Americans spend $2500 per capita on energy. $10,000 per year for a family of four. When every person in the US fully realizes that we can reduce that cost a few dollars per year, and that people in China and every other country art rapidly doing that, there is absolutely positively no force on earth that will prevent us from doing it. The most powerful politician, the biggest industries, OPEC and Exxon Mobile alike can no more stop that than a spider web can stop a Mack Truck.
The power of money is the one irresistible force in society. I'm sure there will be a monumental brouhaha last for many years. I am sure the DoE and Exxon Mobile will fight tooth and nail. But in the end the opposition will be swept away. The U.S. military will not stand aside passively while the Chinese and others rearm with cold fusion powered weapons. as I pointed out in my book, these weapons would give a military force the kind of advantage the British had over the Chinese in the opium wars. A small number of cold fusion powered ships or aircraft could completely destroy the largest force on earth as quickly as the British destroyed the Chinese. Any military office will soon see this. Having said that, I fully agree with Steven V Johnson: > Indeed, the current lack of a clear understanding of the engineering > (and theory) involved would HAVE to spark considerable debate within > the US for years - assuming Rossi & Focardi's device turns out to be a > winner. Risk concerns (risks which I gather are unconfirmed at this > moment) of unwanted/unshielded radiation exposure, versus the more > familiar risks of continued unpredictable price fluctuations from the > international petroleum scene ought to keep PACS & politicians busy > and well funded for quite a while. > > On one side of the street protesters will carry picket signs warning: > > "Don't let them Rossi-date your water!" > I myself would be inclined to man the picket lines. Deploying the technology of this nature without first fully verifying that it is harmless, and without first making every effort to understand the fundamental physics of it, would be insane. This would cost only a few billion dollars. It would add a few pennies to the cost of every machine. There are countless government regulatory agencies such as NIST and the NIH, and industry organizations such as Underwriters Laboratories, that could perform all of the verification tests needed in a few years. Manufacturers such as GE would submit prototypes to NIST be tested for safety, while the NIH make certain there are no hidden effects on health, by testing laboratory rats and other species. this is how new technology is normally deployed in the US and there is no reason to think cold fusion would not be treated the same way, once the political objections and irrational opposition by the DoE is swept aside by the power of voters wanting to save thousands of dollars a year. - Jed
