build my clean energy plan on a wing and a prayer.”
I think individual consumers in Ontario should be deciding on their own energy plans through a proper free market. I don’t believe that any man, no matter how god-like, has the ability or the right to decide what is best for all of us. To me, nuclear power is a potential danger. It might work in a system where property rights are properly respected and investors used only their own money – not funds from taxpayers. It might work if they were required to pay compensation for every spill to property owners (but the lakes are currently publicly administered so there are no owners to care) and if they had to pay the full costs to dump nuclear waste on private property – OR it might NOT work. In a pure free-market situation without any subsidies, you would quickly discover whether nuclear power was really that safe and reliable and whether people could afford it. Personally, I wouldn’t buy it if I had a choice, because I believe it is wrong to leave nuclear waste sitting around for future generations.
But none of us has a choice. That’s the point. The Premier knows what is best for all of us!?