ENERGY & ENVIRONMENT - The Path Toward a Sustainable Energy Future
In 2012 America continues to fight the first "energy war(s)" of the twenty-first century while readying us for the next. Today, we live in a national environment where science takes a back seat to institutionalized corruption, rewarding big business for their political support. The world we live in is being stolen away from us by this administration bought and paid for by big business... for short-term profits resulting in long-term devastation. Soft semantic referencing such as using "climate change" rather than "global warming" to describe our new world is much less threatening to the average citizen, but no less over the long-term, catastrophic to our world.
Once again the possibility exists that the North Pole will be free of ice this summer! This as well as Healthy Forest Initiatives and Clear Skies legislation are polar opposites relative to their consequences in the true "Orwellian" sense. The steady "payback" to the corporate culture supporting the Bush/Obama administration(s) is appalling not only in its scope, but as well for its utter disregard for the predictably catastrophic consequences of their continued programmed agenda.
While "Big Oil" continues to drive the administration policies with regard to vehicular transportation, "Big Coal" under the veil of the "Clear Skies" policy continues to pour mercury into our environment in the Obama Administration. The administration's gift to the coal industry of New Source Review standards rollbacks seeks to delay implementation of already watered down standards to reduce mercury pollution from coal-fired power plants under the Clinton administration.
This documentation of the Bush administrations systematic set aside of more than 300 environmental laws, rules and regulations was painstakingly detailed in his 2005 book "Crimes Against Nature" by environmental attorney, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. In his book, Mr. Kennedy discussed the Bush pattern of loading up various regulatory agencies with industry officials clearly in conflict with the interests of the public but in line with that of the coal industry, which coincidentally were very large contributors to the GOP, and the Bush campaign in particular.
The Titans of Energy Fight Progress
Today the dominant players in the news are the coal and chemical industry Koch brothers billionaires who spend millions of their inherited wealth on driving the political system to their advantage. The Orwellian themed organization "Americans for Prosperity" being one of their coal industry profit funded playthings.
Interestingly, when one considers the underlying factors that resulted in the BP disaster, we see a continuation of the same paradigm of lax regulation and oversight on the part of government officials, while corporate types pinched pennies on concrete and safety mechanisms. As we all are now painfully aware, industry cannot be trusted to police itself irrespective of whether it is banking, health care or energy.
Here in Florida, as a result of the imposition of a ban on gill netting, fishing for desirable species has improved greatly both for commercial fishing operations as well as recreational anglers. Tourist mecca that Florida is, seasonal and vacation visitors often include fresh fish in their menu. Year round residents often wish to do likewise. However it is shameful that this valuable resource has been, and continues to be compromised relative to safety due to the mercury pollution expelled from coal fired power plants.
In light of mercury pollution in fish, governmental advisories recommending limitations on consumption of fish have been advertised with particular emphasis on women who are pregnant, or of childbearing age, as well as children. It is ironic therefore that while the fishing is much improved, the consumption of those fish on a regular basis may prove to be unwise for you and your loved ones.
Germany, already beginning to shut down all its nuclear power plants, had a 60% surge in solar power production in 2011, and hopes that in 10 years renewable energy will account for 40% of its electrical supply. Cleantechnica.com link
BENEFITS of HYDROGEN
On September 12, 2006 BMW AG announced that it would begin limited production of the world's first hydrogen powered luxury performance car. Known as the Hydrogen 7, the car is being built as a limited edition in Europe and will be sold in the U.S. in California as discussed above. It will be equipped with an internal combustion engine running on either hydrogen or gasoline and is based on the BMW 7 Series automobile. The vehicle is powered by a 12 cylinder 260 horsepower engine which when running on hydrogen emits nothing but vapor. Other automakers such as Volkswagen AG, Audi AG, and Porsche AG have begun to develop hybrid engines.
Obviously, a strategic investment in hydrogen fuel distribution infrastructure in lieu of $THREE+ Trillion spent in Iraq, would have had a massive net positive effect on the U.S. economy and the global environment. The investment in infrastructure and new generation hydrogen powered automobile production would create thousands of new jobs domestically. American leadership in hydrogen technology could also help to reverse America's foreign trade deficit as well.
The resultant effect on oil prices would necessarily be downward, as the effects of such a fundamental shift in U.S. energy policy would, in the long-term, markedly depress worldwide aggregate demand for petroleum. As the worlds' largest consumer of petroleum, such a sea change in U.S. energy policy would signify the beginning of the end of the petroleum-age.
Certainly we could encourage the participation of the petroleum industry in this transition through the use of enticements such as investment tax breaks as well as sound regulation. Legislators must lead the way. How though can one expect our representatives to perform in an objective fashion, when virtually without exception, they are beholden to business?
A decreased aggregate demand for petroleum would have the obvious consequence of drastically reducing the world price for petroleum. Decreased aggregate demand for petroleum would from a foreign policy perspective, have the effect of diminishing the economic importance of the petroleum rich middle east, thereby setting the stage for an improved dynamic for peace in that region.
A transition to a hydrogen economy would have the included benefit of stabilizing our atmospheric decline over time by virtue of its completely non-polluting nature. Hydrogen combustion results in only one byproduct " H2O" water... that's it! Let's force our politicians to lead" rather than follow" the ill-considered, self-serving, backward thinking of their petroleum industry benefactors.
SCIENCE OVER POLITICS
The future of this planet, our only home, is dependent upon science prevailing over greed and avarice. U.S. energy policy must be targeted toward encouraging a timely transition to non-carbon based energy sources such as hydrogen, wind, wave and solar energy, as well as non-consumable biomass and thermo-cline/ocean current derived electrical power generation. A major emphasis should be on decentralized power generation and distribution.
In this regard I would support legislation to increase federal investment in the Florida Solar Energy Research Center. I would also support and promote the study, and hopefully the implementation of combination power generation platforms in the Gulf of Mexico (15 miles or more off shore) utilizing wind, solar and gulf-stream or thermo-cline generation of electrical power. We are far behind our European neighbors in this regard.
Nuclear is NOT an Option!
Expansion of nuclear power generation is NOT a viable option, as we still have not developed a reliable means for the safe disposal or reprocessing of the highly radioactive nuclear waste that results. Amazingly, expansion of nuclear power generation increasingly is being "sold" as a viable means of power generation for the future, despite the known hazards by the Obama administration and their self-serving corporate oriented supporters (Excelon Corporation) for one. The cost structure for expansion of nuclear power is economically untenable as we reach cost structures for photovoltaic energy production that are comparable to that of fossil fuels.
The construction costs alone for new nuclear plants will by the time a new plant is on-line and producing power make them economic dinosaurs as the costs for PV, wind, fuel cell and microturbine technology drop precipitously with commercialization. The financial opportunity cost for investing in new centralized power generating structures will be the multiples of power generating capacity that could have been built and put on line much more quickly and inexpensively... instead of that new nuclear power plant being forced on consumers by the nuclear and utility industry. These status quo maintaining policies are pushed by corrupt politicians and appointed quasi-governmental agencies such as The Florida Public Service Commission. While their designated function is to act as an agency for public oversight of utility companies, predictably this combination, front loaded financially by the "regulated" company politically and often in other ways as well, performs as instructed.
John Addresses The Florida Public Service Commission regarding
Progress Energy Capitol Cost Recovery Surcharges on 17 July 2009
It will require opposition politicians with steeled nerves to take the fight to this self-serving group with their heads figuratively in the sand. When we say "policy," we of course mean encouraging industry through the use of tax breaks, grants and the like as well as government funded research programs to invest in the further development and commercial refinement of alternative energy generation and storage. Research in the field of energy storage such as batteries (both mechanical and chemical), must also be a part of this program. In addition, new technologies have since come forward and are very near entering the commercialization phase.
One that is sure to be a crowd pleaser for Americans weary of skyrocketing gas prices is the new arrival from France that uses compressed air for "fuel." Please visit the website noted here for full information that I am sure that you will appreciate. http://www.gizmag.com/compressed-air-car-set-for-us-launch-in-2010/8896/
In the second-world war, the Germans had a working program in place to derive liquid fuel for vehicles from coal. While I supported this process in 2006, new information has led me to remove this process from further consideration at the present time secondary to the realization that the production process for producing liquid fuel from coal produces a substantial and unacceptable volume of carbon dioxide which is harmful to our atmosphere.
Why should the petroleum industry be permitted to drill in the Alaska National Wildlife Refuge while hundreds of wells drilled, but never tapped"¦ remain capped in Texas and Louisiana? This is unconscionable! These are but some of the questions that need to be asked. It remains the responsibility of our legislative representatives to ask these questions. Let's elect legislators who are willing to ask these questions!
The consequences of failing to take charge of what amounts to the future of this planet, is a mistake that must be avoided. Imagining the Unthinkable is the title of a paper prepared by consultants from Royal Dutch Shell describing in detail one possible set of consequences of the greenhouse effect. Climatological change of an irreversible nature resulting in declining harvests leading to famine and wars for survival, rather than ideology, are one consequence of global warming. As a species we should not allow the situation to reach that point.
So as you look at the articles below, any sentient person in this country has to ask:
WHAT ARE WE DOING IN THIS COUNTRY? HOW FAR BEHIND DO WE WANT TO FALL BEFORE WE GET IT???
Energy New: Germany Sets New Solar Power Record; UK Approves 1GW+ Offshore Wind Power
Photo from Treehugger.com
New Thin-Film Solar Module Efficiency Record Set
German Solar: Mission Too Well Accomplished, from Perspective of Fossil/Nuclear Lobby (Reader Comment)
From this:
germany coal power companies
To this:
germany solar feed-in tariff
Photos from CleanTechnica.com
Ocean currents can power the world, say scientists
Ocean currents generate lowest cost power - IF only the political-industrial alliance would get in line
Ocean currents can power the world, say scientists
Photo: AP through The Telegraph
eBay to build huge Bloom Energy fuel cell farm at data center
DEVELOPMENT AND THE ENVIRONMENT
Here in Florida over development threatens the environment from many angles. Water resources are constantly under assault. The unique geology of underground Florida known as the aquifer must constantly be recharged by rainfall percolating through the limestone and flowing through the underground streams and rivers. Wells , both private and commercial , are drilled to access this resource. However, like any natural resource it is limited. Real Estate developers would like to pump water from areas where water is plentiful, to commercially desirable areas that are ripe for development. I support reasonable low-density levels of development that preserve the environment the reason that people move to Florida in the first place.
I do not support high-density development beyond the carrying capacity of the resources at hand. I support the endangered species act and legislation that preserves sufficient quantities of the natural environment that is necessary for their survival. I support repeal of Clear Skies and Healthy Forests legislation; which are the antithesis of their names. I support the expansion of public lands to be preserved for future generations. I also support the preservation of wilderness areas such as the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Habitat protection is crucial to protecting Americas' wildlife. I would support legislation that would promote family planning in America as well as foreign lands in order to help curtail overpopulation. I would support strict enforcement of the endangered species act as well as protection of wilderness areas. The lands of this nation and our world are our heritage, and they must be preserved for future generations" not plundered by corporations for short-term gain. I would support repeal of legislation opening up untouched lands to road construction; thus opening these areas to potential business exploitation. I would support re- instituting polluter pays legislation also known as "Superfund" in order to restore cleanup of toxic waste sites. As your congressman in the congressional district 12 in Florida, I will work to leave the environment of Florida and this nation in better shape than I found it for us all. " We have but one world" We must protect it! Remember." Good Environmental Policy IS Good Economic Policy!
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