Posts at the Independent E-Cat News and the e-catsite.com blogs indicate that the US Department of Energy (DOE) maybe in the process of changing its mind about low energy nuclear reaction. E-catsite reports that Albert L. Opdenaker III a designated federal officer in charge of Fusion Energy Services at the DOE’s Office of Science sent an e-mail to an unknown individual on November 14, 2011, that seems to indicate a change of attitude.
In the e-mail Opdenaker states that he has been following reports about Andrea Rossi and e-cat on line. He admitted that he only learned about Rossi about two months ago (which would have been in September). Opdenaker began researching the subject after being assigned to respond to e-mails that Secretary of Energy Steven Chu was receiving about Rossi’s work. Mr. Opdenaker changed his mind about cold fusion after talking to Dr. Dennis Bushnell the Chief Scientist at NASA’s Langley Research Center. Bushnell has been performing cold fusion research for years and has emerged as a supporter of it.
US Secretary of Energy Steven Chu has been receiving inquires about cold fusion and is inquiring about them
From the e-mail it seems that Opdenaker seems to think that LENR is real and worthy of study. Nothing to indicate a change of official policy on the part of the DOE is mentioned though but it could be forthcoming. He had some interesting things to write about Bushnell and Rossi though:
“My change of mind was a direct result of talking with Dr. Dennis Bushnell, the Chief Scientist for NASA Langley who has assured me that over 100 experiments worldwide indicate that LENR is real, capable of producing energy much greater that chemical reactions, with minimal radiation, that theories indicate that what is happening is weak interactions, beta decay and NOT fusion of any kind.”
Odpenaker also gave us Bushnell’s opinion of Rossi and his work:
“He believes that the Rossi demonstrations suggest that LENR may produce “useful” quantities of heat, and what is needed is 10-20 years of work to engineer Rossi’s ideas for performance.”
From this comment it is apparent that Bushnell thinks Rossi is achieving results but that much more work is needed to commercialize the technology. It should be noted that as far as I know Bushnell has not actually examined the e-cat or seen it in operation.
This e-mail should not be taken as official confirmation of a change of policy. The DOE’s official policy is that reviews in 2004 and 1989 found that cold fusion or Low Energy Nuclear Reaction was not worth pursuing. Instead it seems to be officials hedging their bets and protecting their reputations. Odpenaker also admitted that the DOE knows little about the work:
“I am unable to tell you when the DOE is going to take note of this development. As of today, as far as I can tell, few people at DOE are aware of what is going on.”
So it seems the US Department of Energy could be changing its mind. It is interesting to note that unconfirmed reports indicate that the Department of Defense (the Pentagon) seems to take LENR seriously and is working on it. Even as reports are circulating that the US Navy’s cold fusion research efforts have been stopped.
Cold Fusion Pioneer Dies
The Indian press is reporting that P K Iyengar, one of the pioneers of cold fusion research has died. Iyengar apparently conducted LENR research in the 1980s. He was a leading physicist in India where he was chairman of that nation’s Atomic Energy Commission. Iyengar was second in command of India’s first atomic bomb test in 1974. He also helped designed India’s first plutonium reactor. India’s cold fusion experiments apparently ended after Iyengar retired.
beware
according to some on vortex-l list,
this pretended DoE mail is a fake…
for me it look lopgic, given the usual behavior of officials.
It looks real to me.
Now we need to get the Patent Office to wake up!
If you are as frustrated as I am about the LENR situation and believe as I do that LENR is an important energy source that the world desperately needs, please read on:
I sent the following email to my Federal government Representatives please add or delete your own thoughts on the subject, but please write your Representatives.
It is easy, google “congress.org” enter your zip in upper right hand corner. Click on your Reps and write.
“Dear Representative:
Subject: LENR Fast Track
There is a preposterous situation occurring within our government that I hope your leadership can correct. Our Patent office refuses to grant patents for LENR reactors because it is their position LENR is impossible. LENR has been demonstrated in hundreds of experiments by many scientists around the world. In fact, Mr. Andrea Rossi has demonstrated his reactor many times and it has now been demonstrated the reaction can be reproduced from his patent application. This bureaucratic or purposeful obstruction is stalling a revolutionary energy source the world desperately needs. Your leadership is required now to remedy the above situation and to put LENR patents on a fast track. Thank you.”
Thanks for your post, and the letter that you suggested. I have contacted my representative using it. I’m frustrated at the lack of attention given to LENR, and i’m convinced it is intentional. Will our energy sources ever be allowed to evolve to an industry able to answer the need for low-cost, ecologically friendly limitless power for all? Not as long as the powers that be are in control, i’m afraid.
Thanks it’s getting attention. Stupid question does Ron Paul know about e-cat it would be right up his ally. Maybe we should contact him about it he’s a high profile Congressman and a Presidential candidate with a lot of media attention.
Good idea. Contact your Senators and all the candidates too. Politicians see each communication as a vote or potential vote. They will listen because they like the idea of being reelrcted or elected. It beats working for a living.
Dr Chu has his head up his tush, and ought to be brought up on charges of gross negligence. The DOE is so far behind the curve that a good case could be made to fire the lot of them and start over from scratch. This is the most important technological race that faces the US, and here our government is asleep behind the wheel. Yeah, they pay LIP SERVICE to national security, but it really boils down to program security, and LENR endangers other energy programs because it is so good an energy source.
Dr Chu, history will remember you with disgrace…whatever good karma you got from your Nobel Prize, you’ve lost in spades because of your incompetence concerning LENR development. Shame on you sir. Frankly, I don’t understand how you can be so dense. You’ve done a disservice to your President and ought to offer your resignation immediately.
Sorry for the double post, but it is important to understand that I am an independent (leaning Democrat), so this isn’t politically motivated. Furthermore, I realize that our political situation in the US is ossified and disfunctional. Never the less, how can I blame Obama? His people are doing him a great disservice, and much more so a great disservice to the country. Their obtuseness borders on treason (except I am giving them the benefit of the doubt and not assuming they are intentionally being dense, regardless of the harm it does to our country).
There’s more going on behind the scenes than we can see. There are three or four layers of politics involved bureaucratic, scientific, legislative and budgetary. I don’t blame Obama either he’s just a man and his power and influence is far more limited than most people think. You never know what politicians and bureaucrats do except always assume that protecting their reputations, jobs and bank accountants comes first.
Dr. Chu will have to face the Republicans in Congress sooner or later. PS Mitt Romney has stated that he wants to abolish DOE. It should also be noted that other US government agencies namely NASA and DARPA seem to be on the ball about this issue. They’re active on it.