Fusion reactors proposed by Bussard, and running on Deuterium fuel, would generate neutrons & radioactivity, require a heat engine (steam) to generate electricity, and could be retrofitted to existing coal powerplants because of the steam created. Coal might fall into disuse, but there would be radioactivity and the reactors would eventually have to be decommissioned/replaced and put into long-term storage.

Bussard reactors of this type (D-D fusion fuel) would also generate steam that would make it easier and cheaper to pump oil out of the ground, making the price of oil fall, and reducing the incentive to develop fuel efficient technologies. Oil consumption could rise, along with smog, greenhouse gas emissions, and global conflict. We could ban this type of fusion reactor, but that doesn't mean other countries wouldn't use them.

Idealistically, a Bussard fusion reactor (what he calls a "Polywell" reactor) could run on hydrogen & Boron-11 fuel, and produce only electricity, and no radioactivity. But I don't see how pure electric power generation would eliminate the use of oil for automobiles, unless major (and I mean Major) advances are made in at least one of the areas of batteries, supercapacitors, hydrogen fuel cells, or flywheels. Otherwise, unless we can put a fusion reactor right inside a car, and currently the physics precludes such a small device, fusion will have no effect on oil consumption.

On the other hand, a Bussard fusion reactor using the p-B11 reaction would make space travel far easier. Performance would be improved 1000-fold over chemical rockets. There definitely would be viable designs for spaceliners that take off from runways and fly straight to Pluto, and back.

I'm aware that I have been overly enthusiastic, and this usually means that I've overlooked the downside, or other flaw. Maybe we should be careful how this technology is introduced, even if it is fully functional. Like other infrastructure technologies (wind turbines, fission powerplants, smokestacks, etc.) careless application could cause alot of harm. If it will be left up to the private sector to deploy, maybe some federal regulations are called for to ensure high standards are maintained. Just some obvious ones initially. Any ideas?