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Another Clinton 2.0 or,...., gasp,....., Dumbya 2.0 is not what this country needs.
"Jeff Ruch, the head of the public-employee whistleblowing group, said that as in many other regulatory agencies, Obama political appointees in the Interior Department's notoriously troubled Minerals Management Service (MMS) have not taken enough steps to reverse the anti-environmental and anti-science policies of the Bush years.
"For the most part, the Obama team is still the Bush team," Ruch told HuffPost, noting that beyond a thin layer of political appointees, offices like MMS are run by managers who were "promoted during the Bush years -- In many instances, promoted for basically violating the law. And from what we can tell, their conduct hasn't changed."
Futhermore, Ruch said, Obama "sees environmental issues as a political bargaining chip."
Indeed, Obama's decision to increase offshore drilling was widely seen as a way of getting some Republican support for the administration's climate change bill."
"Using some ingenious thinking, including the use of an old cooking pot to hold electronic components, they create a completely silent 45 mile per hour carbon free motorcycle in just a weeks time, perfect for city commuting."
"After prepared testimony which centered around the executives pointing fingers at each other and deflecting blame, the best moment of the session came when Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA) attempted to hone in on exactly what BP was going to pay for."
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"Interior Secretary Ken Salazar called for a plan to split the Minerals Management Service in two. One agency would be charged with inspecting oil rigs, investigating oil companies and enforcing safety regulations, while the other would oversee leases for drilling and collection of billions of dollars in royalties. That would separate the agency's two core responsibilities, which critics say are diametrically opposed--making money off the industry, while also cracking down on it in ways that may affect the industry's bottom line.
"The tragedy aboard the Deepwater Horizon and the massive spill for which BP is responsible has made the importance and urgency of our reform agenda even clearer," Salazar said."
"Unfortunately, nothing was going to stop the federal government from restarting that plant, and so it did. I'll never forget what happened at TMI, and this is why I have become horribly uncomfortable as news trickles out about the BP calamity.
There are many freaky coincidences between these two events, which ironically involve two new energy priorities for this administration: nuclear power and offshore oil drilling.
After TMI, the nuclear industry was quick to say that the accident had a sobering effect and that serious accidents would never happen again. However, both the nuclear and oil industries' records reflect grudging acquiescing to safety and refusals to acknowledge problems or take effective steps to prevent accidents. The problem is not one of old technology or failed systems that are fixable. The problem is the corporate culture that permeates the energy industry, a culture that protects problem-ridden energy sources even if it means failing to protect the public or properly compensating those they hurt.
A month after the TMI accident, President Carter announced his strong support for an expanded nuclear power program. Within days, close to 100,000 people poured into Washington for a massive rally to demand an end to the United State's growing dependence on nuclear power. A moratorium on new plants held for three decades. This is clearly a new day and a brand new public outcry is what's needed to end offshore drilling, stop the resurgence of nuclear power, and ensure a safe and clean energy future."
Man we really need to reduce or just drop those oil subsidies.
"On the day of Tesla's IPO, Richard Lowenthal of Coulomb Technologies (http://www.coulombtech.com/solutions.php - broken link)resh Dialogues interview, Lowenthal, a Silicon Valley based maker of charging stations, argues that a comprehensive network of charging stations is a vital prerequisite for the successful roll out of electric cars such as the Tesla, Smart Car, Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf in the next two years." discusses the vital role of charging stations in creating a thriving ecosystem for electric vehicles like Tesla Roadster. In an exclusive F
Kind of reminds one of Hitler thinking that a miracle weapon will save him. The probelm was he could build them as time was short. Any aterantive will take deacdes to amoun tto anyhtig which is why there is a scramble to obtain crude for the future when demand rises agasin. Even stiluls maney of all spent on aternative infrastructure for just vehicel fual wouldn;t do it. Then there are the 19000 ohter products to be repalced.
Kind of reminds one of Hitler thinking that a miracle weapon will save him. The probelm was he could build them as time was short. Any aterantive will take deacdes to amoun tto anyhtig which is why there is a scramble to obtain crude for the future when demand rises agasin. Even stiluls maney of all spent on aternative infrastructure for just vehicel fual wouldn;t do it. Then there are the 19000 ohter products to be repalced.
Although this was from another thread, it is relevant for those that claim we just don't have the time, money and resources to develop alternative sources of energy.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kovert
What I find hard to believe is that as a nation we have spent over 3 trillion dollars of tax payer money subsidizing wars for fossil fuel companies, in addition to the the other tax subsidies they were receiving; and not to forget the priceless loss and pain our service men have suffered along with their families for building up infrastructure for people who would suicide bomb us given a shot.
What is even harder to swallow is the slightest thought of moving government investment and subsidies toward renewable, non-nuclear (well fusion could be a worthy endeavor) sources of energy that will not eventually run out, or updating our grid to handle new and up and coming technologies, some will say, we just don't got the money, or its too big or even cry socialism.
For all our support for the fossil fuel cartel, they have recently rewarded us with price gouging at the pump and the destruction of our ecosystem (which by the way, they will strive to get tax payers to foot the bill for).
Lets end the strangle hold the fossil fuel gang has over our civilization. Lets put our manpower, time and resources where it belongs: building up the nation for the 21st century.
21st Century, here we come (http://inhabitat.com/2010/07/02/first-electric-highway-to-be-i-5-from-canada-to-oregon/#more-133204 - broken link)!
"Washington state is about to turn a section of Interstate-5 — all the way from Canada to Oregon — into the nation’s first electric highway. Thanks to a $1.32 million federal grant, they’ll be able to install 10 Level-3 electric charging stations (http://inhabitat.com/2009/12/15/new-york-gets-its-first-ever-electric-vehicle-charging-station/ - broken link) along the route. Each station is capable of charging at 400 volts and 30 amps or more and at these stations a typical EV would be 80% charged in just about 30 minutes. Plug in, grab a cup of coffee, chat with fellow travelers, and be on your way."
It's a cool idea, I think the problem is how to get the energy to us. They would need massive cables to handle that much electricity, and the cables would be extremely hot. Plus, that much cable would be incredibly expensive. I read that someone was working on self cooling cables, which would help a lot.
It's a cool idea, I think the problem is how to get the energy to us. They would need massive cables to handle that much electricity, and the cables would be extremely hot. Plus, that much cable would be incredibly expensive. I read that someone was working on self cooling cables, which would help a lot.
"The government is handing out nearly $2 billion for new solar plants that President Barack Obama says will create thousands of jobs and increase the use of renewable energy sources.
Obama announced the initiative in his weekly radio and online address Saturday, saying the money is part of his plan to bring new industries to the U.S."
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