Experts at Wolf Creek power plant are studying what is going on right now in Japan, and that is a terrific relief to all of us who have been losing sleep over the possibility of a Kansas-syndrome event.
To be fair, the Wolf Creek officials stressed to the Associated Press this week that there’s little chance of the Kansas nuclear plant being impacted by an earthquake.
“Jenny Hageman, spokeswoman for the Wolf Creek plant, said the chance of an earthquake affecting Wolf Creek is much smaller than in Japan. Tornadoes would be more likely to hit the plant. Hageman said Wolf Creek’s containment structure can withstand winds of 300 mph,” the AP article noted.
That is good news.
And we still, certainly, hope that there are no 300-mph wind events there — or anywhere else in Kansas, for that matter.
Over the years, however, Wolf Creek has proven to be a safe addition to the state.
For future development — if we still believe in development out here in the West — energy is going to be vital.
Certainly, there are challenges with nuclear, especially regarding the spent fuel.
Certainly, there are continued needs for sizeable improvements to the solar and wind energy systems so they can add to the mix.
But also, Kansas and other western states need to be more involved in supplying the fossil fuels that continue to feed the energy needs of our nation.
It is inexcusable that our national officials are not paying more attention to the options of American natural gas and oil producers supplying more of our energy needs.
We have an industry here that helped to build this country, and it can still do so if it gets an even break.
There are lots of advances that will be made in energy technology in the decades to come and doors will open we can only imagine today, and that is very exciting.
But in the meantime, we need to have national leaders who will allow our proven industry to provide the energy that Americans need today.
— Chuck Smith