How are you going to deal with the doubled cost of heating this winter? (taxes, dangerous)

[SuValley]

AH, but Usibelli is planning something or other with Wishbone, I thought? They bought the mineral rights in 97, according to their own website. The Agrium plant wants to do coal gasification, I think Usibelli wants to ship through Port MacKenzie.

I misstated reserves known-over 80 million tons with more lands on lease.

Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc.

But what can I say? It was just a remembered conversation between my Dad and Joe Sr, many many years ago

[MissingAll4Seasons]

Well, the panic has officially hit Seattle. We heat with natural gas... and the utility is already telling us that they will be doubling the price this winter so we should start "paying forward" now. Guess I'm just going to have to keep the thermostat below 50 and wear thick socks, a hat and mittens inside because they routinely have "no burn" days in the winter because of the cloud cover and "air pollution" so I can't even use my woodburning fireplace most of the time Guess it's time for blankets on all the doors and windows (in addtion to weather stripping) and living in the one room with the gas fireplace... just keep the house barely warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing.

[Barkingowl]

We have to replace our entire AC system.

[DannyL]

Originally Posted by MissingAll4Seasons

Well, the panic has officially hit Seattle. We heat with natural gas... and the utility is already telling us that they will be doubling the price this winter so we should start "paying forward" now. Guess I'm just going to have to keep the thermostat below 50 and wear thick socks, a hat and mittens inside because they routinely have "no burn" days in the winter because of the cloud cover and "air pollution" so I can't even use my woodburning fireplace most of the time Guess it's time for blankets on all the doors and windows (in addtion to weather stripping) and living in the one room with the gas fireplace... just keep the house barely warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing.

Welcome to our world.
I hope it all works out for you guys. I'm not complaining because I live in the SE, the folks in the interior are the one's I'm concerned about. I only have to deal with 0 to 20 degrees, they have to deal with literaly the grim reaper himself.

[MissingAll4Seasons]

Yep, we'll be moving to the Interior next spring... already planning ahead for the high cost of heating in those low low winter temps. I know that the occassional winter freezes here in Seattle are nothing compared to -30 or -70. Good thing I've lived in much colder climates, including AK, before so I'm not deluding myself that staying warm will be easy.

[gallon]

Originally Posted by Floyd_Davidson

The original statement though was not that it was the only mine, just that it was the only one of that size still operating.

In fact the Usibelli mine is the only operating coal mine in Alaska.

"Alaska's sole working coal mine, Usibelli Coal Mine Inc.'s operation at Healy, ..."
adn.com | mining : Cool to coal

"Currently the only operational coal mine in Alaska, ..."
Usibelli Coal Mine, Inc.

Thank you for those links Floyd. Looks as though Alaska has a tremendous energy reserve. I was surprised to read that over 90% of your energy reserves are coal. So, looking long term into the Alaskan energy future, it would make a ton of sense to locally gasify the coal. Once that is done, then you have syngas, which is the basic stock for your own economical clean synthetic fuels. You can make your own clean diesel, clean gasoline, or ethanol/methanol. All would be far cheaper than importing from lower 48 refineries. Looks like Alaska can be quite energy independent in the future. The key to getting it going would be a coal gasification plant.
Department of Energy page on gasification:

DOE - Fossil Energy: How Gasification Power Plants Work

None of this helps this coming winter of course. Hope everyone has made their plans. Check in on your neighbors too.

[Marty Van Diest]

Originally Posted by gallon

Thank you for those links Floyd. Looks as though Alaska has a tremendous energy reserve. I was surprised to read that over 90% of your energy reserves are coal. So, looking long term into the Alaskan energy future, it would make a ton of sense to locally gasify the coal. Once that is done, then you have syngas, which is the basic stock for your own economical clean synthetic fuels. You can make your own clean diesel, clean gasoline, or ethanol/methanol. All would be far cheaper than importing from lower 48 refineries. Looks like Alaska can be quite energy independent in the future. The key to getting it going would be a coal gasification plant.
Department of Energy page on gasification:

DOE - Fossil Energy: How Gasification Power Plants Work

None of this helps this coming winter of course. Hope everyone has made their plans. Check in on your neighbors too.

We won't be doing any coal gasification if the greenies have anything to do with it.

We had that big fight here in the Mat-Su and lost. Matanuska Electric wanted to put in a fluidized bed coal gasification plant but were shot down because of concerns about carbon emmissions. They are going to use natural gas instead. They are also only going to put in one plant rather than the two they had planned.

There is a lot of coal here, but I think that most of it is going to stay where it is.

There is a lot of potential for coal bed methane...I think that will be developed in most of the coal areas.

BTW...there is coal free for the taking if you know where to look. I know a few people who gather their coal every fall for the winter...for free.

[RayinAK]

I imagine that if the price of heating fuel stays so high, Alaska will produce liquid fuels form coal. It's a matter of time. The problem with these fuels is that during the production process, a lot of CO2 gas is generated, at least that's what I have read on a few reports. However, if they can figure how to avoid releasing CO2 into the air, then the problem will be solved. Just imagine having a refinery near the site where the coal deposit is? This would reduce coal transportation cost to almost nothing.

The Air Force is already testing military aircraft with jet fuel made from coal. Canada is to begin producing such fuels in the very near future, and so China, India, Australia, and Russia. What the interior, and some other areas of Alaska need is natural gas for heating, or cheaper heating fuel. Coal liquid fuels produced not too far from Fairbanks would be another great source of heating fuel for the interior, and in direct competition with heating oil.

[gallon]

Originally Posted by RayinAK

I imagine that if the price of heating fuel stays so high, Alaska will produce liquid fuels form coal. It's a matter of time. The problem with these fuels is that during the production process, a lot of CO2 gas is generated, at least that's what I have read on a few reports. However, if they can figure how to avoid releasing CO2 into the air, then the problem will be solved. Just imagine having a refinery near the site where the coal deposit is? This would reduce coal transportation cost to almost nothing.

The Air Force is already testing military aircraft with jet fuel made from coal. Canada is to begin producing such fuels in the very near future, and so China, India, Australia, and Russia. What the interior, and some other areas of Alaska need is natural gas for heating, or cheaper heating fuel. Coal liquid fuels produced not too far from Fairbanks would be another great source of heating fuel for the interior, and in direct competition with heating oil.

I read somewhere that the Air Force is building a synthetic fuels plant there in Alaska somewhere. Don't have the source for that though. For the Air Force that would be so smart. It makes both economic and strategic sense. Recall that we import 70% of our petroleum. The bad guys only need to hit the Saudi oil terminals and a few other places, and oil becomes unavailable at any price. The Air Force has the vision for their energy future, and they decisively take action. They get it.

Don't you wish politicians could do that? The two parties are consumed with blaming each other. I have seen hope however. While the parties are bashing each other, a bipartisan congressional energy group has been quietly, behind the scenes, been holding hearings and listening to witnesses (T. Boone Pickens, Robert Zubrin, others) and forming the basis for a national energy policy towards energy independence.

[Barkingowl]

Ray what does it matter how much CO2 gas is released? I'd think that the 2 volcanoes erupting in the Aleutians are putting out vastly more CO2 than a plant could ever hope to emit.