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Author |
Published |
Section |
The military-industrial complex wins again
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John McGrath |
10 May 2006 |
Gristmill |
| Theoretically, the oil shale in the American West could provide enough oil to power the world, Saudi-free, for decades or more. The problem is that while oil shale is a hydrocarbon, it's not a terribly attractive one. Massive amounts of energy must be used to extract useful fuel, making it a loser in terms of economics and energy balance.Fortunately, Raytheon (makers of the missiles and radars used by the USAF) is there to save the day, via The Energy Blog:Radio frequen ... |
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| Topics: energy, oil shale (all these topics) |
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Corrode to Perdition
BP closes two more North Slope pipelines |
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09 May 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Corrode to Perdition BP closes two more North Slope pipelines Oil giant -- oops, beyond oil giant -- BP is shutting down two more of its pipelines on Alaska's North Slope, at the expense of 22,000 barrels of crude (worth some $1.5 million) a day. Neither pipe had leaked yet, but BP officials have been monitoring serious corrosion problems, treating the pipes with chemicals to prevent further deterioration. The two pipes will lik ... |
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| Topics: Alaska, energy, news, oil (all these topics) |
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Village of the Dammed
China nears completion of massive Three Gorges Dam, plots more dam-building |
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09 May 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Village of the Dammed China nears completion of massive Three Gorges Dam, plots more dam-building Construction of the world's largest hydroelectric dam -- the Three Gorges Dam in China -- may be completed as soon as May 20, nine months ahead of schedule. The $22 billion dam on the Yangtze River will eventually flood the homes of some 1.3 million people. Evacuees worry they'll be placed in villages with no farmlan ... |
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| Topics: China, dams, energy, news, Yangtze River (all these topics) |
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Cape of Good Hope
Cape Wind outlook better after Bush administration voices support |
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08 May 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Cape of Good Hope Cape Wind outlook better after Bush administration voices support The controversial Cape Wind project planned for Nantucket Sound has found new allies in a strange place: the Bush administration. On Thursday, Undersecretary of Energy David Garman sent a letter urging Congress to drop a measure that would allow the Massachusetts governor (currently Mitt Romney, a Cape Wind ... |
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| Topics: energy, Massachusetts, New England, news, politics, wind power (all these topics) |
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Another Flail in the Coffin
House flails about wildly and ineffectually over higher gas prices |
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04 May 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Another Flail in the Coffin House flails about wildly and ineffectually over higher gas prices House Republicans, who face a bruising battle to retain their majority status this November, are growing increasingly desperate over high gas prices. Since there's nothing they can actually do to reduce them, this translates into furious political maneuvering. With two fast-tracked bills this week, they sought advantage over Democrat ... |
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| Topics: energy, news, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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Rhymes With Blagojevich
Mercury emissions from power plants on the rise in the U.S. |
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02 May 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Rhymes With Blagojevich Mercury emissions from power plants on the rise in the U.S. Mercury emissions in the U.S. fell by nearly 2 percent between 2003 and 2004, according to newly released federal data, but that small bit of good news masks a troubling trend. Mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants were actually up 4 percent over the same period, according to a Chicago Tribune analysis, thanks to i ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, news, pollution and waste, toxics (all these topics) |
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Solar Eclipsed
Solar providers can't keep up with growing demand |
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01 May 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Solar Eclipsed Solar providers can't keep up with growing demand Solar power may not yet be ready for the big time: The current spike in oil prices is causing a surge of interest in home solar, but supply of polysilicon (the stuff solar panels are made of) is unable to keep up with demand. It used to be that only those in the semiconductor industry cared about polysilicon, but about half of this yea ... |
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| Topics: California, energy, Florida, news, solar voltaic power (all these topics) |
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We'd Do Anything for Love (But We Won't Do That)
Republican gas-price pander disgusts even pander-lovin' American people |
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01 May 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| We'd Do Anything for Love (But We Won't Do That) Republican gas-price pander disgusts even pander-lovin' American people Hollywood producers like to say that no one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American people. Hollywood producers, meet Senate Republicans. Their latest gas-price gambit, coordinated by Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) -- a legislator who puts the "less" ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, mining and drilling, news, politics (all these topics) |
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Throw in a Pony, and We'll Talk
In lieu of real energy policy, senators propose sending people checks |
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28 Apr 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Throw in a Pony, and We'll Talk In lieu of real energy policy, senators propose sending people checks Apparently driven insane by high gasoline prices, congressfolk are reaching virtuosic heights of pandering and venality, approaching some sort of Platonic ideal of What's Wrong With Politics These Days. Exhibit A: Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) just unveiled a proposal that would bribe th ... |
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| Topics: climate, energy, mining and drilling, news, politics (all these topics) |
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High gas prices: priming the pump
Driving less is great, but producing more oil is a less-desirable reaction |
Clark Williams-Derry |
27 Apr 2006 |
Gristmill |
| In this post, David echoes what seems to be conventional eco-wisdom on high gas prices: It's good that gas prices are rising. We want people to buy more fuel-efficient cars and drive less. I'm not so certain. Sure, high prices will spur people to use less gas. But the incentives cut both ways: high prices also spur energy companies to produce more oil. And now that most of the world's easy-to-reach, easy-to-refine oil has already been put to the drill, hig ... |
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| Topics: energy, gas prices, oil, oil sands (all these topics) |
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Price clubbed
Should enviros view high gas prices as good news? |
Clark Williams-Derry |
27 Apr 2006 |
Gristmill |
| Like many environmentalists, I tend to think that gasoline prices -- even at today's wallet-rending heights -- are too low. In fact, no matter how high the market price for petroleum goes, it ought to be higher, since it won't include the so-called 'external costs' of using oil. For example, whenever I burn a gallon of gas in my car, I'm creating pollution and climate-warming emissions; fostering overseas military entanglements; increasing the risk of oil s ... |
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| Topics: Big Oil, energy, gas prices, oil (all these topics) |
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Let's Baikal the Whole Thing Off
Russian president changes route of Siberian pipeline to protect lake |
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27 Apr 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Let's Baikal the Whole Thing Off Russian president changes route of Siberian pipeline to protect lake Last month, we reported that a Siberia-to-Asia oil pipeline backed by Russian President Vladimir Putin was set to be built half a mile from the world's deepest lake, home to hundreds of unique species. Well, we've been Putin our place: yesterday, the Russian prez ordered the pipeline rerouted to avoid Lake Baikal by at l ... |
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| Topics: energy, lakes, news, oil, Russia (all these topics) |
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Bungle in the Jungle
Critics say Peru pipeline is an accident waiting to happen |
Kelly Hearn |
26 Apr 2006 |
Main Dish |
| The boat ride down southeastern Peru's Urubamba River cuts through mountains and sweltering jungle, passing wooden shacks of colonos -- mixed race and grindingly poor Peruvians lured to the jungle with promises of free land -- and nativos, tribes recently brought into contact with the modern world. The area is a biological gold mine, home to endemic and rare species, and some of the world's ... |
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| Topics: Amazon, energy, oil, Peru (all these topics) |
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Taxholes
House Republicans fight to preserve $5 billion in oil industry tax breaks |
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26 Apr 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Taxholes House Republicans fight to preserve $5 billion in oil industry tax breaks In public, prominent Republicans are chastising oil companies over high gas prices, and threatening price-gouging investigations and windfall-profit taxes. Behind closed doors, House Republicans are fighting to protect some $5 billion worth of tax loopholes for those very same oil companies. Luckily for th ... |
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| Topics: commercial and industry organizations, energy, news, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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Gas price rant
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David Roberts |
25 Apr 2006 |
Gristmill |
| One of the many problems with policy discussions these days is that they tend to be narrow and literal-minded. Take the "problem" of high gas prices. Response? Tax oil companies! Cap prices! Investigate price gouging! Ease environmental restrictions on clean-burning gas! Stupid. We should take a step back. Here are two relevant facts: It's good that gas prices are rising. We want people to buy more fuel-efficient cars and drive less. In the long-term ... |
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| Topics: economy, energy, gas prices, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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It Had to Be Yu
In China, Yu Xiaogang is helping locals fight back against dams |
Michelle Nijhuis |
25 Apr 2006 |
Main Dish |
| China has spent decades trying to harness its powerful river systems with dams. Enormous hydroelectric projects, most notably the Three Gorges Dam now under construction on the Yangtze River, have devastated local economies and ecosystems. Yu Xiaogang. Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize. Chinese environmentalist Yu Xiaogang, founder of the group Green Watershed, says the people harmed ... |
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| Topics: China, dams, energy, environmental justice, environmental non-government organizations, politics (all these topics) |
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You Got Reserved!
Bush presents plan for combating high oil prices, halts reserve deposits |
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25 Apr 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| You Got Reserved! Bush presents plan for combating high oil prices, halts reserve deposits In September 2000, then-candidate George W. Bush said that the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve "should not be used as an attempt to drive down oil prices right before an election. It should not be used for short-term political gain at the cost of long-term national security." Guess that was some of the "pre-9/11 thinking& ... |
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| Topics: energy, news, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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Biodiesel: The slippery facts
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Clark Williams-Derry |
23 Apr 2006 |
Gristmill |
| Biodiesel -- the cleaner-burning vegetable-based oil that can be substituted for ordinary petroleum diesel -- is getting a lot of press these days. That's not too surprising: alternatives to oil tend to get a lot of attention when fuel prices are rising, which they're certainly doing right now. Perhaps the biggest piece of recent policy news is Washington state's new renewable fuels standard, passed just last month, which mandates that 2 percent of the diesel s ... |
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| Topics: biofuels, energy, oil (all these topics) |
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Win by losing
Are you America's most energy-inefficient person? |
Katharine Wroth |
20 Apr 2006 |
Gristmill |
| Just got word that Lowe's, Whirlpool, and the U.S. EPA Energy Star program will search this summer for the country's 10 most energy-inefficient families. The lucky winners will receive a home energy makeover 'to lower their monthly bills and help save the environment' and a return visit a year later to see how it's all going. During the search, Lowe's stores will host hands-on energy-conservation clinics. It's all in honor of the 10th anniversary of people ignoring E ... |
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| Topics: energy, energy at home, energy efficiency (all these topics) |
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Knock, Knock. Hu's There.
Oil issue looms as Chinese prez visits White House |
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20 Apr 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Knock, Knock. Hu's There. Oil issue looms as Chinese prez visits White House Buying oil from unsavory regimes, thus ensuring their grip on power. Attempting to lock up oil supplies to increase geopolitical influence. Growing heedlessly and unsustainably, polluting the air and water. These are the kinds of behaviors the world can no longer tolerate from ... China. Wait, whaaa? Seriously: During Chinese President Hu Jint ... |
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| Topics: China, energy, news, oil, politics (all these topics) |
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Maybe Steps
Shell and ExxonMobil power gas platform with wind and solar |
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19 Apr 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Maybe Steps Shell and ExxonMobil power gas platform with wind and solar The cognitive dissonance! It hurts! A new gas platform in the North Sea will be run entirely on wind and solar power. The tiny (26 by 26 feet) platform, co-owned by Royal Dutch Shell and ExxonMobil, cost about $143 million to develop and was built f ... |
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| Topics: Big Oil, commercial and industry organizations, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, natural gas, news, solar voltaic power, wind power (all these topics) |
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Things That Go Lump in the Night
Coal makes a comeback |
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19 Apr 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Things That Go Lump in the Night Coal makes a comeback As oil prices rise, coal will emerge as the fuel of the future. This depressing assessment is the collective judgment of international power company executives, expressed in a recent survey. Interestingly, the same execs cited greenhouse-gas emissions as one of their top concerns, and assumed there would be a push to develop "clean coal" technology -- or as we like to call ... |
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| Topics: coal, energy, news (all these topics) |
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Fools Rush In
Melting Arctic leads to black-gold rush |
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19 Apr 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| Fools Rush In Melting Arctic leads to black-gold rush A quarter of the world's undiscovered oil and gas reserves may lie beneath the Arctic Ocean. For centuries they've been stuck under a thick layer of ice, but luckily, the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet and all that bothersome ice is melting! Oil companies around the world are drooling over the black gold up north. Under the au ... |
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| Topics: Arctic, energy, news, oil, US Geological Survey (all these topics) |
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A Fit of Leak
Another BP pipeline leaks in Alaska |
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18 Apr 2006 |
Daily Grist |
| A Fit of Leak Another BP pipeline leaks in Alaska Hot on the heels of last month's big oil spill, British petro-giant -- sorry, beyond-petro giant -- BP has confirmed that another pipeline ruptured on Alaska's North Slope on April 6, leaking 12,000 cubic feet of natural gas. The leak occurred at the same Prudhoe Bay oilfield as last month's 200,000-gallon oil spill, but was small enough th ... |
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| Topics: Alaska, commercial and industry organizations, energy, news, oil (all these topics) |
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Nuclear energy and power devolution
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David Roberts |
16 Apr 2006 |
Gristmill |
| I just got done watching Eugene Jarecki's Why We Fight, a documentary on the American military-industrial complex (a term coined by Dwight D. Eisenhower in his extraordinary farewell address) and the enormous influence in exerts over our foreign policy. It's depressing, but still, I can't recommend it highly enough. It got me thinking about the nuclear question again, and a post I wrote almost a year ago -- one of my favorites -- called "Renewable energy and th ... |
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| Topics: energy, nuclear power (all these topics) |
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