"Jobs", politicians' candy-soma for media and constituents, are one thing. Purposeful jobs are another. The XL pipeline is not about jobs, it's about company profits on commodities that we have plenty of -- without the tar sands. As we replace fossil fuel commodity supply chains rife with GHGs (mine/drill, refine, store, transport, store, burn/spew) with green-house-gas-free alternatives -- NOW and over the next 30 years, creation of jobs IS the alternative energy supply chain (education, invention, skills, reduced cost of energy, environmental restoration).
A real jobs-creating alternative, elimination of all green house gas emissions for supply of regional electricity by 2040, let's figure out how best to supply and use the direct heat of the earth from pipelines less than five or ten miles long -- straight down! -- AND improve energy conservation, on-site solar and wind -- NOW -- instead of giving free passes, risk-free profits, bonuses and subsidies to commodities corporations.
If all you want is jobs, ask your Congressman or mine, Sean Patrick Maloney, to vote for another war. "'Shock Doctrine' Americana: Endless War as the Ultimate Business Model; Disaster Capitalism on the battlefield and in the boardroom."
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Privatization, tolls on highways (Alternet Article)
Forget privatization. All vehicles should pay fuel & use taxes. Those who use & benefit by public thoroughfares (that includes us consumers & commuters) should pay for them directly -- through fuel taxes and/or tolls. That way, embedded/extra transport costs would increase end-product/delivery and personal transportation costs & more closely reflect and offset societal costs (GHGs, environmental & health impact, repair & maintenance, traffic deaths & injuries ... all invisible "externalities" that most of us forget). Single occupant vehicles on inter- and intra-state public roads, unless commercial, should be taxed extra (with an added benefit: big increase in "Real Girl" dummy sales & ... tax revenue!)
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Well-intentioned Math from Mark Jacobson
I read Mark Jacobson's report for NY a few months ago. He mentioned it on the Letterman program last night (10/9/2013). I admire his work, his intentions and the visibility he brings to the issues. But though the math may be correct, the vision presented in the report is near-sighted.
Like many past visions for the future (our present), the report presents a vision somewhat like the universally popular Eisenhower era vision for the automobile, the interstate highway system, exploitation of and reliance on our unlimited(?) fossil fuel resources and the pollution-free potential of nuclear power. Self-sufficient. Secure. Connected. Commerce. Wonderful! Woops.
Windmills have been called "train engines with propellers atop Washington Monuments". Impressive. More and more of them and mile-square mirror farms appear in the oceans, through the plains or deserts and on mountain ridges. Meanwhile, we forget continuous technical & engineering progress and alternatives; forget construction, support and maintenance access; forget new roads, wires & gridworks, and environmental impacts that come along with them. Props on mountaintops and across the horizon aren't pretty to me. (But they do produce "pollution-free" and "renewable" electricity and the politically renewable magic: JOBS!)
For regional generation of electricity, that is, to replace all of our nuclear and fossil fuel electrical generation plants -- possibly often in place -- he completely ignores the potential of EGS and deep geothermal power. In the interview, Letterman & Jacobson mention that solar panels, windmills and residential geothermal pay returns for homeowners -- but only in the long run -- though they do eliminate GHGs immediately.
Likewise, after the initial investment, deep geothermal -- using the forever, constant heat beneath our feet virtually anywhere on earth -- is the least costly, least environmentally impactful, and net least GHG- emitting form of electrical generation -- today! Just like a mortgage to pay for a home rather than perpetual and ever-increasing rent payments, investments in deep geo pay off after 15 or 20 years ... and the heat is free forever thereafter. There is less net GHG emission than any other "renewable", the maintenance is minimal, technical progress can be administered in place and externalities are fewer and less costly.
The Department of Energy (DOE), Argonne National Labs (ANL), National Renewable Energy Laboratoy (NREL) and the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) have produced many reports that support this contention, among them are
http://geothermal.inel.gov/publications/future_of_geothermal_energy.pdf
http://geo-energy.org/events/Air%20Emissions%20Comparison%20and%20Externality%20Analysis_Publication.pdf
http://thnktnk.net/drill.net
watercolorsinc wrote:
> > Subject: Professor Mark Jacobson on Letterman Tonight!
> Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2013 13:10:35 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Gasland The Movie
Like many past visions for the future (our present), the report presents a vision somewhat like the universally popular Eisenhower era vision for the automobile, the interstate highway system, exploitation of and reliance on our unlimited(?) fossil fuel resources and the pollution-free potential of nuclear power. Self-sufficient. Secure. Connected. Commerce. Wonderful! Woops.
Windmills have been called "train engines with propellers atop Washington Monuments". Impressive. More and more of them and mile-square mirror farms appear in the oceans, through the plains or deserts and on mountain ridges. Meanwhile, we forget continuous technical & engineering progress and alternatives; forget construction, support and maintenance access; forget new roads, wires & gridworks, and environmental impacts that come along with them. Props on mountaintops and across the horizon aren't pretty to me. (But they do produce "pollution-free" and "renewable" electricity and the politically renewable magic: JOBS!)
For regional generation of electricity, that is, to replace all of our nuclear and fossil fuel electrical generation plants -- possibly often in place -- he completely ignores the potential of EGS and deep geothermal power. In the interview, Letterman & Jacobson mention that solar panels, windmills and residential geothermal pay returns for homeowners -- but only in the long run -- though they do eliminate GHGs immediately.
Likewise, after the initial investment, deep geothermal -- using the forever, constant heat beneath our feet virtually anywhere on earth -- is the least costly, least environmentally impactful, and net least GHG- emitting form of electrical generation -- today! Just like a mortgage to pay for a home rather than perpetual and ever-increasing rent payments, investments in deep geo pay off after 15 or 20 years ... and the heat is free forever thereafter. There is less net GHG emission than any other "renewable", the maintenance is minimal, technical progress can be administered in place and externalities are fewer and less costly.
The Department of Energy (DOE), Argonne National Labs (ANL), National Renewable Energy Laboratoy (NREL) and the Geothermal Energy Association (GEA) have produced many reports that support this contention, among them are
http://geothermal.inel.gov/publications/future_of_geothermal_energy.pdf
http://geo-energy.org/events/Air%20Emissions%20Comparison%20and%20Externality%20Analysis_Publication.pdf
http://thnktnk.net/drill.net
watercolorsinc wrote:
> > Subject: Professor Mark Jacobson on Letterman Tonight!
> Date: Wed, 9 Oct 2013 13:10:35 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Gasland The Movie
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