Law Commons^™

Promoting Wind Energy Through A Streamlined Federal Environmental Review Process, Seth P. Cox

Seth P. Cox

The most significant barrier to development of wind as a viable, utility-scale, energy source is insufficient transmission infrastructure. The U.S. electricity transmission network is woefully inadequate on the whole, as increases in generation capacity far outstrip transmission gains. Wind facilities are especially vulnerable to transmission constraints, because of the nature of the resource itself. The best wind resources are typically located on large, flat, open areas, far from population centers and the ultimate consumer. These areas do not have any existing transmission infrastructure, so the network must be built from the ground up. Second, though it always blows somewhere, wind …

The Nuclear Option: Promotion Of Advanced Nuclear Generation As A Matter Of Policy, Seth P. Cox

Seth P. Cox

A flexible and adaptive energy policy is crucial to the continued progress of the American economy. Energy fuels all economic activity, and policy determines the manner in which energy is exploited. The most salient considerations regarding energy, sustainability, affordability and independence, shape the policy and direction of America. Energy policy must incorporate these concerns, while remaining receptive to changed valuation.

Appreciation of the relative weights of sustainability, affordability and independence is fluid. Over the last several years sustainability became a prominent issue. As the evidence mounts, it is more and more difficult to deny that current patterns of energy use …