Geothermal Plant in Hawaii Accidentally Strikes Liquid Hot Magma
Although this event occurred in 2005 at Ormat Technology’s Puna Geothermal Plant on the Big Island of Hawaii, scientists only recently released a full analysis of the nature of this discovery and the events surrounding it.
Basically, engineers at the Puna Plant, which opened in 1993 and produces 30 MW of commercial power, were drilling a standard injection hole into the earth when, at a depth of 2488 m, they hit a pool of dacite magma. At this point, the magma flowed 5.5 m up the wellbore (which is 26 cm diameter) where it cooled and solidified. Engineers attempted to drill more holes in that vicinity– all of which also struck magma. READ MORE
All New Cars in CA Have Environmental Impact Labels
As of January 1, every 2009 model year and newer car sold in California now carries a label that ranks that vehicle’s environmental impact. The label can be found under the hood on the emissions control information label. There are two rankings (global warming score and smog score) on a scale from 1 to 10, with five being the average score in the state. The more environmentally friendly a car is, the higher the ranking.
Check out this link to see the top 10 cleanest cars.
Venezuela Ends Heating Oil Program to U.S. Poor Due to Budget
For the past three years, Venezuela’s state oil company has provided heating oil to low-income households in the U.S. through it’s subsidiary, Citgo Petroleum. Venezuelan leader, Hugo Chavez, began this program after meeting with the Reverend Jesse Jackson a few years ago. For Chavez, the program was a chance to tweak the U.S. government, with which he is constantly at odds.
However, with the dramatically lower price of oil, Venezuela is no longer able to afford these subsidies and has announced it will be ending the program. And while Chavez relies heavily on payments to the poor in order to maintain his legitimacy, once oil fell below $90 per barrel, Venezuela’s budget became unsustainable. Naturally, foreign subsidies like this program are the first to be cut. Whether he has the money, or not, Chavez cannot afford to allow his massive domestic subsidies to wither– which is a fundamental reason why he has so strongly supported OPEC’s efforts to increase the price of oil.
Interactive Map Highlights Our Dependency on Foreign Oil
Check out this cool interactive map that was created by the Rocky Mountain Institute, as part of a grant from Google.org. The map shows how much oil the U.S. has imported, from where, and how much we have spent every month since 1973.
Google explains:
“By clicking on the green light to play, you can see the countries supplying oil to the U.S. (either in terms of barrels or dollar value) and how our imports have changed over the last 35 years. The thicker the line in the map, the more oil produced or imported.”
Watching this dynamic map just further drives home the point that we need to get off of oil now. And to answer those who chant “DBD,” we would suggest pressing the “ANWR” and “Offshore Drilling” buttons on the lower left side of the map.
NASA Uses Satellites To Track Health of Nation’s Cropland
NASA is directing its satellites to look downwards at the American Midwest, in order to analyze crop productivity and to measure the effects of shifting croplands to biofuel production.
Christopher Potter, a research scientist at NASA’s Ames Research Center, described this program at the American Geophysical Union meeting last month. His team’s research uses satellite data and computer models to track changes in greenhouse gas emissions and carbon pools resulting from the widespread agricultural transformation towards biofuels.
The satellite data is used to map the shifting vegetation cover and carbon pools in croplands. There is concern that biofuel production utilizes more crop waste, such as corn stalks, which previously would have been left in the field as fertilizer. This could result in the soil becoming less fertile for growing. READ MORE
Farm Lobby’s Straw-Man Threat May Become Real
Despite the multitude of news articles and opinion pieces in recent months published in opposition to a livestock emissions fee from the EPA, that agency has never proposed such a fee and (at least under this administration) says that it lacks the authority to even do so.
From Factcheck.org:
“This one is a case study in how lobbyists sometimes justify their own salaries by loudly fighting against hypothetical but non-existent threats from Washington.
“The source of this hokum is a misleading news release put out by the American Farm Bureau Federation on Nov. 20. The highly inaccurate headline read: “AFBF Opposes EPA-Proposed Tax on Livestock.” In truth, however, the Environmental Protection Agency hasn’t proposed any tax on livestock. In fact, the Farm Bureau’s own documentation admitted as much. READ MORE
ForceChange Newsletter
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Commission Recommends Raising U.S. Gas Tax
A failing economy may accomplish what environmental and geopolitical necessity could not– which is, cause the government to increase the national gas tax. A congressionally sponsored commission is set to recommend that the national gas tax should be raised by 10 cents per gallon in order to cover the massive shortfall the national Highway Trust Fund is facing.
The current lack of funds, which are used to reduce congestion, improve roads, and expand transit, is a result of two problems. First, the high gas prices in the beginning of 2008 and the failing economy in the end of the year, caused drivers to substantially cut-back on their driving habits. As a result, between October 2007 and September 2008, the Highway Trust Fund took in $3 billion less than it did the prior year. Second, even when Americans were driving a lot, the revenues raised by the gas tax were insufficient to properly maintain and upgrade our transportation infrastructure. READ MORE
Obama Reiterates Call for Energy Efficiency and Decreased Dependency on Foreign Oil
In his weekly video address, Obama covered major issues like health care, education, jobs, and energy. Some highlights:
“To put people back to work today and reduce our dependence on foreign oil tomorrow, we will double renewable energy production and renovate public buildings to make them more energy efficient…
“…we need an American Recovery and Reinvestment Plan that not only creates jobs in the short-term but spurs economic growth and competitiveness in the long-term. And this plan must be designed in a new way - we can’t just fall into the old Washington habit of throwing money at the problem. We must make strategic investments that will serve as a down payment on our long-term economic future. We must demand vigorous oversight and strict accountability for achieving results. And we must restore fiscal responsibility and make the tough choices so that as the economy recovers, the deficit starts to come down. That is how we will achieve the number one goal of my plan - which is to create three million new jobs…”
Before and After Photos of TVA Coal Ash Spill at Kingston Fossil Plant
NASA has released some dramatic photos of the TVA ash spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant in Tennessee. The photos show an aerial view of the site before and after the containment pond was breached, which released over 5 million cubic yards of burnt coal waste.
NASA describes the images as:
The Thematic Mapper on NASA’s Landsat 5 satellite captured these images of the Kingston Fossil Plant and its surroundings on November 20, 2008, a month before the spill (bottom); and December 22, 2008, immediately after the spill, (top). In these false-color images, water appears blue, and sediment-laden water appears light blue. Vegetation appears green, and bare ground and urbanized areas appear pinkish-brown.
In the November image, walls visibly contain two adjacent slurry ponds at the plant-one in the northwest and one in the southeast-but in the December image, the walls of the northwestern slurry pond have given way. In this image, light blue slurry covers the ground to the north and east of the plant. Sediment also clogs the nearby Emory River, evident from the waterway’s relatively light blue color.
BEFORE:
AFTER:
Hat-tip: TheDailyGreen
Europe Being Dragged Into Russia-Ukraine Natural Gas Dispute
Despite claims this week that Ukraine would permit natural gas intended for the EU from Russia to be delivered, there are reports from Poland and Hungary that deliveries from the pipeline have begun to fall. Poland is reporting a 6% decrease in deliveries and Hungary a 25% decrease.
Russia claims that Ukraine is illegally siphoning off gas intended for these countries, while Ukraine asserts that it is Russia that has decreased the output. Leaders of both nations are currently trying to make their case to EU leaders.
Russian natural gas monopoly, Gazprom says that Ukraine can no longer be trusted and that it will have to find an alternative route to get gas to Europe. Whether this is practicable remains to be seen. Fortunately, the EU nations have substantial natural gas reserves, having experienced a similar situation in 2006, the last time these two neighbors reached an impasse.
Via AFP (link may expire)
California’s Mini-Price Spike for Gasoline Continues
California, which traditionally has some of the highest gasoline prices in the nation, is continuing to see a mini-price spike that began a few weeks ago. On Friday, the average price per gallon of gas in San Diego County rose to $1.865. This marks the 16th day out of the last 18 that the price of gas has increased in that region. In comparison, the national average price is at $1.626 per gallon.
Although California prices are still way below record highs seen during the summer (San Diego peaked at $4.63), the recent volatility is a reminder of the continuing vulnerability we have as a society to this finite and polluting resource. Maybe this little price spike will act as a reminder that we cannot enter another phase of complacency.
Lake Tahoe Focuses on Climate Change Initiatives
Underlining the fact that people tend to focus on issues that effect them personally, the Lake Tahoe region in the Sierra Nevadas is joining the fight against climate change. Like Aspen, the Lake Tahoe area derives much of its revenue from snow-related tourism. With climate change threatening the very snow pack that supports these activities, Lake Tahoe is implementing a comprehensive plan to help reduce emissions.
Government agencies in the Tahoe Basin are integrating climate change policies into their immediate plans. The “Climate Change Action Plan,” being developed by the Tahoe Regional Planning Agency (TRPA), aims to increase energy efficiencies and to improve the health of the lake itself. Goals ranging from LEED certified buildings, to solar panel installations, to cleaner transportation initiatives, are all part of the plan.
Dennis Oliver of the TRPA sums up the situation:
“There’s a of focus on the lake. After all, the lake is the reason we’re here. Short of going to Beijing and having them retire their coal-fired factories, Tahoe’s goals are simple: the management of building codes and emissions.”
Ukraine Aims to Calm Fears of Natural Gas Disruption for EU
As the Russian halt of natural gas deliveries intended for Ukraine entered its second day, Ukrainian officials began touring European capitals to provide reassurances that transport of natural gas through Ukraine to the rest of Europe would continue. Since almost all natural gas delivered from Russia to EU countries must travel through Ukraine, concerns have been raised that Ukraine might divert some of that gas for its own use. This is what happened the last time Russia halted natural gas deliveries to Ukraine in 2006.
However, Ukraine asserts that it has enough natural gas reserves to last it through the winter, and regardless, will continue to permit transit of all Russian natural gas through its country to the EU. READ MORE
Michigan Law to Encourage Local Battery Production
While the federal government was busy with the travel habits of CEOs and propping up a failed business model, the state legislature in Michigan was planning for the future. Recognizing that the real technology for 21st century cars will be battery technology, the state legislature has agreed to offer up to $335 million in local tax rebates for the development of next generation car batteries. With this move, Michigan is aiming to carve out a piece of what is predicted to be a $50 billion market by 2020.
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