Comments Willinois has made

  • Screw Ameren

    I was once an Ameren customer and the idea that they care in the least about their customers is laughable.  If they're so worried about energy costs then they wouldn't have tripled their rates as soon as Illinois lifted the rate freeze.  I wish they spent as much on environmental improvements and customer service as they spend on political campaign contributions and public propaganda campaigns.

    Every major storm results in tens of thousands of Ameren customers without power for days or weeks because they don't maintain the lines.  Then there's the dam disaster in Missouri that could have been easily avoided and the monkey business they pulled to obstruct the investigation.

    They're only recently doing anything serious about energy efficiency programs in Illinois because the state is forcing them too.

    Ameren is a corrupt organization and their customers would be much better off if they were put out of business.On Coal utilities weigh in on the carbon policy posted 1 year, 11 months ago 6 Responses

  • China

    I'd be interested in more information on what I've read about CFL's made in China burning out faster. Does it help the environment if we have to buy twice as many when they break?  Are the extra emissions involved in shipping them overseas and making them in a nation with no environmental standards significant enough to make a point of buying American?
    Anyone have any links about those questions?On A review of compact fluorescent bulbs posted 1 year, 11 months ago 28 Responses

  • To Daniel Bell

    Good comment. That's exactly the point I was trying to make.

    I guess I've also seen enough of right wing talk radio types nit-picking Al Gore's statements to death to make him look like a liar. Do I have to see that here too?  Gore's statement was factually correct in terms of today's current output, which is what he was talking about.  On There is no comparison between Chinese and American GHG emissions posted 1 year, 11 months ago 41 Responses

  • Exactly

    "You're the ones responsible for all this mess, why should we have to pay the same penalty for it?"

    That's my point. The chart above is useful if you're interested in playing the blame game. Its not so productive if you want to solve the problem.

    As Gore said, we need to stop pointing fingers and do something. All nations have to do something because we all suffer the consequences if they don't. On There is no comparison between Chinese and American GHG emissions posted 1 year, 11 months ago 41 Responses

  • hum

    So the US should have to pay what are basically reparations and suffer more because of what we started doing before anyone knew this was going to be a problem?  Well, that makes sense in a University class room but good luck getting anywhere with that mindset politically.

    Today China and the US are the two biggest contributors so both need to reduce emissions. Letting China off the hook because of past sins by the US doesn't help solve the problem.

    If you want to make any conclusions from the charts its that Americans have to make more changes in their personal lives than Chinese. In China the government has more responsibility than the average Chinese citizen.  The Chinese government is perfectly capable of not building more coal power plants. On There is no comparison between Chinese and American GHG emissions posted 1 year, 11 months ago 41 Responses

  • Moot point

    If you're worried about assigning historical blame, then yes the US is more at fault.  If you're worried about dealing with the problem that's here in front of us then the graph above is pointless.

    China and the US have the biggest emissions today so that's where the conversation belongs unless you have a time machine. What would have been the point of Gore giving the US a guilt trip over its historical emissions levels?  On There is no comparison between Chinese and American GHG emissions posted 1 year, 11 months ago 41 Responses

  • This is satire, right?

    What do 1892 emissions levels have to do with the price of tea in China?

    Funny.On There is no comparison between Chinese and American GHG emissions posted 1 year, 11 months ago 41 Responses

  • Come on ids

    ids, why don't you list some some things Obama did as a state Senator that were bad for the environment instead of writing about people he knows?  Is it because Obama has an excellent record and was named an environmental champion by LCV when he ran for US Senate?  The guilt by association game is lame.On Obama expecting 'serious conversation' about 'drastic steps' on climate change posted 1 year, 11 months ago 19 Responses

  • Change

    Jon, I think you make a good point about people being resistant to new technologies. I've had experience with engineers who have done coal fire power plants their entire lives and that's all they care to ever do. Its cheap and reliable. Doing anything new is risky and most engineers don't like taking risks.

    Being from a state where King Coal is very powerful I tend to think the biggest barriers are political. But getting away from the "that's the way we've always done it" mentality is a big obstacle as well.On Why clean coal is so darn appealing posted 1 year, 11 months ago 37 Responses

  • He supported some research funding

    Obama also said he won't support CTL until it can be shown to reduce CO2 emissions, which it can't.

    The amount of funding he supported for research was much less than the $1 billion in research subsidies Edwards is proposing for the coal industry that no one seems to care about. I have to wonder about the agenda of those who unfairly blew Obama's "support" for CTL out of proportion while ignoring the much larger amount of money Edwards wants to give away for so-called clean coal research.On Obama expecting 'serious conversation' about 'drastic steps' on climate change posted 1 year, 11 months ago 19 Responses

  • Good

    Obama has been a strong environmental supporter for a long time. He gets it.On Obama expecting 'serious conversation' about 'drastic steps' on climate change posted 1 year, 11 months ago 19 Responses

  • Edwards' $1 Billion Coal Subsidy

    Edwards got the endorsement of the United Mine Workers by pledging $1 Billion in subsidies to the coal industry to research "clean" coal technology they need to survive.  That's technology the coal industry needs to survive, not the public.

    It amazes me that people keep beating a dead horse about Obama supporting some funding for research into coal to liquid and distort that into full support for it. Yet Edwards gets a free pass on the much, much larger subsidy he's proposing for the coal industry. On Why Edwards' 'ban' on coal plants does little good against climate change posted 1 year, 12 months ago 42 Responses