No more toys for the Veep! And some good wind news.

(Link and title updated Jan 8. Orig post 12/21.)

Probably shoud be re-captioned "The organ grinder and his monkey do fire safety."

http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Fire-damages-White-House-compound-President-Bush/ss/events/us/121907whitehousefire#/071219/ids_photos_ts/r3210503670.jpg

The immediate question is- why does the VP find it so amusing that his office just burned?

While this was going on, the Senate was busy passing a farm bill that included the tax credits for wind energy development that did not make it into the energy bill.

http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/071219/law060.html?.v=101


I don't understand it, but I am sure glad something happened with renewables this year.
Can't wait to see what happens when the bill gets to the Prez's desk - if he still has one.

Back to the fire-- the investigation isn't complete as to the cause, but one has to wonder-- given the Veeep's antics with a shotgun awhile back-- maybe he was playing with matches or candles in his office just before this happened.

Can we maybe just keep the toys AWAY from this guy?

Be safe and Have fun

Good news, bad news and the usual HYPOCRISY

There is good news and bad news: The Senate passed an energy bill with fuel efficiency standards. That is one small start in weaning us from dependence on the nutcases who sell us oil.
But, the Senate version failed to remove tax credits for oil companies

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/071214/congress_energy.html

The White House has said the taxes would lead to higher energy costs and
unfairly single out the oil industry for punishment. A Democratic analysis
showed that the $13.5 billion over 10 years amounted to 1.1 percent of the net
profits that five largest oil companies would be expected to earn given today's
oil prices.

So What- the poor politicians have to line their pockets somehow. I would have liked to see this money in the treasury instead of Mr. Exxon’s (et al) pocket- but we can’t have everything.
Of larger concern is the refusal of our "leaders" to extend the same favor to alternative energy companies.

http://capwiz.com/windenergy/issues/votes/?votenum=425&chamber=S&congress=1101&alertid=10669821

Today, the key vote on the Reid Substitute Energy Bill Amendment that would have
extended the Production Tax Credit (PTC) for an additional 2-years and created a
small wind tax credit fell 1 vote short of reaching the 60 votes needed to
overcome a filibuster.

http://biz.yahoo.com/ap/071214/congress_energy.html

Tax breaks for a wide range of clean energy industries, including wind, solar,
biomass and carbon capture from coal plants, were part of the tax package that
was dropped. Senate Democrats earlier also abandoned a House-passed provision
that would have required investor-owned utilities nationwide to generate 15
percent of their electricity from solar, wind and other renewable sources.

So, we basically have blinders to the issues of climate change and national security.
And our stupidity has now extended to the world.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&refer=home&sid=aaK9_wDM.TTo

Negotiators at United Nations climate talks agreed to U.S. demands, dropping
specific targets on greenhouse-gas emissions from a draft document in order to
salvage an agreement that will guide discussions on a global-warming treaty over
the next two years.
``The U.S. are acting like first class passengers on a
jumbo jet who believe that a catastrophe in economy class won't affect them,''
said Tony Juniper, director of London-based environmental group Friends of the
Earth International, at the Bali meeting. ``If we go down, we go down
together.''

Yep! Arrogance!

BUT - one small step. Al Gore, who insists on telling us how we should live our individual lives, has finally gotten a clue with respect to his own use.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/POLITICS/12/13/gore.home.ap/index.html?iref=mpstoryview

Al Gore, who was criticized for high electric bills at his Tennessee mansion,
has completed a host of improvements to make the home more energy efficient, and
a building-industry group has praised the house as one of the nation's most
environmentally friendly.

Way to go Al!

Finally, adding insult to injury: It seems from the info I have so far, that the Reid substitute energy bill that failed by one vote, included some language about cleaner coal technology. This measure failed by one vote. Both Wyoming Senators- as I get it- voted against this amendment.

THEN, our Senator Enzi released a statement to the press saying how disappointed he was that the Energy bill that did pass did not contain language for clean coal. Hypocrite!

Be Happy, Stay safe!

Well, DO Something!

The biggest bugaboo in the pending Energy Bill is the requirement for most utility companies to generate 15% of their electricity with renewables by 2020. The objection by SoCo and others (see below) is the cost. Seems like the wind doesn’t blow in the south (nor does the sun shine!?)

Okay. Here’s a compromise. Suppose SoCo really can not meet the 15% requirement by 2020. So, what if Company B, over in TX, reaches 20%. (You seen the windmills going up in TX? Amazing!) So, maybe company B in Texas could sell some credits to poor old lagging SoCo. Is this really so hard?

I presume most of you reading this know how to contact your Senators. If not, here is a link that might help.

http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/

Geez, folks. Tell your elected officials to WAKE UP. The rest of the world is really scratching their collective head over our inability to get with the program. This is not about tree hugging anymore! It’s about a way of life that needs to change.

If you are an RVer, and you are reading this, I know you are worried about the new CAFÉ standards. Get over it. RVs will continue to exist. They may change (smaller is good-- see my discussion of my PUC by clicking on the archives!) But we will continue to have RVs IF we have a place to go with them. If we don’t get a handle on this global warming issue soon, you can bet there will be more detrimental changes to our lifestyle than merely the cost of fuel or the size of our rigs.

Be Happy, Stay Safe

The Bucks are Flowing in D C (Again!)

$7.26 million. That is how much Southern Company, ONE UTILITY COMPANY, has spent lobbying congress against a provision in the energy bill currently under debate.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601070&sid=acdJZHj_UlBI&refer=home

Seems like SoCo’s execs fear change. Seems like they need some new leadership.

They get it in Europe. And they are finding ways to make windpower work and they are bringing down the cost!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14802476/


And, if our politicians fear there is no money in this for them, think again. Renewables are attracting and generating big bucks. Be nice, Senators, and maybe you’ll get some of the money floating around.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21424258


But it is not just the utility companies with a problem here. Seems SoCo’s exec met with one each Senator Dingell, (D. Michigan) and proposed some compromise (see Bloomberg link above. ) The Senator apparently plugged his ears, squeezed his eyes shut, and kicked his feet. You get the picture.

Maybe if we had a National Leader with more than a whisp of wind between his ears, he could step over to the halls of congress and knock some heads and find a way for everyone to play nice and arrive at some compromises. Soon!

This blog is not intended to be another political rant. There is enough of that crap around. But this whole global warming thing is of prime interest to those of us who enjoy the outdoors, as well as anyone who hopes to have grandchildren and great grandchildren enjoying what has been built over the last few generations.

Warm Your Senator's Globe - TODAY!

The debate about climate change continues. It comes to the fore this week because of an energy bill being debated by our so-called leaders.

There seems to be two main pieces of the argument over climate change:

Firstly, is the earth really warming? Well, the evidence seems to suggest it is. We have measurements and photos of our polar ice caps shrinking and Greenland melting AND we know- first hand- that our frozen Margaritas don’t last as long as they used to while we run around in our boats on ever-shallower reservoirs. Yep- we’re getting warmer and drier.

The most contentious issue seems to be the cause of that warming: Is it man-made or nature at work? Regardless of where you place yourself in this argument, you simply can NOT argue that all the crap² from power plants, refineries, factories and tail pipes is a good thing. (If you do believe this stuff is good, here is a test: Go to your garage. Start your car. Sit down next to the tailpipe and breathe deeply. Problem solved.)

So- everyone left standing after that experiment should concede that whether or not our SUVs, Humvees, RVs, etc are melting the icecaps, the stuff they are spewing is not so good. Likewise the guck that comes out of power plants, factories, malls, etc-- which by the way is a bigger factor in CO2 release than our go-carts.

I said people should concede this point. But many won’t. This bunch just can’t fathom (or won’t admit) that there might be a better, more efficient way to power this country in the next century and beyond. They will tell you that we will always need carbon fuels and any argument for alternative energy is a hoax.

Let’s look at some of the arguments the pro carbon-fuelers use:

Argument: Nature has had warming and cooling cycles for millions of years.

True. But those cycles were not nearly as inconvenient before the human showed up with the need for never ending supplies of water, food, comfort and stuff.

Argument: Carbon Dioxide occurs naturally in the atmosphere, so what we are adding can’t hurt us.

The first part is true-- the second part not so clear. Any excess, whether we’re talking tail pipe emissions or Margaritas, isn’t a great idea

Argument: We are not running out of oil.

I don’t know whether this is true or not. I haven’t had the opportunity to look deep into the earth and view the pools. One thing about oil is certain. It is getting more expensive and more inconvenient to come by. It’s not just Iraq and Iran and other middle-eastern countries where supplies are threatened. Look around the world. Nicaragua, a major oil source, is in constant upheaval-- putting oil field workers at constant risk. Venezuela is under the thumb of a certifiable nut case and other central and South American countries are about as stable as Watts in the 1960s. And, right here in the good ole U S of A, new exploration is stymied due to any number of creatures. Oil may or may not be in short supply in the ground, but it is going to continue to get more expensive due to the difficulty of recovery and ever increasing need. Eco 101: Supply and demand

AND- transportation is getting messier. Counting the news today, in the last two months we have seen three major oil spills from tankers. You don’t have to be a raging environmentalist to wonder what this is doing to our shrimp cocktails and crab salads.

Which brings us back to the discussion of cost for choices such as more efficient transportation or alternative energy sources for lighting, heating and cooling- some of which we will need no matter which way Mother Nature twists. The currently perceived low efficiency and high cost of alternatives fuel the arguments against their development and use; hence the arguments over what to include in an energy bill.

But, if carbon fuels become more expensive, then alternatives will be relatively cheaper. AND, the more we develop, the cheaper those alternative sources will become. Again, Econ 101: Mass production.

Case in point: As someone who spent many years working with large, mainframe computers, I can reliably point out that the computing power you have on your desk today would have required a room full of very expensive equipment only thirty years ago. And, even if you had such equipment, the capabilities and reliability of that investment were far less than your current laptop.

The point is-- the more hydrogen and battery and solar and wind and wave and geothermal we develop, the better we will get at it and the cheaper it will become. Thus, if oil is going to get MORE expensive and other sources LESS expensive- which would you choose to use to heat or cool your home or power your go-mobile in twenty years? If we have a choice of losing lives over oil due to world unrest and crackpot despots or increasing jobs through the development and manufacture of new technologies, which side of THAT argument do you want to take?

If you are going to opt for a more peaceful, quieter, cleaner, smarter world in twenty years, then today is the day we need a comprehensive energy policy. That means the politicians who supposedly represent our interests need to do something more than engage in partisan bickering. They need to do more with the current energy bill than line their pockets with the potential special interest money available. Call or write your Senators today and tell her/him what you would like for your kids and grandkids. It’s not hard to figure out.

Be safe and Have Fun!

The Money Stays Home - for a change!

Sometimes there are more important things to think about than camping. (Hard to believe- I know!)

Lately, there has been a bunch of distractions.

No - I haven’t lost my mind (such as it is.)

One such distraction came to my attention yesterday on an NBC morning report.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/22067391/


When I hear or read about “THE STARS” and their grandiose efforts to help troubled peoples, it is generally people outside the country. They go to India, Bangladesh, various African countries, China, God knows where. (Sometimes they just go to Baja to pet the whates - but that's another thing!) I do understand there are needs in those countries, but DAMNIT, there are people in this country with needs, too!

The people of the 9th Ward in New Orleans, devastated over two years ago by Hurricane Katrina, are one such group.

Evidently, the tons of aid that poured into that city through donations and tax dollars immediately after the disaster was either misspent or mismanaged. I say “evidently,” because after all this time the neighborhood is still in shambles.

NOW comes BRAD PITT who seems to get it.

He “GETS” that there are people in this country who need help. He “GETS” that previous efforts have gone astray. He “GETS” that he can do something about the mess.

And he is doing so. Not just with lip service, but with $$$.

According to NBC, Mr. Pitt has pledged $5 million of his own money, along with $5 million from another private donor, and started a non-profit foundation- “MAKE IT RIGHT” - to assist the people of the Ninth Ward in getting back into homes of their own.

He has solicited assistance from architects and others to design homes that are supposed to be “safe, affordable, sustainable, secure and of high design quality.”

http://www.makeitrightnola.org/


As I get it, from the NBC story and the foundation’s web site, the money that has been raised to date, and the money to come, will be used to supplement residents’ own money to help them build and occupy new homes that are energy efficient and designed to withstand future weather traumas in the area.

The Make-it-Right organization reportedly has enough money to get the first 150 homes built. Mr. Pitt is hoping for more money. There were reportedly 5,000 homes lost in the area.

For you cynics who say this is a publicity stunt, etc., I say for $5 million cash, BP can have his publicity. In the meantime, the money and the effort are staying AT HOME and people who have been let down or forgotten by other organizations may have one more chance to re-group and re-build their lives.

THANKS BRAD PITT!