WHEN FUSION?

Reporter Kitta Macpherson, Newhouse News Service, published an article March 6 speculating that the recent rise in fossil fuel prices may rekindle an interest in fusion power. The story ran in a number of newspapers around the country, including the Newark (NJ) Star Ledger and the San Diego Union. She quotes PPPL director Rob Goldston as saying "There's a window of opportunity for us to make an investment now, and Congress has seen it. The question for the country is this: Do you want to fix the roof while the sun is shining or do you want to wait?" Regarding "the dream of creating a commercially viable fusion reactor," she quotes Goldston as saying, "I want proof that we can get three times more energy that costs three times less."

The article has also been published on the MSNBC web site, including an on-line public survey of attitudes toward fusion energy. As of March 27, almost eight thousand individuals had expressed opinions, with 65% believing that fusion "will make a difference in my lifetime," 25% believing that fusion "will become an important power source but not in my lifetime," and only 6% expressing the opinion that fusion "will not make a difference" due to either "economic or scientific factors."

To see the full article and to participate in the survey and see the results: http://www.msnbc.com/news/381628.asp