In keeping with the subject line of posts I will have another one onb alternatives….some good….some not so good…..but as I have been saying….it is time to FIX the damn problem and stop giving it lip service only……
There is a plentiful source of alternative energy that is being ignored……I know…Professor, do tell….do tell…..
It’s natural gas, the same fossil fuel that was in such short supply a decade ago that it was deemed unreliable. It’s now being uncovered at such a rapid pace that its price is near a seven-year low. Long used to heat half the nation’s homes, it’s becoming the fuel of choice when building new power plants. Someday, it may win wider acceptance as a replacement for gasoline in our cars and trucks.
Natural gas’ abundance and low price come as governments around the world debate how to curtail carbon dioxide and other pollution that contribute to global warming. The likely outcome is a tax on companies that spew excessive greenhouse gases. Utilities and other companies see natural gas as a way to lower emissions — and their costs. Yet politicians aren’t stumping for it.
about 27 percent of the nation’s carbon dioxide emissions come from coal-fired power plants, which generate 44 percent of the electricity used in the U.S. Just under 25 percent of power comes from burning natural gas, more than double its share a decade ago but still with room to grow.But the fuel has to be plentiful and its price stable — and that has not always been the case with natural gas. In the 1990s, factories that wanted to burn gas instead of coal had to install equipment that did both because the gas supply was uncertain and wild price swings were common. In some states, because of feared shortages, homebuilders were told new gas hookups were banned.
This is truly a low emissions industry and it is a good alternative for the foreseeable future…… then why not push it tooth and nail? Lobbyists are the main answer….too many power generating industries are paying good money to keep this off the agenda….
In the area I live there are many, many natural gas wells that have been drilled but capped…..why?….because the oil companies were looking for more oil, not natural gas….
I will be watching the next big Washington sideshow….the energy debate…..to see if alternatives are there or if the gas companies get the same deal insurance companies got in the health debate……
Isn’t natural gas a CO2 producer? 😉
It still boils down to the fact that the administration would rather hamstring the economy and cause jobs to go to third world countries than to look into something sensible such as nuclear or Picken’s Plan. That is one of the reasons that I think that it is all about wealth transfer rather than saving the planet.
I agree……..after all it is called capitalism for a reason…….Pickens had a pretty good idea but for some reason he abandoned most of it……I question his motives…….
The last things that I heard was that the market crash set his plans back and that he was having problems getting windmills. He obviously has an agenda and my cynical side does not completely trust him. I would have to wonder if he is in the same position as Gore with his carbon credit idea. In other words, he would greatly profit if his plan was adopted.
Pickens is in for the cash…he saw the possibility of huge profits……a fine motivator….at least for some…..