Of course nuclear fusion is possible. We are already harnessing the energy of nuclear fusion in the form of solar thermal and photovoltaics, wind, hydro, and biomass derived from the nuclear fusion of the sun. The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) is just another example of massive subsidies to the nuclear industry used to sustain the expertise needed not only for the commercial nuclear energy industry, but also to maintain the scientific and technological infrastructure to support nuclear weapons programs. Twelve billion dollars would buy hundreds of billions of kilowatts of energy savings in efficiency and/or similar quantities of wind, solar, hydro, and biomass energy. More importantly, these energy technologies can be deployed immediately, not 20 to 50 years in the future (if ever). Further, solar, wind, and hydro can serve huge segments of the world's population that currently have no electrical service, and certainly will not be served by highly central ized and expensive nuclear fusion technology. As your commentary points out, world energy demand is projected to increase greatly long before even the most optimistic projection of the commercial viability of nuclear fusion. Despite this obvious fatal flaw in the logic, proponents of nuclear fusion persist in arguing their technology is "essential" as a hedge against future energy shortages. If a hedge against shortages of fossil fuels is needed, then we should be spending these billions of dollars on energy technology that is already proven and ready for deployment now, and defer spending on a hypothetical technology that might someday be needed until after we secure our immediate energy future. Rather than spending billions of dollars to provide a small cadre of nuclear physicists and engineers the means to tinker with hugely expensive toys, we should spend these billions of dollars deploying existing technology that will provide millions of jobs, revitalize local economi es, and extend electrical service and economic opportunity to billions of people everywhere on this planet.

Joe Schiller

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