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Actually that price is not to bad depending on the damage to your Regal.. It could have had some structural damage they had to pull, replace, etc.... If they bought parts made in the USA that will up the cost, but more than likely it's a better product!!! Painting is very labor intensive and the cost of petrolium paints is going up in price too....
I restore old cars and boats for a living... Most of you probably think that is terrible and I should pony up and just buy a Prius, but I call it RECYCLING when I put a piece of history back on the road or water!!!
The increase in price much to do with the devaluation of the dollar after Nixon took the US off the gold standard in 1973. However, you are correct in that the price of regulatory costs upon private industry are passed to the consumer.
Paint today is also far better and more durable than the $25/gallon paint used on cars decades ago.
Most eastern areas at the turn of the last century were using Pennsylvania anthracite, it's proximity to those cities being one of the reasons. Anthracite is smokeless and soot free and was sold all up down the east coast for both commercial and home heating needs. That gave way to oil after the first world war which is still used a lot today.
Certainly some of the issues with smog on the West Coast might be comparable.
China itself has a lot of cottage industries, people using poor quality coal for heat, charcoal for heat and many other issues that make images like the one depicted above possible.
Was Bethlehem, PA using this Anthracite? I know it was soot covered, but was that just from the Steel Mills?
The blue flame is indication of complete combustion. Anthracite is nearly pure carbon and does not contain the volatiles or impurities common to soft coal. It's these volatiles or impurities that produce soot and smoke.
What would you know that I don't? I have a lifetime of experience, knowledge and observation. If you wanted to nit pick and suggest there might be some soot or smoke that is not visible to the human eye you would be correct but that would be the case with any fossil fuel like natural gas and certainly doesn't apply to the image you posted.
As far as Pittsburgh goes that is in western Pennsylvania far away from the anthracite fields in Northeastern Pennsylvania and would be the result of soft coal usage and certainly exacerbated by the heavy use by the steel industry located there.
I grew up north of Scranton, PA, and pictures of my grandfather's and great grandfather's didn't show to be soot free. Could have been from other pollutants though, I don't know. I'm not doubting your info, just wondering what caused what I see in old family photos.
Oil, Outrageously expensive
Propane, See above.
Electric, See above.
Wood, Still more than coal and a lot more work.
Ground sourced heat pump, long term probably worth it but time constraints nixed that idea.
Natural gas is not in this list because there is no source from the street.
I'd have to be a fool not choose to coal.
sham you couldn't get the ground sourced heat pump. definitely a fantastic option for anyone starting from scratch.
That's full cord or face cord? If you're getting a full cord of split and seasoned hardwood for $100 that's pretty cheap. In this area that would go for about $180 to $200. Some places a cord might be as high as $300. Of course it's "free" if you're cutting it yourself.
1 ton of anthracite is anywhere from 24 to 28MBTU, delivered it's about $180 per ton. The big difference comes in with the efficiencies. A coal boiler is going to be between 80 to 90%, recent one that just came on the market had preliminary rating of 92%. I can put my hand on the flue pipe at just about any time, I know you can't say that. Wood stoves are not nearly as efficient, I know I've seen some numbers quoted as low as 40% using unseasoned wood in OWB.
Of course there is other benefits, no bugs, burns when it's wet, much smaller storage space, etc. The only advantage of wood in this area is less ash.
What is funny is you're making fun of me about my coal yet you're the one that is a slave to a wood stove. Mine is automated but even with the hand fired stoves you can easily get 12 hour burn out of them throwing some considerable heat. One of my forum members was able to get more than 40 hours with it turned down to nothing.
As far as the solar goes I was considering that myself,my house is a poor site for it because I'm on the die of a hill and there is trees directly behind the house. Sun barely hits it much even in the summer. I was figuring since I could get half of it paid for by the governement and then get the rest of it paid for by ratepayers through PA's green credit it might be a good idea. What do you think? Not a bad idea since it's not me paying for it?
American public opinion determines what will happen with the environment. Most Republican voters I know don't want the Smoky Mountains to be deforested and strip mined. The worst case senario is some air/ water quality standards are rolled back slightly.
why do so many politicians running propose aboloshing the EPA if that's the worst case?
Actually that price is not to bad depending on the damage to your Regal.. It could have had some structural damage they had to pull, replace, etc.... If they bought parts made in the USA that will up the cost, but more than likely it's a better product!!! Painting is very labor intensive and the cost of petrolium paints is going up in price too....
I restore old cars and boats for a living... Most of you probably think that is terrible and I should pony up and just buy a Prius, but I call it RECYCLING when I put a piece of history back on the road or water!!!
reduce and reuse come before recycle....but it's not a bad thing what you're doing.
I remember the Delaware River in Philadelphia. There was every type of garbage and sewage you could imagine floating next to the docks and shore. The odor was enough to knock a horse over. There were rats as big as cats roaming everywhere. No one in their right mind would fish in that water.
Years after the EPA and a major cleanup. That same area now has swimmers and the strip bass fishing is pretty good. Other fish returned to the area and the river parks are now a pleasure to visit.
I have no doubt that if the EPA is abolished we will return to the same polluted mess with vulture capitalists like Romney stuffing their pockets at the expense of American citizens.
I am posting twice here because of two separate situations.
With the EPA in control you really need to take a look at what has been done in southern VA, WVa, and Kentucky with strip mines. In searching for a mountain spot where I could take photographs I found something that looked straight out of a science fiction movie. A strip mine where the mountain tops were being destroyed by blowing them up. If it were a small area it wouldn't be so bad but this strip mine was as far as I could see and miles wide. It looked like it was hit with a major meteor or the aftermath of a nuclear explosion. If I wanted to film what I thought was doomsday this would be it.
Deforestation, run-off pollution, air pollution all to mine coal for China.
This is with the EPA. Can you imagine what it would be without the EPA?
Many say we need jobs. More importantly we need water we can drink and air we can breath.
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