Grist | Topics | 152 Results

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Headline	Author	Published	Section
The (renewable) electron economy, part 6 Why electricity is the energy carrier of choice	Michael Hoexter	22 Aug 2008	Gristmill
Our already substantial 120-year investment in an electric infrastructure in industrial countries, makes the transition to a electricity based energy economy less expensive. There are sound physical reasons why the three main contenders for the energy supply for transport turn out to be the three electron economies: renewables, nuclear, and coal CCS. We have determined there that electric drive vehicles either attached to the grid or powered by some vers ...
Topics: biomass, cars, electric vehicles, electricity, energy, public transportation (all these topics)

The (renewable) electron economy, part 4 Toward the post-oil society	Michael Hoexter	12 Aug 2008	Gristmill
This is the fourth in a series on how we can build an energy future based on our best science and no longer critically dependent upon exhaustible and polluting fossil fuels. The tripartite approach allows our society to cut oil demand and dependence substantially within a decade, much more quickly than a sole reliance on electrification of the autonomous vehicle fleet through sales of battery-electric and plug in hybrid vehicles. Combining these vehicles with th ...
Topics: electric vehicles, energy, fossil fuels, placemaking, public transportation, trains (all these topics)

Leading indicators	David Roberts	11 Aug 2008	Gristmill
When the conservative Washington Post editorial board is stumping for smart growth and transit-oriented development, you know the tide is turning!
Topics: placemaking, public transportation, trains, urban planning (all these topics)

The (renewable) electron economy, part 3 A three-pronged approach to getting off oil for transportation	Michael Hoexter	10 Aug 2008	Gristmill
This is the third in a series on how we can build an energy future based on our best science and no longer critically dependent upon exhaustible and polluting fossil fuels. Getting off oil: a three-pronged approach Oil is not 'evil,' it's an undervalued resource that has been squandered on tasks that could be much more efficiently achieved through the use of electric drive transport. Cheap oil has enabled individual and family mobility and autonomy at a low ...
Topics: electric vehicles, energy, fossil fuels, hybrids, placemaking, public transportation, trains (all these topics)

On the Right Amtrak Amtrak struggles to meet demand as ridership soars		08 Aug 2008	News
Posted at 4:42 PM on 08 Aug 2008 As commuters continue to look for alternatives to high gas prices, increasing numbers are choo-choo-choosing Amtrak. A record 28 million passengers are expected to ride the train this fiscal year compared to 25.8 million last year. The House and Senate have passed bills that could boost Amtrak's funding by 33 percent, which has Amtrak prez Alex Kummant saying he's "optimistic" about ...
Topics: gas prices, news, placemaking, public transportation, trains, travel (all these topics)

Notable quotable Obama loves high-speed rail	David Roberts	07 Aug 2008	Gristmill
'If you think about the Midwest, think about right here, what we've got is all kind of towns that we could connect. All of these cities are, they basically take in the air about 45 minutes to an hour to fly. But by the time you get to the airport, take off your shoes, get to the terminal, realize that your flight's been delayed two hours, go pay $10 for a cup of coffee, and a sandwich for another $10, come back, you get on the plane, you're sitting on the tarmac for an ...
Topics: public transportation, quotables, trains (all these topics)

The (renewable) electron economy, part 1 The shape of the oil crisis	Michael Hoexter	05 Aug 2008	Gristmill
This is the first in a series on how we can build an energy future based on our best science and no longer critically dependent upon exhaustible and polluting fossil fuels. Lines formed at gas stations during the 1973 OPEC oil embargo. Too often, discussions of our future energy system simply reflect the current array of political forces in Washington or the novelty-hungry attention of the media and not the long-term viability of technologies and proposed sol ...
Topics: business, energy, oil, oil and gas drilling, politics, public transportation, renewable energy (all these topics)

Harvey and me Five Gore steps to carbon-free electricity and electrified transportation	Jon Rynn	01 Aug 2008	Gristmill
On Tuesday, I had the opportunity to comment about Al Gore's next step on Earthbeat Radio, a syndicated, weekly, hour-long environmental program, and speaking with me was long-time anti-nuclear, environmental, and political activist Harvey Wasserman, author of 'Solartopia! Our Green Powered Earth.' The show is co-hosted by Daphne Wysham, global environmental activist from the Institute for Policy Studies. Our segment [mp3] is a little more than halfway through. Our conv ...
Topics: Al Gore, climate, electricity, grassroots activism, public transportation, radio (all these topics)

What can we do about oil? Short, medium, and long-term solutions to phase out oil	Gar Lipow	29 Jul 2008	Gristmill
As opposed to emission or energy, what can we do about oil? As I've said in the past: not a lot. But 'not a lot' is not equal to zero. Here are some pretty immediate things we can do: There have been some real drops in oil use in response to increased prices. I think Charles Komanoff once suggested that various types of conservation and efficiency measures could reduce oil use 10 percent more or less overnight [PDF]. Many of his suggestions are not exactly pain ...
Topics: electric vehicles, energy, fossil fuels, oil, public transportation (all these topics)

Short-term, yes; solution, no Gas tax revenue falling, feds seek to raid mass transit budget to pay for highways	Adam Stein	29 Jul 2008	Gristmill
From The New York Times: Gasoline tax revenue is falling so fast that the federal government may not be able to meet its commitments to states for road projects already under way, the secretary of transportation said Monday. The secretary, Mary E. Peters, said the short-term solution would be for the Highway Trust Fund's highway account to borrow money from the fund's mass transit account, a step that would balance the accounts as highway travel declines and use of ...
Topics: fossil fuels, gas prices, politics, public transportation, taxes (all these topics)

Myth: All solutions to climate chaos raise prices Busted: Majority of emissions cuts can come from public spending	Gar Lipow	25 Jul 2008	Gristmill
A common rap by environmental economists is 'any means of cutting emissions raises prices.' Though it is used in defense of a valid point (in the long run we will have to institute either a carbon tax or a permit system), it is simply not true. The vast majority of emissions cuts can come via public spending that won't raise prices. We can subsidize efficiency improvements to buildings, fund a conversion of most long-haul trucking to rail, and in the long run electrify ...
Topics: carbon trading, climate, electricity, greenhouse-gas emissions, public transportation (all these topics)

Unite around public subsidy Public investment can stop emissions faster than relying on private sector	Gar Lipow	23 Jul 2008	Gristmill
David Roberts comments ruefully on the lack of a clean energy coalition for progressives to join, and on the lack of common talking points on clean energy -- which allows the right eat our lunch on drilling. I've argued in the past that links between greens and progressive are more effective than trying to win the conservative movement over (though individual conservatives should be welcomed). The truth is, there is no solution that will lower oil prices below $100 a ba ...
Topics: economy, environmental movement, gas prices, investing, politics, public transportation, renewable energy (all these topics)

How do you spell relief? Bipartisan group of House members rolls out bill for gas-price relief	Kate Sheppard	17 Jul 2008	Gristmill
A bipartisan group of six House members introduced a bill on Wed. to help reduce the gas-price pressure on Americans by investing in transit alternatives and smarter city planning. 'The Transportation and Housing Options for Gas Price Relief Act of 2008' (H.R. 6495) was introduced by Earl Blumenauer (D-Ore.), and is cosponsored by Chris Shays (R-Conn.), Ellen Tauscher (D-Calif.), Jay Inslee (D-Wash.), Jerry McNerney (D-Calif), and Hilda Solis (D-Calif.). The bi ...
Topics: Congress, legislation, Muckraker, news, politics, public transportation, US House of Representatives (all these topics)

Dean Quixote Nashville mayor stumps for public transit	David Roberts	16 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Here's Mayor Karl Dean of Nashville, Tenn., on MayorTV talking in almost jarringly common sense terms about the challenges facing cities and the solutions -- public transit, diversity, economic development -- that can overcome them: Good stuff.
Topics: gas prices, placemaking, public transportation, Tennessee, urban planning, video (all these topics)

Driven to extinction How transportation wonks can make your city rank	Eric de Place	16 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Here's an interesting ranking. For each major U.S. city, the list-happy editors at Men's Health calculated the negative effects of driving. They aggregated scores on transit ridership, air pollution, fuel consumption, and driving miles. (Presumably, the data are for metropolitan areas, not city limits.) Northwest cities do exceptionally well: Seattle ranks number one, Portland ranks third, and Spokane is eighth. Men's Health doesn't appear to include a methodo ...
Topics: placemaking, Portland, public transportation, Seattle, urban planning (all these topics)

Oil gone wild Transportation sector lies at the root of U.S. energy problem	Guest author	14 Jul 2008	Gristmill
This is a guest essay from Jack D. Hidary, chair of SmartTransportation.org and the Freedom Prize Foundation. It was originally published on the Huffington Post and is republished here with the author's permission. The price of oil struck an ominous chord for the U.S. economy with yesterday's record trade of $147 per barrel. At these prices we are sending more than $1 million every minute of every day to oil rich countries. As oil hits a new high the dollar has h ...
Topics: electric vehicles, energy, energy efficiency, placemaking, public transportation (all these topics)

Rail love Obama reaffirms support for rail and transit	David Roberts	11 Jul 2008	Gristmill
From RailwayAge: In a letter to United Transportation Union President Mike Futhey, presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama (D-Ill.) has pledged to 'push for Amtrak, commuter rail, and public transit system funding, ensuring strong employment levels well into the future.' He also promised to 'preserve the sanctity of the Railroad Retirement and Federal Employers Liability Act (FELA),' The UTU, which originally backed Senator Hillary Clinton ( ...
Topics: Barack Obama, politics, presidential race 08, public transportation (all these topics)

A billion here, a billion there Alberta sets aside nearly $4 billion for public transport and CCS	Sean Casten	10 Jul 2008	Gristmill
From Greenwire ($ub. req'd) comes this news from Alberta that sounds so promising and then gets it so very wrong. First the good news: Alberta, under continuing pressure to do something about their tar-sand driven boom in CO2 emissions, has committed to using C$4 billion worth ($3.92 billion) of their budget surplus to lowering CO2 emissions. Whatever one thinks of tar sands, that's admirable. But then, in an all-too-common case of confusing the path with the goal ...
Topics: Alberta, carbon sequestration, climate, climate change mitigation, oil sands, public transportation (all these topics)

High-speed rail coming to California	David Roberts	06 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Looking good.
Topics: placemaking, public transportation, California (all these topics)

My other candidate is a bike Obama, transportation policy, and the highway bill	David Roberts	03 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Great story in CQ this week on bike politics. Did you know that Obama met a few weeks ago with 160 cycling advocates and promised them his support? I didn't. The 600-pound gorilla in transportation politics is the 2009 negotiation of a new highway bill, which according to CQ 'is already being touted as embodying the greatest overhaul of federal transportation policy since President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act into law half a century ago.' ...
Topics: Barack Obama, bikes, placemaking, politics, presidential race 08, public transportation (all these topics)

'There is no box' Lester Brown unveils plan for 80 percent cuts by 2020	Jon Rynn	02 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Lester R. Brown, President of the Earth Policy Institute and author, most recently, of Plan B, Version 3.0: Mobilizing to Save Civilization, released a new study today called 'Time for Plan B: Cutting carbon emissions by 80 percent by 2020.' I was invited to participate in a conference call in which Lester explained many of the highlights of the plan; I will do my best to share what he said (any mistakes are my own). First, it appears that the only comprehensive plan to ...
Topics: cap-and-dividend, carbon tax, carbon trading, climate, energy, greenhouse-gas emissions, public transportation, renewable energy (all these topics)

The Saga of Fume On exerting yourself in traffic	Umbra Fisk	02 Jul 2008	Ask Umbra
Dear Umbra, I bus, bike, or walk to work 98 percent of the time. I was wondering, when I'm biking (or walking, for that matter), am I inhaling more pollutants than those around me who are emitting them from their gas-guzzlers? Your answer won't change my habits, since I'm not going to drive to work anytime soon -- I'm just wondering if I'm the one paying the price for my enviro-friendly commuting? Thanks for your help! Sa ...
Topics: advice, Ask Umbra, bikes, cars, green living, health, public transportation (all these topics)

Derailed McCain just not that into Amtrak	Kate Sheppard	02 Jul 2008	Gristmill
Over at the Boston Globe, columnist Derrick Z. Jackson does an excellent job of highlighting John McCain's beef with Amtrak: For years, McCain, in the comfort of cheap gasoline for autos and airplanes, made Amtrak a personal whipping boy. Despite the fact that governments in Western Europe and Asia zoomed far ahead of the United States by supporting high-speed trains to relieve congestion, promote tourism and now as we are coming to know, save the planet, McCain has ...
Topics: elections, John McCain, Muckraker, news, placemaking, politics, presidential race 08, public transportation (all these topics)

Greeting Cardin Maryland Senator pushes for better transit, efficiency	Kate Sheppard	30 Jun 2008	Gristmill
Since he was first elected to the House of Representatives in 1987, Ben Cardin (D-Md.) has been active on issues such as health care and retirement security. But since making the leap to the Senate less than two years ago, Cardin has emerged as a leader on some of the most nuts-and-bolts elements of policy to reduce the country's greenhouse gas emissions: energy efficiency and transit. Ben Cardin. His most recent accomplishment was securing $171 billio ...
Topics: US Senate, legislation, politics, news, Muckraker, public transportation, Maryland (all these topics)

The gas legislation we pass House approves two measures to address energy prices, third fails	Kate Sheppard	26 Jun 2008	Gristmill
The House of Representatives took up a triumvirate of environment and energy-related bills today, passing two that would increase funding for mass transit and curb oil market speculation. A third, more controversial measure would have forced oil companies to drill on the land they already own. The votes highlighted the split between Democrats and Republicans on energy policy. Legislators have been battling for weeks over how to deal with record gasoline prices, wi ...
Topics: Ed Markey, energy, legislation, Muckraker, news, oil, politics, public transportation (all these topics)

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