The House
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The oversupply of natural gas brought by hydraulic fracturing is driving out dirty coal, but it is also threatening zero-emissions nuclear power.

Source: How Retiring Nuclear Power Plants May Undercut U.S. Climate Goals – The New York Times

No idea what made me think of this this morning but the sample in SALT from Orblivion is from Mike Leigh’s film Naked

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A plan to build a repository in granite bedrock has progressed smoothly for years, in contrast to the United States’ experience with Yucca Mountain.

Source: Finland Works, Quietly, to Bury Its Nuclear Reactor Waste – The New York Times

In my fairly unqualified opinion, geologic storage is a terrible idea. The US should build a fast neutron/burner reactor to dispose of existing spent fuel sitting in pools at reactor sites across the country. Possible sites might include Idaho or Oak Ridge National Labs, or Savannah River Site in South Carolina. For all I know there are existing assets that could be repurposed for this.

If spent fuel reprocessing is undesirable in the long term due to geopolitical/non-proliferation concerns, we just shouldn’t have civilian nuclear power with a once-through fuel cycle.

Legislation passed by the state Senate last week promises to ease California’s housing crisis by the only means likely to succeed over the long run: preventing local governments from needlessly restricting residential construction. With more than 100 housing-related bills in Sacramento speaking to the depth of the crisis, legislators also advanced measures last week to ask voters to approve more borrowing for affordable housing, provide rental assistance for the homeless, and allow cities and counties to ease development in special districts. Local development restrictions that strangle the housing supply, particularly in urban areas where dense development makes sense, are at the root of the shortage.

Source: Right fix for California’s housing crisis – San Francisco Chronicle

…and some other observations of doubtful critical merit.

Source: The Millions : The Stockholm Syndrome Theory of Long Novels – The Millions

A stretch of sunny, windy days, combined with brimming reservoirs at hydroelectric plants across the state, helped California reach a renewable energy milestone last weekend. Early Saturday afternoon, renewable sources produced a record 67.2 percent of the electricity on the portion of the state’s power grid controlled by the California Independent System Operator.

Source: California grid sets record, with 67% of power from renewables – San Francisco Chronicle