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> The problem with nuclear is an example of why deregulation was stupid. There was never a deregulation that happened. In fact deregulation is what's needed to

> The problem with nuclear is an example of why deregulation was stupid. There was never a deregulation that happened. In fact deregulation is what's needed to revive nuclear power. Competition in the power market is illegal in most states.

briffle 5y ago
I think the residents of texas that had no power for days, or $15k residential bills would disagree with you. In fact, my co-worker in MN had their natural gas rates go up a very noticable jump this year due to losses the company had in texas (and having to buy gas at super inflated peak rates when many texas pumping stations had to power down, since they weren't winterized to save some money.)
- godelski 5y ago
  The parent you are responding to is talking about deregulation in a different context and with a different purpose. Regulation and deregulation are both broad terms and talking about one does not requisite jumping to a different topic. Doing so just means we'll fight all day because you can find examples on both sides where they had disastrous effects. We need to be more nuanced than this. I'll also argue that the parent should be more specific to avoid these types of responses too.
- throwaway894345 5y ago
  Can you elaborate on what nuclear regulations were lifted and how that contributed to the Texas power outage? This isn't rhetorical, I'm genuinely curious.
  - stjohnswarts 5y ago
    Nuclear regulations had nothing to do with it. Texas had very few regulations for oil/gas and for power plant winter weatherization hence the grid failed. Overall the grid is fine, but it can't handle a freak winter weather event like that, and it still can't. It has handled many summer heat events just fine (I know I've lived here for almost 15 years). Regulations are the obvious factor that lead to the failure, ERCOT has been warned (and in turn warned the politicians) about the dangers multiple times and the politicians will not pass legislation and money to fix the issue.
Spooky23 5y ago
I can tell you in New York, utilities were compelled to divest from power production. Your state may vary. Similar to the charter school scam, the scrappy upstarts bonded out lots of debt to buy up power plants and subsequently became a powerful lobby to keep their cartel tight. Some of the remaining municipal energy co-op utilities were exempted from deregulation, and all of them have lower cost structures. I know Massachusetts is a similar story, not sure about others.
- mlindner 5y ago
  Charter schools aren't a scam. They improve the ability of children to learn.
- dantheman 5y ago
  What is the charter school scam? Kids actually learning to read and do math? Giving parents a choice?
  - handol 5y ago
    Take the money from public education and fund vouchers. Those vouchers aren't going to get you into the good private school, you'll need money on top of the voucher for that. They get you in the school that prepares your for life in prison. https://time.com/101440/new-orleans-charter-schools-shouldnt-treat-students-like-prisoners/ https://time.com/101440/new-orleans-charter-schools-shouldnt...
    - ch4s3 5y ago
      This is in stark contrast to the charter schools in NYC which are far better than all but the best regular public schools.
      - stjohnswarts 5y ago
        If you look at the economic backgrounds and general location of students you will find that is the true predictor of educational outcomes (on average) rather than whether that child is at a charter or public school.
vkou 5y ago
Nuclear power hasn't been deregulated, but grid generation and planning for the large part has. As a result of that deregulation, the grid is often optimizing for cost, instead of reliability, which can lead to problems. Saving 5% on your power bill is great, but it's less great if the consequence is, say, not having any power one week of the year.
kube-system 5y ago
18 states isn't a majority but it's more than "never happened"

briffle 5y ago

I think the residents of texas that had no power for days, or $15k residential bills would disagree with you. In fact, my co-worker in MN had their natural gas rates go up a very noticable jump this year due to losses the company had in texas (and having to buy gas at super inflated peak rates when many texas pumping stations had to power down, since they weren't winterized to save some money.)

godelski 5y ago
The parent you are responding to is talking about deregulation in a different context and with a different purpose. Regulation and deregulation are both broad terms and talking about one does not requisite jumping to a different topic. Doing so just means we'll fight all day because you can find examples on both sides where they had disastrous effects. We need to be more nuanced than this. I'll also argue that the parent should be more specific to avoid these types of responses too.
throwaway894345 5y ago
Can you elaborate on what nuclear regulations were lifted and how that contributed to the Texas power outage? This isn't rhetorical, I'm genuinely curious.
- stjohnswarts 5y ago
  Nuclear regulations had nothing to do with it. Texas had very few regulations for oil/gas and for power plant winter weatherization hence the grid failed. Overall the grid is fine, but it can't handle a freak winter weather event like that, and it still can't. It has handled many summer heat events just fine (I know I've lived here for almost 15 years). Regulations are the obvious factor that lead to the failure, ERCOT has been warned (and in turn warned the politicians) about the dangers multiple times and the politicians will not pass legislation and money to fix the issue.

Spooky23 5y ago

I can tell you in New York, utilities were compelled to divest from power production. Your state may vary. Similar to the charter school scam, the scrappy upstarts bonded out lots of debt to buy up power plants and subsequently became a powerful lobby to keep their cartel tight. Some of the remaining municipal energy co-op utilities were exempted from deregulation, and all of them have lower cost structures. I know Massachusetts is a similar story, not sure about others.

mlindner 5y ago
Charter schools aren't a scam. They improve the ability of children to learn.
dantheman 5y ago
What is the charter school scam? Kids actually learning to read and do math? Giving parents a choice?
- handol 5y ago
  Take the money from public education and fund vouchers. Those vouchers aren't going to get you into the good private school, you'll need money on top of the voucher for that. They get you in the school that prepares your for life in prison. https://time.com/101440/new-orleans-charter-schools-shouldnt-treat-students-like-prisoners/ https://time.com/101440/new-orleans-charter-schools-shouldnt...
  - ch4s3 5y ago
    This is in stark contrast to the charter schools in NYC which are far better than all but the best regular public schools.
    - stjohnswarts 5y ago
      If you look at the economic backgrounds and general location of students you will find that is the true predictor of educational outcomes (on average) rather than whether that child is at a charter or public school.

vkou 5y ago

Nuclear power hasn't been deregulated, but grid generation and planning for the large part has. As a result of that deregulation, the grid is often optimizing for cost, instead of reliability, which can lead to problems. Saving 5% on your power bill is great, but it's less great if the consequence is, say, not having any power one week of the year.

kube-system 5y ago

18 states isn't a majority but it's more than "never happened"