Lego tourney sends robots on renewable energy missions

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

From a story in the Appleton Post-Crescent:

APPLETON — Appleton East High School will host the Wisconsin State Championship First Lego League Tournament from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sunday.

The event will feature 400 children ages 9 through 14. A total of 48 teams have qualified for state through regional events.

State team project presentations will run from 8:30 a.m. to noon, with opening ceremonies at 12:15 p.m. and robot competitions from 12:45 to 4:30 p.m. The competition is free and open to the public.

Fox Valley area children are among 100,000 students around the world who are taking part in the 2007 First Lego League Power Puzzle Challenge. To successfully complete the challenge, teams must build and program a Lego Mindstorms robot to complete "missions" involving solar panels, wind turbines, hydro-dams and tree planting.

Trade I-94 lanes for rail lines

Monday, December 03, 2007

From an article by Sean Ryan in The Daily Reporter:

Milwaukee Alderman Robert Bauman wants to rebuild Interstate 94 without additional lanes, and use the $200 million in savings for public rail projects.

Bauman pointed out the opposition to creating new car-rental or sales taxes to pay for the Kenosha-Racine-Milwaukee commuter rail line, but said he saw little reaction to the state’s plan to spend $1.9 billion rebuilding and expanding I-94 between Milwaukee and the state line.

His metaphor was that highway projects feast atop a high altar, and transit projects for rail and buses scurry on the ground below, picking up scraps.

“I’m just trying to get the debate going,” Bauman said. “Highways are like they’re in a sacred place. You never question it. You never consider it in conjunction with other projects.”

Bauman’s proposal is to spend $1.7 billion rebuilding I-94 with six lanes and safety improvements. The savings generated by not widening the highway to eight lanes could be invested in the KRM rail project or to run high-speed trains between Chicago, Milwaukee and Madison. The city’s Public Works Committee, which Bauman chairs, will consider the proposal on Wednesday.

Through his spokesman Phillip Walzak, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett said it is an interesting proposal worthy of investigation, and that the community needs to improve its investment in public and mass transit.

Energy efficiency fails to cut consumption: study

Friday, November 30, 2007

From a Reuters story by Sharon Ho and Frank McGurty posted on EEN.com:

TORONTO (Reuters) - American consumers are driving bigger gas-guzzling cars and buying more air conditioners and refrigerators as the overall energy efficiency of such products improves, a report released on Tuesday found.

In what the study calls "the efficiency paradox," consumers have taken money saved from greater energy efficiency and spent it on more and bigger appliances and vehicles, consuming even more energy in the process.

This irony isn't just restricted to the United States, though. "The paradox is true for every developed country," said Benjamin Tal, senior economist at CIBC World Markets, which conducted the study.

The study concludes that stricter energy efficiency regulations aren't the answer to concerns over climate change and the depletion of oil supplies because consumers treat greater energy efficiencies as a tax cut. "Because you get a 'tax cut,' you drive more," Tal said.

Going Green? Easy Doesn't Do It

Thursday, November 29, 2007

A commentary by Michael Maniates in the Washington Post seems to ring true for many people concerned about energy issues. Here's a excerpt from his column:

The hard facts are these: If we sum up the easy, cost-effective, eco-efficiency measures we should all embrace, the best we get is a slowing of the growth of environmental damage. That's hardly enough: Avoiding the worst risks of climate change, for instance, may require reducing U.S. carbon emissions by 80 percent in the next 30 years while invoking the moral authority such reductions would confer to persuade China, India and other booming nations to embrace similar restraint. Obsessing over recycling and installing a few special light bulbs won't cut it. We need to be looking at fundamental change in our energy, transportation and agricultural systems rather than technological tweaking on the margins, and this means changes and costs that our current and would-be leaders seem afraid to discuss. Which is a pity, since Americans are at their best when they're struggling together, and sometimes with one another, toward difficult goals.

Upcoming energy events at UW-Madison

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

Parameterization of Wind Turbines: Effects on Local Meteorology
http://www.energy.wisc.edu/parameterization-of-wind-turbines-effects-on-local-meteorology

Tuesday, November 27
Technology Innovation in the Electric Power Industry
http://www.energy.wisc.edu/technology-innovation-in-the-electric-power-industry

Thursday, November 29
Commuter Rail
http://www.nelson.wisc.edu/events/event.php?id=621

Tuesday, December 4
The Case for Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles
http://www.energy.wisc.edu/the-case-for-plug-in-hybrid-electric-vehicles

Wednesday, December 5
Squeezing More Financial and Mechanical Power From Motors
http://www.energy.wisc.edu/squeezing-more-financial-and-mechanical-power-from-motors

Charter Street plant required to reduce coal burning

Monday, November 26, 2007

From a story by Kevin Murphy in The Capital Times:

An agreement finalized today requires the University of Wisconsin's Charter Street heating plant to reduce its coal burning to 85 percent of past levels and eventually be replaced.

In addition, the consent decree reached between the Sierra Club and Department of Administration, which manages the aging Charter Street plant, will be used as a blueprint for reducing sulphur dioxide and mercury emissions not only at the Charter Street and Capitol Heating plants, but at all state-owned coal burning plants around Wisconsin.

The settlement approved today by District Judge John Shabaz follows his ruling in October that UW was operating the Charter Street plant in violation of the Clean Air Act after making major modifications to the plant's coal boilers without seeking pollution permits.

The settlement calls for the annual reduction of 25,000 to 30,000 tons of coal burned at the Charter Street plant, equal to 225 railcars. It also requires a comprehensive study of how to bring the Charter Street and Capitol Heating plants into federal air quality standards by July 31, 2008, and requires the state to open its emission records for 16 coal fired power plants around the state for possible clean-up actions.

"This is really a statewide solution to bringing the state into the 21st century with how it powers its power plants," said Bruce Nilles, a Sierra Club attorney.

Rep. Bartlett explains why oil and gas are so expensive

Friday, November 23, 2007

Congressman Roscoe Bartlett, the leader of the House peak oil caucus, explains why oil and gas are SO expensive and why energy is the biggest challenge of the 21st century in this one-hour Special Order speech to Congress recorded on November 1, 2007.

Rep. Bartlett reviews the history of energy and its connections to human civilization. In particular, he discusses the contributions of fossil fuels, coal, oil and natural gas and their link to population growth and quality of life. He reviews the rate of oil discoveries and production and consumption and finite and renewable alternatives to oil to explain why energy is the most important challenge of the 21st century.

From military might to wind power

Wednesday, November 21, 2007

From an article by Avrum D. Lank in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Manitowoc - A mammoth building that once produced deadly machines of war is now being used to make peaceful machines of conservation.

Doors that sent submarines off to sink the ships of America's enemies now admit sheets of steel to be fabricated into towers to hold the electric windmills dotting America's countryside.

The activity is part of Tower Tech Holdings Inc., a young Wisconsin company poised to cash in on the green energy boom. The increasing price of oil and concern over global warming provided the initial impetus for the wind power boom, and tax credits have provided additional fuel.

To the approximately 20,000 turbines in use in the U.S. at the start of the year, 2,500 more are being added in 2007, and at least that many again next year, according to estimates from the American Wind Energy Association in Washington. The turbines are poised on towers such as those being made in Manitowoc.

Wisconsin is well positioned to profit by all the activity, said Jerry Murphy, executive director of The New North, the regional development agency for northeastern Wisconsin based in De Pere.

Conservation, not coal

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

A letter to the editor of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Gov. Jim Doyle supports carbon capture and sequestration at coal plants to help alleviate global warming (Doyle backs clean coal plant in Illinois, Nov. 14). It sounds easy, but is it?

The process, never tried, is extremely expensive in money and energy, and far from being "clean," it emits more of other kinds of air pollution and perpetuates the same old dirty, earth-destroying, thirsty process of coal strip mining, robbing neighboring farms and ranches and wild areas of much-needed water.

The article neglected to point out that coal miners in Appalachia are blowing up mountains and tossing the earth into streams, thus poisoning the drinking water of both local people and flora and fauna and leaving behind what look like huge expanses of desert. The carbon capture and sequestration idea simply comes too late. Global warming is happening much too fast for this new process to be useful.

Our best hope is conservation. Through good conservation planning, including smart growth, mass transit, building efficiency and a carbon tax in place of the income tax, we can make a national effort to significantly lower our carbon dioxide emissions. The average Western European produces half as much carbon dioxide as the average American. I think Americans can do even better. Let's try.

Anne Epstein
Milwaukee

Global warming task force proposals now online

Saturday, November 17, 2007

From Mike Neuman, author of "Conserve, NOW!: Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Other Environmental Costs by Offering Financial Incentives that Reward Less Driving, Flying and Home Energy Use", November 1, 2000

The public has an opportunity to review and comment on Draft Policy Templates prepared by work groups of the Governor's Task Force on Global Warming on: Transportation; Conservation and Energy Efficiency; Industry; Electric Generation and Supply; and Carbon Tax/Cap and Trade. The draft templates are now posted and available on the DNR's web site.

Each Task Force work group prepared a series of templates containing various policy options which the DNR says "may" reduce greenhouse gas emissions from Wisconsin.

Comments on the templates are due to the corresponding work group contact by either November 27th, December 1st, December 6th or December 8th, depending on which policy templates you are submitting comments on.

The DNR site says the Work Groups will revise their policies after considering comments they received from the public. They are to submit their final policy templates to the Governor's Task Force "around the end of the year", according to the DNR.

Governors sign energy pact to cut use, build new resources

Thursday, November 15, 2007

From an Associated Press story by Emily Fedrix in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The region's governors signed an agreement Thursday to work together to reduce energy consumption, focus more on renewable energy and limit greenhouse gas emissions.

The noon signing was part of a regional summit on energy and climate change hosted by the Midwestern Governors Association.

The office of Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle, chairman of the 12-member group, said the Midwest can lead the nation in renewable energy.

"Our strong manufacturing base and rich agricultural industries, along with the wealth of resources in our vast northern forests and our world-leading research universities, position the Midwest to become the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy," he said in a statement released by his office.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, co-host of the summit, said the agreement could serve as a national model.

"We're a little bit smaller and more nimble than the federal government," Pawlenty said.

The plan calls for a reduction in carbon emissions of between 60 percent and 80 percent. The group will work together to determine limits for each state, Canter said. . . .

The agreement calls for a number of other changes by 2015, including:

- Reducing energy consumption by 2 percent, with a 2 percent reduction each year after that.

- Offering the ethanol-based gasoline known as E-85 at 15 percent of gas stations, up from the current 3 percent.

- Generating 10 percent of the region's electricity from renewable resources. By 2030, that portion should be 30 percent.

Doyle calls for less reliance on Middle East

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

An Associated Press article in the Wausau Daily Herald:

MILWAUKEE (AP) — Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle says Americans should depend more on the Midwest than the Middle East for their energy.

Doyle spoke Wednesday at the opening of a two-day summit with governors from throughout the region on energy and climate change.

Doyle says with the region’s farms, manufacturing base and research institutes, it can become the Saudi Arabia of renewable energy.

Governors from throughout the region and Canada are expected to sign an agreement Thursday pledging cooperation in developing renewable energy and addressing climate change. Goals will include reducing energy consumption and finding ways to store carbon dioxide.

Doyle says these efforts will not only help the environment but create new businesses and jobs.

Liquid coal: Don't buy it!

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

From the Natural Resources Defence Council:

The coal industry is touting a plan to transform millions of tons of coal into diesel and other liquid fuels - an expensive, inefficient process that releases large quantities of carbon dioxide, the worst global warming pollutant, into the air. Instead of offering viable answers to the critical problem of global warming, this senseless industry "solution" would exacerbate the problem: Relying on coal-derived liquid as an alternative to oil-based fuels could nearly double global warming pollution for every gallon of transportation fuel that is produced and used.

A cartoon humorously highlights the faults of liquid coal.

Evansville biodiesel plant put on hold

From a story by Marv Balousek in the Wisconsin State Journal:

High soybean oil prices have halted construction of the North Prairie Productions biodiesel plant in Evansville, making the end product too expensive compared with the pump price for regular diesel.

The going rate for soybean oil, the raw material for biodiesel, is about 45 cents a pound or $3.60 a gallon, more than double the price when the plant was proposed, said John Sheehy of Sun Prairie, board chairman of North Prairie Productions.

He said biodiesel would have to sell for $4.50 a gallon to justify the current price of soybean oil. Regular diesel fuel was selling for $3.49 a gallon Monday in the Madison area, according to MadisonGasPrices.com. A gallon of soybean oil makes a gallon of biodiesel, Sheehy said.

The $42 million plant would have been the largest in the state, producing an estimated 45 million gallons of biodiesel a year. Biodiesel is a substitute for diesel fuel used by farm tractors and some trucks and cars.

Sheehy said if soybean oil prices go down or diesel fuel prices look like they're going up for an extended period, construction could resume, possibly as early as next spring.

Dealers report Madison area hotbed for hybrid vehicles

Friday, November 09, 2007

From a report on WISC-TV, Channel 3, Madison:

The sales of hybrid vehicles are higher here in Madison than anywhere else in the Midwest.

At one local dealership, hybrid sales make up nearly 28 percent of all new vehicle sales, including trucks and nearly 45 percent of car sales. Compare that figure to 114 Toyota dealers in the Upper Midwest region, which includes Wisconsin, Illinois, Minnesota, Indiana and Michigan, whose hybrid sales make up less than 15 percent of total new vehicle sales, according to Smart Motors.

But why are the hybrids becoming such a popular choice in Madison? Many said it has to do with the city's history of environmentalism.

Judge: UW coal plant is illegal

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

From a story by Ron Seely in the Wisconsin State Journal:

The state is in violation of federal clean air laws for failing to install modern pollution controls on the coal-burning Charter Street power plant on the UW-Madison campus, U.S. District Court Judge John Shabaz ruled Wednesday in Madison.

The ruling was in response to a lawsuit filed in May by the Sierra Club against UW-Madison and the state Department of Administration in which the environmental organization accused the state of violating clean air laws by not installing pollution controls after several major construction projects at the facility between 1999 and 2004.

In his ruling, Shabaz said the changes at the plant were so substantial that the university will have to apply for a new operating permit from the state Department of Natural Resources and install modern pollution control equipment, which could cost millions of dollars.

Pollutants generated by the burning coal that heats the plant's boilers include nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide. Both contribute to ozone pollution, which can worsen respiratory illnesses.

We must reconfigure

Tuesday, November 06, 2007

A few comments and observations from Hans Noeldner:

From "Running on Fumes", an excellent article in the New Yorker by Elizabeth Kolbert:

"Were China and India to increase their rates of car ownership to the point where per-capita oil consumption reached just half of American levels, the two countries would burn through a hundred million additional barrels a day. (Currently, total global oil use is eighty-six million barrels a day.) Were they to match U.S. consumption levels, they would require an extra two hundred million barrels a day. It’s difficult to imagine how such enormous quantities of oil could be found, but, if they could, the result would be catastrophe."

Several things are obvious:

(1) We must reconfigure our spatial arrangements in these United States so that far less motorized motion is necessary.

(2) Thus we must redirect our behaviors and municipal redevelopment toward proximity, access, and higher levels of local interdependence.

(3) Where cars are still necessary and useful (and they will continue to be an essential transportation mode for many people), we must deploy vehicles appropriately scaled for the job at hand. Right now we very often use multi-ton, fifteen- to twenty-foot-long behemoths as single- and double-occupancy passenger vehicles. Continuing to do so is insane and unconscionable.

(4) If the human animal is to choose these things proactively, we must VERY QUICKLY learn to separate our sense of identity, power, virility, and self-worth from our motor vehicles.

(5) Then we will have earned the right to suggest how China, India, and other developing nations might do their "fair share" to fight global warming and help wean civilization off fossil fuels.

(6) But of course we-the-people don't HAVE to reconfigure our way of life to accomplish any of these things. We can choose to ignore the problems or delay or do nothing substantial instead (merely issuing noble proclamations, for example). Then resource scarcities plus the desire of 6.2 billion other human beings for a more equitable distribution of wealth will do the reconfiguring for us.

The fuel of the future? Say 'cheese'

Monday, November 05, 2007

From a story in the Oshkosh Northwestern:

STRATFORD — What will the fuel of the future look like and where will it come from?

Prepare for a variety of fuels from many sources, says Wisconsin entrepreneur Joe Van Groll whose start-up renewable energy company produces both ethanol and bio-diesel without a single corn kernel or soybean in sight.

The Grand Meadow Energy LLC near Stratford trucks in waste from surrounding cheese plants and raw canola oil from a nearby farm.

"There is no one silver bullet," Van Groll said in a press release. "The silver bullets are already out there — taking waste streams and turning them into profit centers."

Van Groll bought the Grand Meadow Coop cheese plant when it closed more than three years ago, converted it and with $29,000 from the state's Agricultural Development and Diversification grant program, began testing what is now a trade secret. Today, customers buy a license to use the yeast-based technology he developed with help from the grant.

As concerns about the environmental and societal impact of corn-based ethanol rise, he lists the advantages of his method.

"I don't use energy; I put it back on the grid. I don't slurp up water; I purify and recycle it. I don't push up food costs; I dispose of waste," he said.

Van Groll is a 13-year veteran of the state's cheese industry, and his process focuses on permeate, a by-product of cheese making. But Van Groll says the technology can be used on a variety of waste streams and he sees no end in sight to its application.

Step It Up rallies pressures for change at UW coal plant

Sunday, November 04, 2007

From Step It Up:

Last night [November 2] Bill [McKibben] was in town, and spoke at a film festival and got the troops rallied up.

Over 100 people rallied outside of this ugly little eye sore of a coal plant, conveniently located in the heart of the University campus. People wrote a whole lot of postcards to the board of regents, the Chancellor, and the Governor, urging them to take action (this plant is currently the subject of a lawsuit by the Sierra Club, so some urging is needed).

Longer daylight time may save energy -- but stats are stale

Saturday, November 03, 2007

From a story by Carl Bialik in the Wall Street Journal:

Americans are turning their clocks back this Sunday -- one week later than last year. With the earlier start this past March, that translates into four extra weeks of daylight-saving time.

The extra hour of primetime daylight is supposed to save energy, but the decision to make the extension was based on some questionable numbers. And any subsequent statistical support is a long way off. "The jury is still out on the potential national energy savings," says U.S. energy department spokeswoman Megan Barnett.

Congressional sponsors of the bill in 2005 argued that starting daylight time the second Sunday in March and ending it the first Sunday in November would cut electricity usage. Natural light would substitute for electric lights and people would participate in electricity-free outdoor activities instead of heading home to use appliances and watch television.

When Edward Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, and Fred Upton, a Michigan Republican, introduced the bill, they said the extension could save Americans the equivalent of 100,000 barrels of oil a day -- an estimate repeated frequently in the media. But that statistic relied on figures from 1974, when President Nixon sprung clocks forward early, in January, during an energy crisis.

Wind project photo gallery

Friday, November 02, 2007

Fond du Lac Reporter photographer Patrick Flood documents progress on the Forward Wind Energy Project in a gallery posted on the paper's Web site.

One of the photo captions highlights the short-term economics of renewable energy for Wisconsin:

Rodney Borkenhagen of Appleton, a union iron worker for White Construction, checks over the very tip of one of the blades of a wind turbine about to be raised near Leroy Wisconsin Thursday afternoon. The wind tower os one of 66 locations in Dodge and Fond du Lac counties being built by Michels corporation of Brownsville as part of the Forward Wind Energy Project. The towers will be 262 feet high, with 122 foot blades, each blade weighing 14,000 lbs.

Some energy alternatives too expensive to produce

Thursday, November 01, 2007

A letter to the editor from the Appleton Post-Crescent:

Kurt Williamsen is at it again. In a letter published Oct. 19, he claims that wind and solar aren't practical because there is a whole array of vast, untapped energy alternatives available.

The resources he mentions are untapped for a very good reason: they are all difficult and expensive to produce.

For example, recently the capital cost to set up one barrel per day of production from tar sands has risen well in excess of $130,000, causing many producers to scale back or cancel projects.

As for shale, Shell Oil recently scaled back its experimental shale oil production project due to — you guessed it — rapidly escalating costs.

Despite the mind-boggling potential size of the reserves Mr. Williamsen trots out, it's not the size of the resource that matters. What matters is the rate at which it can be produced and whether or not the energy produced exceeds the energy expended to extract it. Most unconventional natural gas sources suffer from both to these problems.

As for methane hydrates, don't hold your breath. The history of energy production is littered with schemes that looked good on paper but failed to ever reach meaningful levels of production. And besides, do we truly need yet another method to pump carbon dioxide into our atmosphere?

Both wind and solar are proven energy sources that can be developed in meaningful scales in the relatively near future.

Joe Gregg,
Appleton

Hayward will get new $6 Million wood pellet plant

Wednesday, October 31, 2007

From a report by Julie Pearce on KBJR-TV:

The Sawyer County Development Corporation has finalized a deal the Great Lakes Renewable Energy to locate a $6 million wood pellet plant four miles south of Hayward.

"From an asthetic standpoint, it is a good fit, it is a good location."

"It is also centrally located to the raw material supply that we'll be using."
The plant will output 36,000 tons of wood pellets each year.

"The primary function of the pellets is to be burned, and when you burn it it generates heat, so it's primary use is for a heating source."

The operations and plant manager Herb Seeger says the plant will employ 21 local workers, 12 loggers, and another 50 temporary construction jobs. . . .

Because the plant's only emissions will be water vapors, it is considered an environmentally friendly project.

"A renewable energy source, that will only compliment wind, solar, type powers as we go into the future."

You vote at the pump

Tuesday, October 30, 2007

Hans Noeldner, an active member of the Madison Peak Oil Group, cruised the Farmers' Market to alert people that they vote every time they pump gas, while Beth Campbell and Ed Blume staffed a table.

Recycle, reuse, and use methane from landfill and wind

Monday, October 29, 2007

From a guest editorial by Stan Zdrojowy in The Tomah Journal:

We are now in the midst of another controversy on the Monroe County level. As I see it, our current landfill is almost full ... is that correct?

. . .since landfills generate methane gas, cannot we devise methods to capture that gas for commercial use. This would make landfills a valuable resource, and we would be scrambling to create them for their commercial value. It is unfortunate that this was not an option before the City of Tomah spent a million dollars or so to dig up the landfill on Noth Avenue several years ago to haul it to another landfill. Could we not have tapped that valuable resource of methane gas somehow and made that landfill a positive rather than a negative? An added complication ... in order to dig up that landfill to move the garbage, a whole forest of trees was eliminated (were they hauled to the landfill?). Was that good for the environment to cut down those trees?

. . .And as long as I am on the subject of alternative energy, can I put in a plug for wind generation?

Berkeley will pay for residents' up-front solar costs

Saturday, October 27, 2007

From a story by Carolyn Jones in the San Francisco Chronicle:

Berkeley is set to become the first city in the nation to help thousands of its residents generate solar power without having to put money up front - attempting to surmount one of the biggest hurdles for people who don't have enough cash to go green.

The City Council will vote Nov. 6 on a plan for the city to finance the cost of solar panels for property owners who agree to pay it back with a 20-year assessment on their property. Over two decades, the taxes would be the same or less than what property owners would save on their electric bills, officials say.

"This plan could be our most important contribution to fighting global warming," Mayor Tom Bates said Thursday. "We've already seen interest from all over the U.S. People really think this plan can go."

The idea is sparking interest from city and state leaders who are mindful of California's goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 25 percent by 2020. Officials in San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Santa Monica and several state agencies have contacted Berkeley about the details of its plan.

Lust for oil will only create hell for our kids

Friday, October 26, 2007

Hans Noeldner explains the marco-economics of oil in a letter-to-the-editor of The Capital Times:

Dear Editor: Hooray! The petro-dollar recycling racket that was set up in the 1970s is still working!

Bloomberg online notes: "The biggest quarterly rally for U.S. government securities in five years is getting an extraordinary boost from the burgeoning reinvestment of petro-dollars by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. ... Petroleum exporters are adding to holdings of U.S. debt three times faster than other foreign investors."

No, our nation's invasion of Iraq, massive occupation of the Mideast-Central Asian "axis of oil," and pending bombing of Iran aren't just about supplying Americans with our next petro fix. Nor are they occurring for the sole reason that our government has been hijacked by neocons who have subverted our national interests to the projects of Zionism and worldwide U.S. hegemony.

America's continuing imperialistic enterprise is also about arm-twisting other nations to eat our debt. If we can't borrow money to keep on buying gas-guzzling Chevy Tahoes, what will GM Janesville employees do for work? And if we don't go on purchasing McMansions we can't afford -- if we can't keep the sprawl-building-bubble afloat -- how will our paving machine operators and sheet-rockers make minimum payments on their credit cards, adjustable rate mortgages, and the three-ton Tonka trucks they drive to the Main Street Tap?

The real elephant in the room is that many -- perhaps most -- Americans now have unsustainable jobs. We've automated and outsourced ourselves out of honest, useful work, and today our economy and employment are driven by conspicuous resource-gobbling consumption. The longer this goes on, the more devastating will be our fall, and the worse the hell our children will inherit from us.

Hans Noeldner, Oregon

The dangers of autobesity

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

From a commentary by Steve Hiniker published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Face it. We have a driving problem, and it's killing us.

We are addicted to driving, and we are in denial about it. We lash out at those who bring it to our attention and label them as "anti-car." Unfortunately, that is about as constructive as labeling a doctor as "anti-food" if that doctor recommends a diet.

The signs of autobesity are everywhere. If miles were calories, we would be in intensive care. Last year, Wisconsinites racked up an unbelievable 60 billion miles behind the wheel. Each one of us drove, on average, twice as many miles as drivers 25 years ago. We spend, on average, $7,000 a year per car on our addiction - plus parking costs.

Our driving addiction is costing us lives, dollars and destroyed communities every day. In Wisconsin, there is a motor vehicle crash once every five minutes, an injury every 14 minutes and a fatality every 11 hours. We use euphemisms to rationalize the horrible side effects of driving. Though we refer to car crashes as "accidents," almost all car crashes are avoidable events.

Steve Hiniker is executive director of 1000 Friends of Wisconsin, an environmental group.

WPPI seeks proposals on GreenMax Homes

Tuesday, October 23, 2007

From the Web site of WPPI (Wisconsin Public Power, Inc.):

. . . WPPI is soliciting competitive proposals for grants that will help fund the construction of up to three net zero energy homes in WPPI member utility service areas. Net zero homes combine state-of-the-art green and environmentally friendly technologies and practices with renewable energy technology to ensure that the homes produce as much energy as they consume.

“As customer-owned utilities, WPPI and its members are uniquely positioned to encourage energy conservation and efficiency, as well as to educate customers on the benefits of renewable energy,” said WPPI President and CEO Roy Thilly. “We are pleased to present this opportunity for creating reliable, sustainable homes.”

Grants will be awarded to cover part of the incremental cost of designing and building a GreenMax Home over the cost of constructing a conventional house. New construction projects as well as existing homes are eligible. Applications are available to download through a link here. Grantees will be announced by December 21, 2007

Solar hot water conference scheduled, Dec. 13, Wisconsin Dells

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Focus on Energy will host a one-day conference to help businesses tap into this growing market.

The Wisconsin Solar Hot Water Conference will help plumbing, heating, or solar businesses move into the market or expand if they're already installing residential or commercial solar hot water systems.

Register here.

Focus on Energy facts sheets explain the basics of solar hot water.

Green Building award goes to Aldo Leopold Foundation

Saturday, October 20, 2007

From a story by Tim Damos in the Portage Daily Register:

Sauk County now is home to what is being called a wonder of green building design, thanks to the vision of the folks at the Aldo Leopold Foundation.

"This building does things that people are dreaming about," said Rick Fedrizzi, president of the U.S. Green Building Council. "There are people out there saying, 'Somehow, somewhere a building will be able to do that.' This building is doing it today."

The USGBC is a nonprofit organization that encourages sustainable construction and building design. It certifies green building projects and ranks them using a point system that measures energy efficiency and sustainability.

The new $4 million Aldo Leopold Legacy Center, northeast of Baraboo near the Wisconsin River, received 61 of a possible 69 points, the highest point total recorded by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design rating system, which is used by the USGBC.

It's the first "net zero energy" building in Wisconsin, and the first carbon-neutral building certified by LEED. During the first few months of operation, the building sold energy back to the local power utility and made $650, according to the Leopold Foundation.

Ann Arbor, Mich., declares itself first U.S. city to use LEDs in all streetlights

Friday, October 19, 2007

From a story posted on Grist:

Ann Arbor, Mich., home to the main campus of the University of Michigan, announced that it intends to become the first U.S. city to convert all of its downtown streetlights to LEDs (light-emitting diodes). The energy-saving lights use half the energy and are expected to last five times as long. In two years, when the city of 113,000 completes the conversion of all 1,046 streetlights, they'll cut CO2 emissions by about 2,425 tons a year. Ann Arbor has already converted all its traffic lights to LEDs.

Mpower Campaign Launched to reduce CO2 emissions by 100,000 tons

From a press release issued by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz:

Madison - Mpower partners have set an aggressive goal for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the Madison area. Under the cooperative private-public-not-for-profit "100K Clean Energy Challenge," the City of Madison and its initial partners - Madison Gas and Electric (MGE), University of Wisconsin, Nelson Institute for Environmental Studies, Dane County United, Citizens Utility Board, RENEW Wisconsin, Clean Wisconsin, Sierra Club, Madison Area Clean Energy Coalition, and Sustain Dane - will seek to reduce citywide emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) by 100,000 tons by 2011.

The campaign was launched this week and includes a web site www.mpoweringmadison.com. Business and residents can go to this web site and sign-up and commit to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

"Global climate change affects all of us, and it is up to all of us to do our part to address this issue," said Mayor Cieslewicz. "This partnership will help make Madison a leader in showing how local communities can lead the way forward in protecting our environment for future generations."

The City of Madison component of the 100K Clean Energy Challenge calls for city government to reduce its CO2 "footprint" by 25% by 2011, to eliminate 15,000 tons of CO2, through the following strategies:

· Increase the energy efficiency of city facilities, reducing natural gas and electricity consumption. The city is actively implementing green building and energy efficiency practices, and recently created a new Facilities and Sustainability position to focus solely on this issue.

· Purchase more energy from renewable sources such as wind and solar and install renewable energy systems on city properties.

· Increase fuel efficiency and biofuels in the city's fleet of vehicles. The city is already pursuing this goal through establishing fuel-efficiency standards, the use of hybrid diesel-electric buses, as well as experimentation with biodiesel fuels.

Alternative energy key to economic development

Thursday, October 18, 2007

From a story by Steve Cahalan in the La Crosse Tribune:

Alternative energy sources such as solar, wind, ethanol and biodiesel will play a key role in economic development, officials said Wednesday at an economic forum at the Radisson Hotel.

About 130 people attended the event, held by the La Crosse Area Development Corp. and the La Crosse Area Chamber of Commerce.

Gundersen Lutheran plans to use renewable energy sources and energy efficiency improvements as part of its new Envision initiative, said Jerry Arndt, the health care company’s senior vice president of business services.

Energy management, recycling, and waste management and control are the three primary elements of Envision, the company’s plan for energy and environmental stewardship.

Arndt said solar panels will provide the electricity needed to power lighting, ventilation and elevator operation for the underground parking structure that will be completed in 2008 next to Gundersen Lutheran’s main clinic. And starting next year, solar energy will be used for at least some of the hot water for Gundersen Lutheran’s laundry operations.

Rock towns eye wind project restrictions

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

From a story by Marie Ann Ames in the Janesville Gazette:

You can't rope the wind.

But you can wrap red tape around wind turbines.

One town at a time, rural Rock County is sitting up and paying attention to wind farms.

The town of Beloit Planning Commission has its first wind farm discussion on an upcoming agenda. No one has approached the town with a plan for a "farm" that uses wind to create energy, but they want to stay ahead of the curve, said town Administrator Bob Museus.

"After seeing what's going on in Magnolia, we may be interested in writing an ordinance before they even try to get here," Museus said.

A New Focus, November 13, Madison

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

The Wisconsin Chapter of the Association of Energy Services Professionals invites you to a social hour, November 13.

Meet the new team at the Public Service Commission of Wisconsin who will be leading the Focus On Energy program:

- Carol Stemrich, Asst. Administrator-Gas Division
- Jolene Sheil, Focus Program Manager
- Preston Schutt, Business Program Manager
- Allison Schill, Residential and Renewables Program Manager
- Greg Laubmeier, Budget and Policy Analyst

Hear a brief history and update on the Focus On Energy program in Wisconsin, then get to know the new leadership team, followed by a question-and-answer session.

Time: Tuesday, November 13, 4:30 to 5:30

Place: WECC Office, 431 Charmany Drive, Madison, WI

Social hour from 5:30 to 6:30. Food and drink will be provided.
(Subs, cheese, veggies and other good Wisconsin food)

Not able to get to Madison? You can join us via teleconference and/or Web link.

Cost: 20$ AESP members

30$ Non-members

10$ Non-profit organizations

Free Students/Unemployed

RSVP to Johna at j.r@tds.net before November 6.
(Checks should be made out to AESP-WI and brought to the social)

If you are not a current AESP member, register on time and you will be eligible to win a free one-year membership in AESP!

Business case for sustainability, Oct. 17

Monday, October 15, 2007

Raising Our Game: Future of Sustainable Business
Wed, October 17, 2007
4:30PM - 5:30PM
Grainger Hall
975 University Ave, Madison, WI
See Today in Grainger for room number
Sponsored by CIBER, WAGE, Nelson Institute

Companies view themselves increasingly as “corporate citizens,” characterized by a growing focus on social and environmental issues as part of their business strategy. Linked to these changes in the business world, sustainability is also becoming a bigger part of business school curricula. What is the business case for organizations to re-define their bottom line and what is the competitive advantage of corporate citizenship in an increasingly global economy? What are some future scenarios that might play out across industries? How can the trends toward entrepreneurship and innovation serve as leapfrog solutions? How can the business school curriculum address corporate social responsibility and what are some career opportunities for business school students interested in this area?

Contact Person
Name: Suzanne Dove
Phone: 608-265-4938
Email: asdove@bus.wisc.edu
URL: www.bus.wisc.edu/ciber/home

Governors to hold energy summit, Milwaukee, Nov. 14-15

Sunday, October 14, 2007

From the Web site of the Midwestern Governors Association:

The 2007 MGA Energy Summit is the culmination of Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle's 2007 Chairman's agenda and will be held in Milwaukee on Nov. 14 and 15. The two-day meeting will encourage Governors to explore key energy strategies and polices for the region.

Gov. Doyle, and Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, will be hosting the summit.

At the summit issues such as energy efficiency, renewable electricity, advanced coal and carbon capture, biofuels development and climate stewardship will be addressed. The summit audience will include regional policy leaders from business, government, and non-profit arenas.

Click here to access agenda and registration.

Lung Association Praises Doyle for Energy Summit

Friday, October 12, 2007

From the Wisconsin chapter of the American Lung Association:

Milwaukee--The American Lung Association of the Wisconsin (ALA-WI) thanked Governor Jim Doyle, chair of the Midwestern Governors Association (MGA), for hosting the Midwestern Governors Association Energy Security and Climate Change Summit on November 14-15, 2007. At the Summit, Governors and citizens from across the Midwest will pursue new regional initiatives to increase production and use of renewable energy, promote energy efficiency, and ensure a reliable electrical grid.

“We thank the Governor for his efforts and leadership on renewable energy, biofuels, and cleaner air,” said Dona Wininsky, Director of Public Policy and Communications for the ALA-WI. “This summit can highlight that energy security and global warming efforts like biofuels can reduce asthma and other respiratory diseases that threaten our health.”

Biofuels like ethanol and biodiesel reduce carbon emissions, increase energy security, and reduce soot particulate matter pollution that causes asthma and heart attacks.

“We hope this conference can show us how to save lives, energy, and keep jobs here in Wisconsin and the Midwest,” said Wininsky.

The Summit will be co-hosted by Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty, immediate past chair of the MGA and current chair of the National Governors Association.

“Minnesota offers many programs we can learn from in Wisconsin like requiring more biofuels and investing in more clean, renewable energy,” said Wininsky. “Now is the time for the Legislature to pass measures to promote biofuels like the $30 million for the bioeconomy and money for biofuel pumps.”

Regional policy leaders from business, government, and non-profit arenas are invited to attend the Summit. To register or for more information visit the MGA website.

The Energy Security and Climate Stewardship Summit was organized by the Midwestern Governors Association. Working groups of public and private stakeholders, staffed by the Great Plains Institute, developed the agreements for the Summit.

Straw house offers energy independence

Thursday, October 11, 2007

From a story by Adam Bissen in the the Onalaska Community Life:

Marilyn Pedretti is eager to get settled into her new straw-built and solar-powered home in the town of Holland, but she’s not confining the housewarming celebration to only her friends and family.

Pedretti has included her just-about-finished house in the Midwest Renewable Energy Association’s Wisconsin Solar Tour [Oct. 5-6] as a way to spread the good word about alternative energy and green construction techniques to anyone who is interested.

The walls of Pedretti’s house are 18 inches thick, constructed of straw and clay and conserve three times more heat than the typical wood-built home. It’s designed to be heated from the sun, but also has radiant heat in the floors, a fireplace in the living room and a furnace that can run off 12 solar-charged batteries. A tall solar panel in the front yard collects all the energy for the home.

Sparta ethanol controversy settled

Wednesday, October 10, 2007

From a story by Steve Cahalan in the La Crosse Tribune:

SPARTA, Wis. — Coulee Area Renewable Energy still plans to build an ethanol plant in the region, but it won’t be next to Century Foods International’s main plant in Sparta.

In a brief joint press release Tuesday, CARE and Century Foods said they have reached a tentative settlement on all claims related to CARE’s effort to build an ethanol refinery at that site. The rest of the terms of the settlement are confidential, the press release said.

Since February, Century Foods and many nearby residents have fought the ethanol plant project at Sparta City Planning Commission and Sparta City Council meetings, and by filing lawsuits.

Century Foods representatives argued emissions from the ethanol plant would contaminate its milk-based products, while some residents were concerned about potential odor problems. The farmers and other investors in CARE disputed those claims.

“I give credit to both sides for coming to an agreement,” state Sen. Dan Kapanke, R-La Crosse, said after hearing of the settlement. “Negotiation is always better than litigation.”

Government sanctioned bombing of Appalachia

Tuesday, October 09, 2007

From a story by Antrim Caskey on AlterNet:

Thanks to Bush, Big Coal uses 3 million pounds of explosives each day in West Virginia to fuel our addiction to dirty energy.
----------
On a calm, clear morning in the forested mountains of southern West Virginia, 12-year-old Chrystal Gunnoe played outdoors in the green mountain valley where her family has lived for hundreds of years. It was Veteran's Day and a school holiday. Chrystal's mother, Maria Gunnoe, 38, was inside when she heard her daughter yell for help.

Gunnoe rushed outside to find Chrystal coming towards her. Chrystal was coughing and struggling to breath, running from a strange-looking cloud that was moving down the valley and headed towards their house. Gunnoe would later learn the strange cloud came from something known as a "slow burning blast" -- an explosion set at the coal mine above her home that failed to ignite and instead burned slowly, releasing a wet toxic cloud of nitrogen oxide and carbon dioxide.

Gunnoe lives in Bob White, W.Va., where coal companies have become increasingly unfriendly neighbors. Her home is surrounded by thousands of acres where a radically destructive type of coal mining is practiced -- mountaintop removal/valley fill (MTR) coal mining -- and it's turning Maria Gunnoe's life upside down.

Confronting the triple crisis: climate change, peak oil and global resource depletion

Monday, October 08, 2007

From Earth Watch Ohio, as published on EnergyBulletin.net:

A Washington D.C. teach-in on climate change, peak oil and global resource depletion included a presentation from an Ohio nonprofit organization on how to curtail energy use in housing, transportation and food production. The teach-in, entitled Confronting the Global Triple Crisis—The Problems and The Solutions, featured some 60 speakers from 16 countries and attracted close to 900 people to George Washington University over three days in mid September.

Megan Quinn Bachman, outreach director for The Community Solution in Yellow Springs, Ohio, detailed her nonprofit’s efforts to deal with “converging calamities,” including the coming peak and decline in worldwide oil production which will result in oil shortages and skyrocketing prices. “Community is a vision of the future where we conserve and share scarce local resources rather than deplete, destroy and battle over seemingly abundant distance resources,” Bachman said. “It is a vision where we consume far fewer resources, but have a better life, filled with valued relationships rather than valued possessions.”

Mid-state tech school investigates new renewable programs

Sunday, October 07, 2007

From an article in the Stevens Point Journal:

The Mid-State Technical College Board of Directors is urging the college to pursue programming opportunities in renewable energy. MSTC is exploring the development of five renewable energy associate degree programs including biorefinery technology, renewable energy specialist, renewable electricity technician, renewable thermal energy technician and energy conservation technician.

Pending workforce investigation and approval from the Wisconsin Technical College System Board, MSTC may begin to offer three of the programs in 2008 and the remaining two in 2009 at the Wisconsin Rapids campus.

Grand Chute warms up to solar

Friday, October 05, 2007

From a story by Ed Lowe in the Appleton Post-Crescent:

GRAND CHUTE — The Plan Commission won't try to stop Donna Kuether from erecting a solar collector in her backyard, but she might have to wait a bit.

The commission endorsed an ordinance Tuesday to allow town residents to erect state-law-compliant solar- or wind-powered generators.

It also endorsed a six-month moratorium on their installation to allow the town time to investigate whether individual projects present health, welfare or safety problems. The dual measures will go to the Town Board for final approval Oct. 16

The proposed town ordinance was drafted in response to Kuether, the first party to seek town authority to plant a solar collector in her backyard.

Tour Wisconsin solar (and renewable) homes, Oct. 5-6

Thursday, October 04, 2007

The tour demonstrates that renewable energy is practical, reliable and affordable in today's economy. Tour sites are owned, lived in, and worked in by ordinary people. They are helping others open the door to renewable energy. Although it is officially called the Solar Tour, sites include all sorts of renewable energy technologies and other innovative features. On the WI Solar Tour you can see:

Wind and solar (PV) electric systems
Solar thermal and solar water heating systems
Green building construction and passive solar design
Energy efficient heating technologies
Energy efficient appliances
Environmentally friendly landscaping
And more!

Find homes open in your area of Wisconsin.

Papermakers turn green, study says

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

From an article by Joel Dresang in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Saying that papermaking is "one of our planet's most significant environmental challenges," a coalition of environmental groups on Tuesday released a report citing progress by the paper industry and pushing for more improvements.

The report is the first from the Environmental Paper Network to monitor several indicators suggesting the impact of paper consumption and paper manufacturing on the environment. The industry plays an essential role in Wisconsin, which has led the nation in paper production since 1953.

Among the findings is evidence of increased reuse of paper, scrutinized forestry practices and cleaner manufacturing processes. . . .

For instance, papermakers have been struggling with the escalating cost of energy.

"It drove the previous owners out," said Bill Johnson Jr., government affairs director at Flambeau River Papers, which last year took over the closed Smart Papers mill in Park Falls.

Flambeau River has been developing alternative fuel systems that are saving expenses and the environment, reducing daily coal consumption on one boiler to 10 tons from 55, with plans to phase out coal in the next three months.

Green approval can be incentive but shouldn't be the only reward

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

From a column by Whitney Gould in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Its critics liken it variously to a death march or a colonoscopy. At best, it's a long, costly slog through red tape.

So why would anyone want to go through the headache of getting a "green" imprimatur for a new building?

Well, there's the satisfaction of doing the right thing for the environment, when your building is recognized for using natural light, energy-efficient mechanical systems, recycled materials, storm water-runoff controls and other resource-saving devices. And there's the prestige of that LEED sticker, for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, bestowed by the U.S. Green Building Council. That can be a great marketing tool.

But even some environmentally conscious architects and building owners think the process of getting that sticker is not worth the hassle. Ken Leinbach, executive director of the Urban Ecology Center in Milwaukee's Riverside Park, is one. Hiring consultants and doing the paperwork to get the LEED stamp of approval for his already very green building would have added an estimated $75,000 to the $3.4 million cost, so Leinbach skipped the process.

"It just didn't make any sense. We decided we'd rather put the money into actual green features," such as a vegetative roof and solar panels, he said. The LEED-free building has won national admiration as a model for green building and saves as much as $15,000 a year on energy costs.

Eco forum stresses support; more help will speed process

Monday, October 01, 2007

From an article by Jason G. Zencka in the Stevens Point Journal:

Proponents of ecological sustainability in snacking would have been pleased with the spread at Tuesday’s League of Women Voters forum on ecomunicipalities, where locally-grown beets with goat cheese were served on compostable plates made from a sugar cane byproduct. Even the cups boasted a corn starch lining instead of plastic; napkins were made of 100 percent recycled paper.

For those attendees interested in turning Stevens Point into an ecomunicipality, however, forum leaders stressed progress would be much more hard-won.

“It is a democratic process,” said Fifth District Alderperson Amy Heart of the process of writing and passing an resolution to make Stevens Point Wisconsin’s 12th ecomunicipality, “which means it’s very difficult.”

Months after mayor Andrew Halverson formed an Ecomunicipality Task Force, task force members now are asking the community for ideas on how Stevens Point might become a city that prizes sustainable development.

“It’s all about having as many people involved as possible,” Heart said.

Among the many cities across the globe that have adopted ecomunicipality charters, emphasis has been placed on actions such as using alternative fuel sources, environmentally friendly cleaning and painting materials, and creating safe zones for pedestrian traffic.

For the task force members, however, the challenge is to glean from the community ideas of how the city might become more sustainable months before offering a resolution to the city council this spring.

EPA standards fuel rethinking

Sunday, September 30, 2007

From an article by Rick Barrett in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Tougher environmental regulations are continuing to drive changes in the small-engine industry, similar to what's happened with car and truck manufacturers.

For the small-engine makers, represented in Wisconsin by Briggs & Stratton Corp., Kohler Co., Generac Power Systems, Mercury Marine Inc. and BRP International, the total estimated costs will rise to $620 million by 2037, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

What's more, the makers of outdoor lawn-and-garden equipment, such as Ariens Co. and John Deere, are affected by what happens with the engine manufacturers.

"Things are in a huge state of flux," said Gregory Weekes, a John Deere product marketing manager. . . .

Kohler Co. is spending $11 million on research to develop cleaner engines. The company wants to meet EPA requirements without the use of catalytic converters or other bolt-on devices, said Richard Koehl, director of marketing and quality.

Paul Hawken, Environmentalist, Entrepreneur, Journalist, Author -- Lawrence University, Nov. 6

Saturday, September 29, 2007

Paul Hawken
Environmentalist, Entrepreneur, Journalist, Author
Tuesday, November 6, 2007, 11:10 a.m.
Lwrence University Chapel

Since the age of 20, Paul Hawken has dedicated his life to sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. He has written extensively about the impact of commerce on living systems, served as a consultant to governments and corporations on economic development, industrial ecology, and environmental policy, and has founded and run several ecological businesses.

Hawken has written seven books, which collectively have been published in more than 50 countries in 27 languages and have sold more than 2 million copies. Among them are *Growing a Business,* which became the basis of a 17-part PBS series that Hawken hosted and produced, and *The Ecology of Commerce, *which was voted the no. 1 college text on business and the environment in 1998 by professors in more than 60 business schools. His 1999 book, *Natural Capitalism: Creating the Next Industrial Revolution,*was hailed by President Bill Clinton as one of the five most important books in the world today. Hawken's latest book, *Blessed Unrest,* released in the spring of 2007, examines the history of the environmental and social justice movement in which he estimates as many as two million organizations worldwide have participated.

In addition to his writing, Hawken has founded and run numerous ecological businesses, including Smith & Hawken, the popular garden and catalog retailer, as well as several of the country's first natural food companies that relied solely on sustainable agricultural methods.

Hawken has served on the board of many environmental organizations, among them Friends of the Earth and the National Audubon Society, and been honored with numerous awards, including the Green Cross Millennium Award for Individual Environmental Leadership presented by Mikhail Gorbachev in 2003.

*Utne Reader* magazine named Hawken one of its "One Hundred Visionaries who could Change our Lives" in 1995.

ASPO conference confirms a peak in global oil production by 2012

Thursday, September 27, 2007

From an analysis by Douglas Low on EnergyBulletin.net:

A conference held in Cork, Ireland by the Association for the Study of Peak oil and Gas (ASPO) last week heard representatives from industry forecast that the best data available data pointed to reserves of 250 billion barrels of yet-to-find global conventional oil, and as a result oil production would plateau at less than 100 million barrels per day before 2020.

This was followed up by a range of speakers who stated that current trends in bringing new projects onstream indicate that global oil production would peak on or before 2012, a forecast that coincides with the latest announcement from International Energy Agency that an oil crunch will occur by 2012.

Petroleum pipeline violations alleged

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

From a story by Barry Adams in the Wisconsin State Journal about construction of a pipeline to carry oil from Canadian tar sands to refineries in the Chicago area:

A Texas company installing two pipelines from Superior to Delavan was asked this month to stop construction on the 321-mile project following alleged multiple violations of its state-issued permit.

The state Department of Natural Resources has issued a "notice of violation " to Enbridge Energy for failure to follow the guidelines of a dredging, grading and bridge permit. The DNR is also reviewing a letter of response from Enbridge to determine if its plans will correct the problems and if further enforcement action is required.

The DNR does not have the authority to halt the project but could refer the case to the state Department of Justice, which could go to court. Fines could reach up to $5,000 a day.

In addition to the environmental issues raised by other groups, RENEW previously questioned the value of the pipeline in a letter to the DNR:

1) How much petroleum can be extracted from the tar sands;
2) how much natural gas will be available for the extraction process;
3) how much the refined petroleum will help U.S. gasoline supplies compared to ethanol production; and
4) how much of the refined product will even reach Wisconsin.

Neenah brands go carbon neutral

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

From a story on Environmental Leader:

Neenah Paper says that six of its brands, Classic Crest, Classic Linen, Classic Laid, Classic Columns, Classic Cotton, and Starwhite brands, are now manufactured carbon neutral.

Neenah says it has reduced its net reductions in greenhouse gas emissions by buying Green-e certified renewable energy and other renewable energy sources, and by making energy saving upgrades - the company says it has reengineered its process water treatment system at its Neenah, Wis., mill to operate at significantly reduced noise levels and increased treatment efficiency while at the same time consuming less energy.

Neenah first purchased over 10 million kWh of Green-e certified renewable energy from Wisconsin’s We Energies in August 2006, and has more than quadrupled its commitment to 48.7 million kWh. Neenah joined the Chicago Climate Exchange in May.

Interview with Richard Heinberg

Monday, September 24, 2007

The Financial Sense Newshour broadcasts several interviews on peak oil, including a recent interview with Richard Heinberg.

The Financial Sense Newshour's site has a little on Heinberg, as an introduction to the interview:

Richard Heinberg is one of the world's foremost Peak Oil (oil depletion) educators and is a Research Fellow of Post Carbon Institute. He is the award-winning author of seven books including Powerdown, The Party's Over: Oil, War and the Fate of Industrial Societies; Powerdown: Options and Actions for a Post-Carbon World; and The Oil Depletion Protocol: A Plan to Avert Oil Wars, Terrorism, and Economic Collapse.

Mr. Heinberg is a journalist, educator, lecturer, and a Core Faculty member of New College of California, where he teaches a program on "Culture, Ecology and Sustainable Community." His monthly MuseLetter has been published since 1992 and his essays and articles have appeared widely and in many languages. He was featured prominently in the documentary film The End of Suburbia, he has been quoted in Time magazine, and his work has been discussed in articles syndicated by Reuters and the Associated Press. Since 2002, he has given over two hundred lectures on oil depletion to a wide variety of audiences – from insurance executives to peace activists, from local and national elected officials to Jesuit volunteers. He and his wife Janet Barocco live in Santa Rosa, California, in an energy-efficient home. He is also an avid amateur violinist.

Heinberg's newsest book is titled Peak Everything.

Waupun Utilities goes green

Sunday, September 23, 2007

From a story in the Beaver Dam Daily Citizen:

WAUPUN — Two new photovoltaic solar panels are up and operational at the Waupun Utilities headquarters, providing 9,000 kilowatt hours of emission-free electricity each year, or enough to power three energy-conscious homes.

"The new solar panels demonstrates our commitment to the use of clean, renewable energy," said Zachary Bloom, general manager. "It is our objective to be a model for cost-effective conservation initiatives and the efficient use of energy."

The solar panels, which recently became operational, are equipped with sunlight-tracking technology so they can move and tilt with the sun's path across the sky, increasing the system's efficiency by as much as 30 percent.

"They will be in operation in the winter also," said Bloom.

Finding the green, green home

Friday, September 21, 2007

From a story by Linda Falkenstein on the Daily Page of Isthmus:

While new construction often has a green-built component and Energy Star labels on appliances, someone looking to buy an older home in an established neighborhood, especially one that's had environmentally conscious upgrades — added insulation, better windows, energy-efficient appliances or maybe even solar panels — will find it difficult to find that information with a quick search of the Multiple Listing Service. While you can search for price, neighborhoods, numbers of bedrooms and bathrooms, or lakefront property, you can't search for an energy-efficient property. And where there's a need, there's soon a service to fill it.

There are a number of real estate agents in the Madison area who are interested in helping clients find homes that fit their criteria for environmental soundness — and they're also committed to raising the consciousness of homeowners overall about the efficiency of their homes.

Live Lightly Tour comes to Milwaukee, Sept. 24

Thursday, September 20, 2007

From the Web site of the Live Lightly Tour:

We love living small…we love living sustainably…and we love teaching others how to do it for themselves. So…we’re hitting the road to spread the love! On September 17, we will launch[ed] our tour and travel the U.S. in an RV powered by straight vegetable oil.

The RV will pull into Outpost Natural Foods (Capitol location, 100 E. Capitol Dr.) at 3:00 p.m. on September 24, 2007.

The RV's specs:

+Fleetwood Flair
+32′ long, 8′ wide
+Diesel “Pusher” (engine is located in the rear, under the bed)
+GMC 6.5 liter V8 Engine
+Veggie Oil Conversion: Golden Fuel Systems Custom Installation
+90 gallon veggie oil tank/18 gallon diesel tank
+Onboard gathering and filtration system
+Grease passes through a pre-filter, and three 8 micron filters before hitting the injectors
+Rated to -20 degrees F
+Roof-top solar panels provide partial solar power
+Flexsteel couch/seating
+King bed in rear/Dinette and Couch both convert to beds
+3 burner gas stove with oven (and it fits my stoneware muffin pan! hooray!)
+6 cubic sq. ft fridge/freezer (new)
+TV in front and rear for watching DVD’s…equipped with DirectTV (not activated)
+Cabin air conditioner/Roof-top air in front and rear
+Large enclosed roof-top luggage carrier

The right to dry: A green movement roiling America

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

From an article by Anne Marie Chaker in the Wall Street Journal:

BEND, Ore. -- It was a sunny, 70-degree day here in Awbrey Butte, an exclusive neighborhood of big, modern houses surrounded by native pines.

To Susan Taylor, it was a perfect time to hang her laundry out to dry. The 55-year-old mother and part-time nurse strung a clothesline to a tree in her backyard, pinned up some freshly washed flannel sheets -- and, with that, became a renegade.

The regulations of the subdivision in which Ms. Taylor lives effectively prohibit outdoor clotheslines. In a move that has torn apart this otherwise tranquil community, the development's managers have threatened legal action. To the developer and many residents, clotheslines evoke the urban blight they sought to avoid by settling in the Oregon mountains.

"This bombards the senses," interior designer Joan Grundeman says of her neighbor's clothesline. "It can't possibly increase property values and make people think this is a nice neighborhood." . . .

Nationwide, about 60 million people now live in about 300,000 "association governed" communities, most of which restrict outdoor laundry hanging, says Frank Rathbun, spokesman for the Community Associations Institute, an Alexandria, Va., group that lobbies on behalf of homeowners associations.

But the rules are costly to the environment -- and to consumers -- clothesline advocates argue. Clothes dryers account for 6% of total electricity consumed by U.S. households, third behind refrigerators and lighting . . .

RENEW's Michael Vickerman chronicled the relationship with his clothesline in Meet My Solar Dryer.

Be aware of mercury in light bulbs

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

From a story by Alex Nussbaum in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

If a light bulb can be hip, compact fluorescents are "it" these days. The corkscrew-shaped bulbs last six times as long as conventional incandescent lights, use 75% less electricity and are a simple way to reduce global-warming pollution.

But each bulb also contains a tiny bead of mercury, a toxic metal blamed for poisoning waters and fish. Here's a primer based on details the Environmental Protection Agency:

Q. How much mercury is in a bulb?

A. The average compact fluorescent bulb contains 5 milligrams of mercury. When the bulb's on, electricity zaps the liquid, starting a chain reaction that eventually lights your home.

Used properly, the bulbs are safe, the EPA says. But with sales climbing, experts worry about the accumulated effect of tossing tens of thousands of bulbs in the trash every year. Mercury can impair neurological development, especially among children, and can also damage the kidneys and liver. Most people are exposed by eating seafood from contaminated waters.

Q. So how do I dispose of a bulb safely?

A. Many municipal recycling programs don't take the bulbs. Compact fluorescents are considered hazardous waste, making them costly for towns to handle. Home Depot collects used bulbs in Canada, but so far the option isn't available in the United States. It's expensive for retailers to handle the bulbs, too. The EPA says it's working with manufacturers and retailers to expand disposal options.

In some jurisdictions, bulbs are collected and recycled. Call your municipality. . . .

Q. So what's so green about the bulbs?

A. They prevent more mercury pollution than they might cause, the EPA says. Most mercury in the air comes from burning coal to produce energy, and fluorescent bulbs use a lot less energy than traditional lighting. A power plant emits 10 milligrams of mercury to operate an incandescent bulb compared with 2.4 milligrams to run a compact fluorescent for the same time, the agency says.

Lightening Earth's load

Monday, September 17, 2007

From an article by Lee Bergquist and Tom Content in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Fort Atkinson - Scores of residents are pledging to cut their appetite for fossil fuels to fight global warming.

It's called the "Atkinson Diet," and it represents a shift in the way consumers and businesses are thinking about the environment across Wisconsin.

Some examples:

• Homeowners are taking steps to reduce energy costs and their environmental impact by installing energy-saving light bulbs in record numbers. About 1.2 million of the compact fluorescent bulbs were sold at a discount last fall, up 9% from 2005. This fall, state retailers expect to sell 275,000 energy-efficient holiday lights, said Sara Van de Grift of the state Focus on Energy program. That's 15 times as many as last year.

• The number of solar-powered homes participating in an annual showcase across the state has doubled since last year, and interest in solar power has spread from environmental education centers to businesses such as Kohl's Department Stores and GE Healthcare, the largest producer of sun-powered electricity in Wisconsin.

• Golf courses are using organic fertilizer rather than petroleum-based fertilizers, while hotels and bed and breakfasts are taking steps to save energy, conserve water and promote recycling. Travel Green Wisconsin has seen a tripling this year in these and other tourism-related businesses that have reduced their environmental impact.

Public opinion surveys document the growing concerns about global warming. Though many once doubted the problem, the public is more attuned to the link between the use of fossil fuels and climate change. As a response, they are looking for ways to use less gasoline and other fuels.

"It's clear the tenor of the debate has changed in the past year," said Michael Kraft, a political scientist at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay.

Soybean crush plant pushing ahead

Friday, September 14, 2007

From an article by Gine Duwe the Janesville Gazzette:

EVANSVILLE-A plan to build the state's first soybean crush facility in Evansville moved forward today with Landmark Services Cooperative announcing a $4 million commitment to match a possible state grant.

The project is not a 100 percent go, but the pieces are falling together, Landmark President Larry Swalheim said.

"We're pretty confident that if everything works out the way we think it will, that it will be a go," he said.

Wisconsin is the only state among the top 13 soybean producing states that does not have a crush facility, where beans are crushed to extract the oil, which is used to produce biodiesel fuel.

Landmark is working with legislators to ensure that a $4 million grant for the development of a crush plant remains in the proposed state budget, Swalheim said.

Google.org issues RFP for innovative transportation solutions

Thursday, September 13, 2007

From Google.org, the philanthropic arm of Google:

Google.org is committed to finding innovative transportation solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that cause global warming. Earlier this summer, Google.org launched its RechargeIT Initiative to accelerate the adoption of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and vehicle-to-grid technology through technical demonstrations, grant-making, advocacy and investments. As part of this initiative, we are issuing a $10 million request for investment proposals (RFP). We plan to invest amounts ranging from $500,000 to $2,000,000 in selected for-profit companies whose innovative approach, team and technologies will enable widespread commercialization of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, electric vehicles and/or vehicle-to-grid solutions. This RFP is global in scope, and we encourage responses from companies anywhere in the world.

Access the full RFP announcement here.

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

From WKOW-TV, Madison:

The ride on a handful of Madison Metro buses is about to get quieter and cleaner. The agency unveiled of five hybrid buses on Tuesday at the UW Arboretum.

Metro is promising these buses could cut fuel consumption by as much as half compared to traditional diesel buses. The technology is similar in concept to hybrid cars. Electric batteries will power the bus when it's idling or going at slow speeds. They're located under that hump in the back of the bus, a design change over traditional buses.

Manufacturer General Motors sais they'll use less fuel, which is good in times of high energy costs, and they'll emit less pollution.
Metro general manager Chuck Kamp said the agency will wait and see if the five new vehicles fulfill those promises before the city orders more. "To allow us to collect data on fuel economy, to collect data on maintenance costs, both labor costs and parts costs, and do a full analysis to see if this is the direction we should be going in the future," said Kamp.

The UW helped purchase two of the buses, which will run on campus-specific routes. The seat configuration in those buses are also different. A wider aisle should help accommodate large backpacks. The other three buses will rotate on other routes in Metro's service area.

GM said so far there are 730 of those buses in use in the U.S. and Canada. Kamp said these five in Madison are believed to be the first in use in Wisconsin. He also said it will be a week or two before those buses hit the road, as some drivers still need to be trained on them.

Watch the video.

Bus rapid transit, Sept. 17

Presentation & Discussion
Monday, Sept. 17th, 6:00 p.m.
Madison Central Library

Madison Area Bus Advocates is holding its general annual meeting on September 17, 2007, 6:00-8:00 p.m. in Room 202 of the Madison Central Public Library.

The focus of the meeting will be bus rapid transit and/or express bus service. There will be a short video and oral presentation, with ample time for discussion afterward. The meeting is open to everyone.

Madison Area Bus Advocates feels that bus rapid transit on arterial streets in Madison has the potential for rapid or semi-rapid urban transit that could be developed in a matter of a few years and could be cost effective. Fast, limited-stop service has the potential to stimulate economic development along transit corridors while reducing traffic congestion and facilitating non-auto travel.

Six pipelines blown up in Mexico

Tuesday, September 11, 2007

From an article by Reed Johnson in the Los Angeles Times:

MEXICO CITY -- -- In an apparent case of politically motivated sabotage, six explosions blew apart oil and natural gas pipelines operated by Mexico's Pemex state oil and gas monopoly early Monday in Veracruz and Tlaxcala states, causing fires and forcing the evacuation of 15,000 people from surrounding towns.

The blasts forced Pemex to shut down at least four affected pipelines and prompted federal authorities to close two major roads. No injuries were reported.

Mexico is the world's sixth-largest oil producer and a major supplier of petroleum to the U.S. The outages drove the price of oil above $78 a barrel in futures trading Monday. . . .

The attacks have hit Pemex, one of Mexico's largest revenue-generating sources, in a year when the company already is suffering from a drop in exports. Only an estimated decade's worth of reserves remain at the company's Cantarell field in the Gulf of Mexico, where production has been declining. The country depends heavily on oil production to help fill the government's coffers, and further cuts could affect government budgeting and even trigger a deeper financial emergency.

Second Thoughts on Peak Oil, discussion, Sept. 11

Dr. Robert D. Langenkamp, somewhat of a contrarian on an early end to cheap oil, will discuss his Second Thoughts on Peak Oil during a brown bag lunch at noon on Sept. 11 at 222 S. Hamilton Street.

Anyone may attend and participate in the discussion.

Professor Langenkamp is director of the National Energy-Environment Law and Policy Institute at the University of Tulsa. After 15 years as a trial lawyer, he left private practice to serve in the U.S. Department of Energy as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Oil, Natural Gas & Shale Resources (1977-1981) and as Deputy Assistant Secretary, Naval Petroleum and Oil Shale Reserves and Divestment (1997-1998). He lectures and writes in the areas of oil and gas, privatization and energy policy.

He is the recipient of numerous awards including among many others, the Patriotism in Energy Award from the International Society of Energy Advocates, the Silver Medal for Outstanding Service to the U.S. Department of Energy and the Fenell Award for Public Policy. His career has taken him to Ghana for the African Financial Summit in 1999, Kazakhstan, Georgia, Turkey as a consultant for USAID, Romania, where he headed a U.S. Energy delegation to Bucharest, and Venezuela to negotiate nationalization of petroleum assets owned by certain U.S. interests. He was a consultant for Hagler-Bailly (USAID) in Kazakhstan, Georgia, prior to returning to the TU College of Law faculty. Professor Langenkamp received his undergraduate degree magna cum laude from Stanford University and the JD from Harvard Law School.

Oil refinery expansion raises lots of questions

Monday, September 10, 2007

From a column by James Rowen in The Capital Times:

You can expect to be reading and hearing a lot in the weeks and months ahead about Murphy Oil, and don't confuse it with the furniture cleanser that Colgate-Palmolive sells as Murphy Oil Soap.

We're talking Murphy Oil Co., the Arkansas-based energy company that sells gasoline under the Spur brand, and separately under Murphy signs at about 1,000 Wal-Marts around the country.

And runs the only oil refinery in Wisconsin.

The refinery is tucked somewhat out of sight and mind in Superior, on the Great Lake by the same name, where Murphy Oil cranks out 35,000 gallons of gasoline a day.

If it can find an investment partner with deep pockets, Murphy wants to spend $6 billion on a substantial expansion to 235,000 gallons a day.

That's a big increase.

And one that will become a matter of debate and concern, for several political and environmental reasons, given the nature of the oil refining business and Murphy Oil's headline-grabbing history. . . .

James Rowen is a Milwaukee writer and consultant who blogs at http://thepoliticalenvironment.blogspot.com.

Ethanol producer: E85 sold at high profit margin

A story by in the Marshfield News-Herald:

Considering the high price of gasoline, E85 fuel should be a lot cheaper, said Ray Rhodes of Marshfield.

Rhodes' flexible fuel vehicle can use either straight gasoline or E85, a mix of 85 percent ethanol and 15 percent gasoline.

Most central Wisconsin communities have only one gas station selling E85.

The Store, 1505 W. McMillan St., Marshfield, sells E85 for around $2.70 a gallon, while regular gas hovers around $3.13 a gallon. The Store is a franchise of the Schierl Co. based in Stevens Point.

"It's a monopoly," said Bob Sather, the chairman of the board of directors of Ace Ethanol of Stanley. The company makes ethanol for E85 fuel.

The pure ethanol Ace produces sells for less than $2 a gallon and is bought by the companies that blend the gasoline and ethanol to create E85, Sather said.

"They could sell E85 for less than $2.50 a gallon and still make a profit. But E85 is in competition with their gasoline, so they set the margin way higher," said Sather.

Another contributing factor is that most E85 fuel is blended by the major petroleum companies. They also require that branded franchises purchase E85 from the flagship brand.

"If it's a Shell station, the owner must buy the E85 from Shell. It works like that for all big oil," he said.

The cost of E85 will come down when there isn't a monopoly on blending the fuel, Sather said.

"If you control the supply, you dictate the price," said Sather.

To find locations selling E85 fuels, log on to the Web site e85refueling.com.

Keep energy efficiency in mind in flood repairs

Friday, September 07, 2007

A letter to the editor of The Capital Times from PSC Chair Dan Ebert:

Dear Editor: On behalf of the Public Service Commission, I would like to extend our well wishes to those affected by the recent flooding in the state. Home and business owners are now facing what must seem to be an insurmountable hurdle as they look to rebuild their lives.

One state program that may be valuable at this difficult moment is Focus on Energy.

The state's energy efficiency and renewable energy initiative works with Wisconsinites in areas such as home or business energy audits, home evaluations, and design and construction consultation.

Additionally, incentive and rebate programs are available to aid with energy savings and the purchase of energy-efficient equipment, including furnaces, water heaters and clothes washers, which are items often ruined during basement flooding.

Though saving energy is certainly not top-of-mind as communities begin to rebuild from the floods, it is something to consider as cleanup ends and replacement of equipment and reconstruction of homes and businesses begins. By inquiring about residential, renewable and business offerings, people who have had the misfortune of flood damage may find savings on their future energy costs.

Help is available by contacting Focus on Energy at 800-762-7077, and more information about its programs is available on its Web site, www.focusonenergy.com.

Dan Ebert, chairperson, Public Service Commission of Wisconsin

Dairyland Power gets grant to study biomass cogeneration

Thursday, September 06, 2007

An article from the La Crosse Tribune:

La Crosse-based Dairyland Power Cooperative has been awarded a $50,000 federal grant for a study for a biomass cogeneration project at Western Wisconsin Energy’s ethanol plant near Boyceville, Wis.

The Rural Business Opportunity Grant, from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, will help finance a study of the feasibility of generating electricity and steam from ethanol plant co-products and/or other biomass byproducts at the ethanol plant. Distiller’s dried grains with solubles is one ethanol co-product that might be used for energy production.

Dairyland and WWE will study the possibility of locating a cogeneration facility next to the ethanol plant. Dairyland or its agent could produce electricity to help satisfy renewable energy requirements. And waste steam and heat from the facility could be used by WWE to reduce costs and improve the net energy value of ethanol production.

Gasoline stations sue ethanol operation

Wednesday, September 05, 2007

A story by Bob Meyer on the Web site of Brownfield Network:

A group of 42 gasoline stations in northeastern Wisconsin have filed suit against ethanol producer, Utica Energy LLC and its retailer, Renew 85. The suit claims Utica violated the Wisconsin Unfair Sales Act by selling 10, 20 and 85% ethanol fuel for less than the required minimum price from mid-August until the end of December last year. The $12 million suit not only seeks damages but also asks for a permanent injunction to prevent Renew from selling fuel for vehicles. An attorney for Utica Energy describes the suit as big oil ganging up on Renew and Utica.

This is not the first time that renewable fuels producers have been charged with violating the state’s minimum mark-up law however Governor Jim Doyle has told officials not to pursue such cases.

Utica Energy LLC has a 52 million gallon ethanol plant in the Town of Utica near Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The plant began production in April, 2003 and expanded to its current capacity in November, 2004.

U.S. leads world in petrol consumption

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Hans Noeldner caught this item:

Petrol consumption per capita for transport (litres per person) 2003

US - 1635.2
Europe - 275.6
Australia - 907.7
Japan - 452.1
Canada - 1203.7
China - 44.6
India - 9.6

Source = Sidney Morning Herald

We've confused Transportation with Access, and Earth is bleeding.

Energy: The 1st Challenge of the 21st Century

Monday, September 03, 2007

From the Association for the Study of Peak Oil - USA (ASPO-USA):

ASPO Week in Houston (Oct. 17-20) will consist of four days of high-level energy discussions, day and evening presentations, and mix & greet receptions with speakers and sponsors. In addition, we've planned field trips to an oil well drilling site and Refinery Row on the Houston Ship Channel, our nation's largest refining and petrochemical center. The $15 billion complex stretches 50 miles from the Port of Houston, past the NASA Space Flight Center, ending at Galveston and the Gulf of Mexico. We adapt our Conference theme from the historic words transmitted by U.S. astronauts from space to Mission Control in Houston.

Confirmed speakers include T. Boone Pickens (pioneer oilman & acquisition expert), Houston Mayor Bill White (former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy), Bob Hirsch (co-author of the groundbreaking Hirsch-Bezdek Report to DOE), Peter Tertzakian (author of "A Thousand Barrels a Second"), Matthew Simmons, (author of "Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock"), Henry Groppe of Groppe, Long & Littell, Art Smith of John S. Herold, Inc., U.S. Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R-Del.), Chairman Elizabeth Ames Jones of the Texas Railroad Commission, Chris Skrebowski of the London Energy Institute, Charles Maxwell of Weeden & Co., David Hughes of the Canadian Geological Survey, Jeremy Gilbert of Barrelmore Ltd. (and recently retired Chief Petroleum Engineer for BP), Professor Peter Bishop of the University of Houston, and many others.

Ice, cold, ecological risks may hamper arctic oil rush

Sunday, September 02, 2007

From the NationalGeographic.com:

The prospect of vast oil and gas reserves beneath the Arctic Ocean has prompted countries to begin evaluating exploration options to assess what's really at stake.

By one estimate, 400 billion barrels of oil might lie beneath the Arctic seabed.

"The Arctic Commons area is many times larger than Iraq and could contain significant hydrocarbon reserves, with none of the attendant … political risks" of the Middle East, the industry group United Oil and Gas Consortium Management Corporation asserts on its Web site.

But even as observers debate about who really owns the Arctic and will have rights to the potential cornucopia, other experts are warning that dangerous ice, extreme cold, and the risk of environmental catastrophe will pose serious barriers.