Comments perk has made

  • High Fructose corn syrup

    It is possible that a bit of financial bias exists in the research quoted above. Here is a recent MSM viewpoint:
    http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/10/01/cbsnews_investi ...
    On Is organic pet food worth the trouble? posted 1 year, 1 month ago 12 Responses

  • thanks

    Thanks for the levity, though I am sure you have disappointed many who were hoping that living in a big house with the a/c cranked up, watching the 100" plasma tv would soon be carbon neutral.On 'Major discovery' from MIT unpractical, and ignores present advances in solar baseload posted 1 year, 3 months ago 22 Responses

  • Maybe this explains the Obama adjustment ...

    Maybe this is why:

    http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0808/12304.html

    Obviously, it is political juggling, but could someone explain this to me? Who is for and who is against off-shore drilling here?

    It sounds like that all energy policy action is being blocked until after the election. Surprisingly, blocked by the Democrats. I read it as saying that under the new president, they will get the policy they are looking for. Or, lets make things really bad until election day. Not sure.

    Anyway, politics as usual by both parties.On More drilling in exchange for comprehensive energy legislation posted 1 year, 3 months ago 24 Responses

  • Obama

    I hope Grist isn't playing politics here.  I will think we would have roasted the other candidate for selling out to big-oil. Where is the outrage?

    Now, he is re-floating the terrible idea of using the petroleum reserve.

    Frankly, the high oil prices is the only effective cure for our fossil-fuel disease. There is a viable profit motive for conservation and alternative energy now.On More drilling in exchange for comprehensive energy legislation posted 1 year, 3 months ago 24 Responses

  • Get over it

    Just a misguided blogger. The WSJ's editorial department has nothing to do with it.

    Just like this post for climateprogress.org, nothing more than something to get your attention for reasons known to the authors.

    Yes, sometimes even content here fits the definition ( see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Troll_(Internet) ) of "trolls".On The WSJ alleges that our use of hybrids increases oil prices posted 1 year, 3 months ago 23 Responses

  • Low sulfur diesel

    The Low sulfur engines have to burn low sulfur fuel. That is what reduces the emissions, and that is the challenge. It takes more oil to get a gallon of low sulfur diesel, so there is a trade-off. Does the extra CO2 generated, catalyst chemicals and energy used during the refining process justify it? Or do we have a zero-sum game here?

    Interestingly, many older vehicles of the same weight as today's, had much better mileage (even when using the same measuring standards) due to the lack of emission control devices. Which, with the possible exception of the catalytic converter, use quite a bit of energy to "reduce emissions" We still are reducing the PPM of particulates, without really reducing the total quantity emitted.

    We have to be careful to look at the whole system and not focus just on parts per million or mileage without looking at the refinery and total emissions of the system.

    Case in point, Ethanol. The portion of ethanol in our fuel reduces mileage per gallon by up to 20%, so and 80/20 blend on a 30 MPG car will mileage to 28.8 MPG.
    On Umbra on diesel hybrids posted 1 year, 3 months ago 16 Responses

  • more details on this apparent contridiction

    I am very concerned about our environmental problems, most of which involve our use of fossil fuels. My purpose here is simple to share some knowledge so that we don't waste resources with a false "problem".

    So here goes:

    The investing public ARE the owners of a public company like Exxon. So driving up the value of its "own" stock, is simply raising the value of the stock held by the public investor that did not choose to sell it back to the corporation.

    In a stock buyback, the net worth of the company is unchanged, because they spend cash (an asset) to buy Treasury stock (another asset). However, since there are fewer shares traded, the book value per share of the stock outstanding will higher, and this book value increase usually results in a market value increase.

    When a company buys back its own stock, it is telling the investors/shareholders "we have no place to put this money to give you a better return on investment, so we are giving it back for you to invest elsewhere"

    Microsoft has been doing the same thing. They are wildly profitable and have been buying back their own stock. They have run out of profitable ideas.

    Not to defend big oil, but two of the world's biggest suppliers of solar panels are BP Solar, as in British Petroleum, and Shell Oil.On Oil companies' continued record profits tick off Democrats, consumers posted 1 year, 3 months ago 7 Responses

  • A little economics knowledge would be helpful

    1). When a company buys back stock, that money moves from the company's coffers to the investing public and mutual funds. At that point these people can decide to invest it wherever they like. This "Frees up" capital for other uses.

    2). A corporation has a legal responsibility to its shareholders to, usually, maximize net income. Sometimes that is "selfish". Just like a union is "selfish" when it asks for raises for its members, rather than investing in alternative energy. If your mutual fund owns Exxon (many do), you benefit from this.

    3). Oil company profits are based on sell price minus cost of production. Sell price is determined by world-wide supply versus demand.

    Solution to the profit "problem":

    If the world uses (demands) less oil, the profits turn to losses as the sell price drops and production cost remains constant.

    The blame is resting squarely on the people of the industrialized world who use/benefit from oil. Yes, WE are the demons. Misplaced blame won't fix it, but it if it makes you feel better, go ahead and blame Evil-Oil-Bush-Rove-Cheney.On Oil companies' continued record profits tick off Democrats, consumers posted 1 year, 3 months ago 7 Responses

  • Absolutly on target (The article, not the comments

    No resources should be wasted on new generation technologies until we have completely tapped out the conservation measures. We need to practice, as individual humans, zero-based energy budgeting. This means to ask "How can we eliminate driving?" rather than "How can we improve the efficiency of the automobile?"
    "How can we change our sleep times and life habits to reduce the need for lighting?" rather than "How do we improve these Mercury-laden compact florescent bulbs?"

    Yes, conservation hurts. Get over it.

    While we bath our brains in the soma of false hopes of a technological solution, we continue to drive our butts to bike races, kids to private schools and jobs so that we can afford Viking ranges and granite counter-tops and bigger hot tubs. Well, we are sealing our fate. CONSERVE!

    We may have to take a step backwards in time to the 1800's where the average family probably used 100 kilowatt hours a year of fossil fuels. Hey, we will all be better for it.
    On Energy efficiency is the core climate solution, part 1 posted 1 year, 4 months ago 21 Responses

  • This effect of this spill is cannot be overstated

    Due to holes remaining in the levees from Katrina that exist south of New Orleans, the danger of contamination of the wetlands there is very real.
    The very large south portion of the state contains hundreds of thousands of acres of "swamp" fed by the Mississippi that is the major breeding ground for most of the fish that we enjoy as food in the Gulf of Mexico. If this heavy, number 6 fuel oil is not contained quickly, much damage to that breeding ground will result. Thankfully, the fishing industry in LA is a strong voice and the state has prepared to mobilize significant resources to clean-up such an event as a result.

    Let's hope that clean up plan works. From some experience I can say that the "hands" that do the clean-up are from long lines of fishing Cajun families of South LA that understand this well, and they will be most diligent in that effort.On Oil spills into Mississippi River after tanker-barge collision posted 1 year, 4 months ago 9 Responses

  • But McCain cancelled

    John McCain's visit to New Orleans and Gulf oil rig was canceled due to "weather". Well, suffice to say speaking in New Orleans about opening up more off-shore drilling wouldn't pass the "smell test" today.

    Source: http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/mccain_visit_d ...On Oil spills into Mississippi River after tanker-barge collision posted 1 year, 4 months ago 9 Responses

  • Nice Video of spill right at the French Quarter

    http://videos.nola.com/nola/2008/07/coast_guard_video_oil ...
    On Oil spills into Mississippi River after tanker-barge collision posted 1 year, 4 months ago 9 Responses

  • It is worse than that, all of New Orleans smells l

    http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/07/ap_collision_c ...On Oil spills into Mississippi River after tanker-barge collision posted 1 year, 4 months ago 9 Responses

  • Am I missing something here?

    What I see is another developer ( not a very good one at that http://affordablehousingworks.org/properties.htm ) claiming to produce "green, affordable housing", with no evidence of anything green or affordable about it.

     On Ed Norton on greening affordable housing posted 1 year, 4 months ago 2 Responses

  • Very interesting idea.

    Very interesting. I looked up the energy (in BTU's)in wood and was surprised to see from 10mil BTU to 20mil BTU per cord! (http://www.daviddarling.info/encyclopedia/W/AE_wood_heat_ ...

    In many areas of the country like the deep south, pine forests fully mature in 20- 25 years from planting, providing up to 3 cords/acre/year.
    ( http://www.bugwood.org/factsheets/98-028.html )On Time to stop using the phrase 'renewable energy' posted 1 year, 4 months ago 65 Responses

  • Back to basics, attack the problem not the symptom

    Remember energy conservation? If we invested a fraction of the money spent to development more fuel efficient cars and alternative power on how virtually eliminate driving and converting to smaller, sustainable dwelling units and living habits, the energy crisis can be solved.

    We need to reduce carbon emissions on the order of 80%. That is simply not possible with hybrid or even fully electric cars and our current size homes.

    Improving energy efficiency and alternative sources like wind and solar, even nuclear is very capital-intensive-- great for the rich, not so easy for the rest of us.

    Re-framing the issue should be considering ruthless conservation methods, not incremental, capital-intensive, technologies.

    Ideas like neighborhood shared buildings - churches may be schools by day, civic meeting halls in evenings and places of worship on the Sabbath.

    Working from home is more than just possible for many, many occupations. Back to neighborhood shops and mail order large goods.

    We have to re-structure our lives, not just invent new toys.

    Ruthless conservation is cheap, difficult and guaranteed to work.
    On Time to stop using the phrase 'renewable energy' posted 1 year, 4 months ago 65 Responses

  • Politics as usual

    I recall her asking us to work to elect a Democratic majority in the House and Senate to help solve the global warming problem. Now, through biofuels, the new majority have worsened the global warming problem and created a world-wide fuel crisis.  Incredibly, not realizing the foolishness of putting food in our gas tanks, they EXPANDED the corn-ethanol program. God help us.

    We need a green party. The other two will just promise whatever we want to hear and count on us to forget it once they are elected. I bet there is a lot of joking about how forgetful the "greenies" are in the smoke-filled rooms.On Grist talks to Speaker Nancy Pelosi about climate and energy politics on the Hill posted 1 year, 4 months ago 6 Responses

  • Where is Obama on this?

    I have been following Mary's dogged campaign for some months with interest. I have sent more than a few emails with 'nary a response from the Senators from Ill. Why is Obama silent on this? For that matter, with a Democratic majority in the House and Senate, I would think this would be a great example of Republican cahoots with the Chem-boys to be played out in a public hearing.

    We know Bush administration is evil, but why the silence from the Democrats? On Bush admin ousts top EPA official over Dow Chemical pollution case posted 1 year, 6 months ago 7 Responses