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DrumBeat: April 28, 2007
Posted by Leanan on April 28, 2007 - 9:05am
Topic: Miscellaneous
Americans see climate threat, but reluctant to conserve: poll
Despite the huge popularity of gas-guzzling sports, luxury and four-wheel-drive cars in the country, 92 percent said they thought car manufacturers should be required to produce more energy-efficient vehicles.But only 38 percent said they supported a higher tax on gasoline to discourage energy consumption and to fight global warming.
If it proceeds, Gorgon will be the most expensive development ever attempted in Australia.It will produce 10 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas a year -- almost as much as the North West Shelf -- and add more than $2.5 billion a year to Australia's export earnings.
But in an industry where costs are rising there are no guarantees.
Why some experts want higher gas tax
To date, revenue from U.S. gas taxes has been spent primarily on building and maintaining roads. It's a sales tax, but many drivers think of it as a sort of user's fee for the nation's vast network of asphalt.But what if the main purpose of gas taxes was to deter Americans from driving so frequently or to encourage people to trade in that gas-slurping SUV for a next-generation plug-in hybrid capable of getting 100 miles per gallon?
Comparing Alternative Fuels For Cars
Norwegian scientists have drawn up a league table of alternative fuels for cars. Their analysis is based on a well-to-wheel approach that takes into account manufacturing, energy use, greenhouse gas emissions, and local and regional pollutants.Bottom of the table, unsurprisingly, are petrol vehicles, but coming in a close second last are hybrid vehicles that can run on compressed natural gas or petrol. Top of their league are fuel cell powered vehicles using hydrogen gas obtained from natural gas methane.
Putin signs ordinance on atomic energy industry reform
Russia will become a worthy player on the world atomic energy market through the creation of Atomenergoprom, a source at the Federal Atomic Energy Agency said on Friday.The new holding “will be a vertically integrated entity and unite the entire atomic technological cycle – from the production of uranium and nuclear fuel to the construction, operation and decommissioning of nuclear power plants,” he said.
Uganda: World Bank Approves Funding for Hydropower
The World Bank (WB) has agreed to extend to Uganda a US$360 million loan to build a controversial 250MW hydropower station on the River Nile, according to a Bank statement issued in Kampala on Friday.The statement said the project, which has been opposed by environmentalists, would help close the country's energy gap, which the Bank said "seriously constrains social and economic development".
"Uganda's workforce is expected to double over the next 15 years, making the creation of jobs through expanded industry, tourism and commercial services critical," Judy O'Connor, the Bank's country director for Uganda, said.
"These sectors are energy intensive and will therefore rely on a consistent, affordable and expanding power supply," she noted.
West African Gas Pipeline inaugurated
The 500 million-dollar West African Gas Pipeline (WAGP), the flagship project of the sub-regional body ECOWAS, is set to come on-stream soon with the inauguration on Friday of the Gas Export Terminal at Ikoti in Ogun State, Nigeria.
Pakistan seeks US $17 billion for construction of dams
Pakistan has sought US $17 billion funding from international lenders for the construction of three dams by 2016 saying that they were needed to avert flood, drought and energy crisis.
Austria courts Iran, angers U.S.
Washington has protested an Austrian oil and gas firm`s investment plans in Iran. However, the Americans won`t have much influence on the deal, observers say.
Fugro awarded contract to perform geosurveys in Mexico
Dutch engineering services company Fugro, in conjunction with Constructora Subacuatica Diavaz, has been awarded a contract to perform geophysical and geotechnical surveys in the Bay of Campeche, Mexico, by Pemex Exploration and Production, valued at USD 21.9 million (EUR 16 million). The length of the contract is one year and work will begin 30 April.
Bed space, workers at a premium on busy North Slope
The uptick in activity has put a premium on the available skilled work force, and equipment as well. Mike O'Connor, president of Peak Oilfield Services, said his company is lucky in being able to retain its core of skilled employees. However, certain specialties, such as crane operators, welders and the highly skilled operators of vehicles that move heavy drill rig units, are greatly in demand.
"Based on the connectivity of agriculture the Grange's history and mission, and the interests of Jason (Bradford) in relocalizing, especially in relocalizing agriculture in Willits, and then you throw in Peak Oil into the mix, I recognized that our food situation is so precariously unstable. And the fact that we are so dependent on fossil fuels."
Low-energy Lighting Project Is Streets Ahead
Technology that first appeared in digital watches and calculators back in the 1970s is being used to develop durable and community-friendly low energy street lighting. Researchers at The University of Manchester have joined forces with Dialight Lumidrives - founded by a successful former student - to develop powerful low-cost LED lighting modules that can be used in buildings and on roads.
But to develop cleaner-burning cars, most of Europe is going beyond ethanol, experimenting with a variety of biofuels, including biodiesel (diesel made from plants, oils, or fats), biomass, and hydrogen—as well as compressed natural gas and engine technologies that reduce harmful carbon-dioxide emissions. That varied approach, analysts say, could hand Europeans a competitive edge in developing greener cars and fuels.
Ethanol expansion remains robust
Once the darling of the heartland, ethanol has acquired a dangerous reputation these days, amid warnings of a "gasohol glut," a "dot-corn bust" and an angry backlash from rural communities once expected to applaud the arrival of jumbo distilleries for turning grain into motor fuel.Yet for all the ill tidings, the ethanol boom remains surprisingly robust and only moderately sobered by the outpouring of worry aimed at it in recent months. In fact, 2007 promises to be a year of historic expansion, with production soaring as scores of new and enlarged ethanol factories come on line.
Nigeria loses 600,000 bpd to Niger Delta crisis
Nigeria is currently losing 600,000 barrels of oil per day in the oil rich Niger Delta as a result of the activities of militants in the region, oil officials said here.
Employers undecided on Belgian refinery strike threat
Employers involved in a dispute with Belgian oil workers haven't reached a decision over a potential strike which could paralyze operations at the country's oil refineries, said a spokesman Friday....Any strike would disrupt Belgium's three major plants in Antwerp, which have a capacity of around 745,000 barrels a day.
Olmert: Missile Raid Would Hit Iran Nuclear Plans
Iran's disputed nuclear programme could be severely hit by firing 1,000 cruise missiles in a 10-day attack, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert was quoted as saying on Saturday.
The peak oil problem - Interesting, because the source of the article is EnergyBulletin.net.
Climate report to warn time running out in greenhouse gas battle
Time is running out to cut the greenhouse-gas emissions that drive climate change, but much can be done at a modest cost to attack the looming crisis, according to experts gathering for new talks.
No silver bullet to combat climate change: IEA chief
Mandil set a target of an early cut of a billion tonnes of emissions per year and said a full range of measures -- which he said included renewable energy, carbon storage, nuclear power and energy efficiency -- should be harnessed."All that is not to tell you it's impossible. It's to say there's no silver bullet, not one technology alone," Mandil told a UN meeting on energy efficiency here.
Even as its support in the hinterlands rapidly dwindles, the empire of big carbon is still on the offensive in Washington, DC. In a key test of how much pressure the coal and nuclear lobbies can muster, the House of Representatives voted, 264-154, to make the two worst available energy options (coal-to-liquids and nuclear reprocessing) the top priorities for federal research. Seventy-five Democrats joined the Republicans to override their own leadership and cave in to the energy special-interests that have always run energy policy in DC.
Hydrogen's Second Coming: On the Road, Hope for a Zero-Pollution Car
As hydrogen gains favor, hydrocarbons seem to be taking over the role of villain. Peak oil theorists, especially Matthew Simmons, chairman of the Simmons & Company investment bank and the author of “Twilight in the Desert: The Coming Saudi Oil Shock and the World Economy” contend that increased demand will outpace the ability to increase production. And the Supreme Court’s April 2 ruling that the E.P.A. has authority to regulate carbon dioxide as a pollutant, as it does tailpipe emissions, was a powerful vote against fossil fuels.
Ecuador: pay us not to develop oil reserves in the Amazon
Ecuadorian President Rafael Correa says that if the country is compensated with half of the forecasted lost revenues, it will not exploit oil in Yasuni National Park, setting aside the area for wildlife and indigenous people. Correa said the cost would be about $350 million per year.
Saudis Round Up 172, Citing Plot Against Oil Rigs
The announcement of the plot was made Friday, the day of prayer and rest, when all offices are closed. What was most unnerving to some was the government’s description of one of the cells: Officials said it was made up of 61 men, mostly Saudis, who had traveled with their leader to Islam’s holiest site, in Mecca, where they promised “to listen, obey and execute all his orders.”“Al Qaeda is no longer an organized structure,” said Mr. Qassim, the retired judge. “It became an ideology and a system of work. This is Al Qaeda now.”
Saudis Say They Broke Up Suicide Plots
Saudi Arabia said Friday that it had arrested 172 suspected terrorists over the past several months from a network that was planning suicide attacks -- including the use of airplanes -- on the kingdom's oil industry, military installations and other targets.Saudi officials said some of the suspects had trained next door in Iraq and had returned to the kingdom to plot the attacks.
Icebergs threaten vast Russian gas project
Russia's giant Shtokman gas field, one of the world's most challenging offshore projects, will face even greater problems as global warming unleashes vast icebergs into the Arctic, a senior scientist says.Even if icebergs are unlikely to halt the world's largest single energy development, as the global hunger for resources grows, they would make the $30 billion-plus project by Russia's gas monopoly Gazprom yet more expensive.
Peak Oil Passnotes: Refinery Bottleneck Redux
We are getting to the point, when the national average gets high enough when people are going to start complaining. It will be interesting to see the reaction. Will President Bush blame it on his weird mantra, “dependence on foreign oil?” As if American can ever not be dependent on foreign oil, just like it is dependent on foreign workers and currencies. What will the excuses be? After all the price of crude oil, though fairly high around $65 per barrel, has not hit its $78 peak again. What reasons will be given?
All uranium restrictions removed
PRIME Minister John Howard today promised to remove all excessive restrictions on mining, processing and exporting of Australian uranium as a possible step to embarking on domestic nuclear power generation.
Behind the scenes at Shell Oil
Think of it as a mission to the dark side of the moon. A voyage into black, only rather than going up Shell Oil is going down. Six miles down."It can cost upwards of a million dollars a day to drill,” said Shell’s Dan Malouta.
That is when the things are going well.
Statoil to invest billions in oil sands
Statoil ASA and North American Oil Sands Corporation (NAOSC) on Friday announced that they have entered into an acquisition agreement whereby Statoil will make an all-cash offer to acquire all shares of NAOSC at a price of CAD 20 per share.
Wynnewood inferno: Fire scorches refinery - Massive fire started by lightning strike
Wynnewood Refinery officials had to deal with two massive tank fires just hours after believing the first fire was under control.The fire caused a huge explosion at around 8:30 Friday night, causing many residents in the area to flee their homes in fear of the fire spreading after highly flammable liquid spilled out of a tank.
High Speed or just 110 mph Rail between Calgary and Edmonton ?
There has been some talk (and the province has even bought spaces for stations) of true high speed rail between Calgary and Edmonton. Cost Can$12 billion.
Ed Tennyson (retired transit expert with a nearly epic resume) posted the following:
Since money is the problem, be rational about it, Calgary and Edmonton do not have Japan's population, You can not do what they did or what France did. No one can juatify $12 billion for this, Those opposed can prove it should die.
I am not opposed to good passenger train service between Calgary and Edmonton but it must fit the market.
You will need electric eMU cars with very comfortable appertances but no locomotives,. Cruising speed would be 110 miles per hour, Just double track the present railroad and upgrade the track quality, New Jersey eMU cars have cruised at 104 miles per hour for 30 years, Getting to 110 is no big deal but that is the limit for standard track and power bills Such cars cost only $ 400 per hour to operate and maintain and can average about 88 miles per hour so the cost per passenger-mile will be only 12 cents per-mile using a conservative load factor wth some empty seats on most trips. Albertans will probably pay 25 cents per mile for such service so there will be 13 cents per passenger-mile to amortize the capifal. We can't subsidize everything.
With two million annual passengers there might be $ 37 million a year to support the capital investment. That would support $ 400 million in bonds, It would save a lot of oil that could be sold to tne USA for a good price to help pay rhe rest.
E d T e n n y s o n
Using standard costs, I came up with less than US$500 million to build a second track (with extra sidings), the stations, barn, a fleet 40 EMUs and to electrify the line.
About 2 hours city center to city center, Add a few minutes for a stop in Red Deer. Phase II could be from Edmonton to Fort McMurray.
Just a real world example,
Best Hopes,
Alan
It seems as though the 'continuous improvement' MBA mentality can only come up with 'high speed' rail at exponentially ruinous costs. Personally, I don't want to go much faster than 100 mph. At that speed you can still make some sense of the scenery instead of being reduced to either watching a blur or the onboard DVD.
Why high speed? To compete with air; to 'waste' as little time as possible; to increase passenger/mile/hr and so on. Competing with air over long distances is not economically doable, but shorter hauls can at 100 mph. Longer trains increase capacity just as well as shorter ones going faster. As far as wasting time, I guess all scenic tourism is now a waste of human endeavour?
I found that the high speed trains in France went too fast for my liking and as I recall the Spanish Talgo trains, when in France, went slower in the daytime and fast at night. ?? I was given the excuse of enjoying the scenery, but that could have been cover for a scheduling situation. Regardless, nobody complained.
It is probably more energy efficient to have more trains, built better and enjoyable to be on, than to rattle along in a crowded budget can, hoping the journey is soon over, as we currently do in aircraft. The accountants who currently run the world will probably give us the latter. Who will want to live near a track with a 300 mph ballistic missile passing by - nothing can go wrong, go wrong, go wrong....
Rail will be back. Bravo.
Right on. Ever ride AMTRAK??
I personally would be very happy with 60mph trains that stayed on schedule and went to every fairly large city in the country. There used to be such a thing in this country.
"There used to be such a thing in this country." Well, yes. But once car and jet travel became cheap, no one wanted to pay for train service any more. They wanted somebody else to pay for it. They still do. That's why we have to sit around waiting for governments to take care of it. Which is why we're discussing it here instead of riding on actual trains. And why our grandchildren may still be just discussing it.
And why our grandchildren may still be just discussing it
Perhaps, as they bicycle to work.
Best Hopes,
Alan
PS: You missed the long list of GOVERNMENT subsidies and direct actions that made car (less mention was made of jet) travel cheaper.
Hint: It was government actions and not some mythical "quasi-Free Market" that changed America's Urban form from ~1950 to ~1970.
Well, yes. The whole transportation and "tourism" sector is obscenely oversubsidized. OTOH, car drivers at least pay towards the capital cost of the vehicle, major roadbeds and major construction, many major bridges and tunnels, insurance, fuel, and all repairs. Urban-rail riders pay maybe 1/3 or less of "operating costs", which really means 1/3 or less of insurance (perhaps), fuel, drivers, and repairs. The taxpayers usually pick up the vehicles, roadbed, stations, major refurbishing, driver pensions, and so on, even though only a tiny minority of them actually have any conceivable use for the facilities. At least the vast and overwhelming majority of the taxpayers (over-)use the highways, even though the subsidies guarantee that there are many more highways than would be economically optimal.
Perhaps even more importantly, if there's really such a big 'energy descent' in the works that our grandchildren must "bicycle to work" - i.e. it's not, as now, just a choice - then we need to begin cutting the transportation sector down to size yesterday. That can start with honest billing throughout - especially in aviation-and-conventions-and-tourism, which, though it's not the biggest slice, is such a powerful symbol of superfluous, mind-boggling profligacy; and there could be huge follow-on savings from cutting down the vast infrastructure of energy-guzzling hotels and the like. OTOH, if that much descent is not in the works, cutting transportation down to the optimum is still good economics. Either way, but given honest billing, then if people want trains, or they don't, so be it.
BTW, if that big a descent is in the works, I suppose it would be well for people living in areas supported by little but "tourism" to prepare themselves to make a living at some activity other than the likes of changing bedsheets in hotels. I can't imagine what NOLA could possibly do to earn a living in circumstances that straitened...
Oh, and people who could afford it did everything they could to live in the suburbs long before 1950. One of the perennial exhibits at the local (model) train show concerns advertisements and documents from the Chicago & Northwestern Railroad complaining rather bitterly about the competition from high-wheel bicycles in the 1890s - had the "safety" bicycle not been invented in time, we might not have bicycles as they would have been banned at the behest of the railroads. Away from the crack trains on main routes like Chicago to New York, a lot of service was that slow, slovenly, and unreliable even back then. The railroads were massively subsidized, with every-other-section of land along their routes, and dissipated much of the booty on executive high living. Not so different from now, actually. (There are many reasons why, as you travel west of the Mississippi, and until you reach the Left Coast, you still encounter the lingering remains of a tremendous, visceral hatred of the railroads.) Anyway, the postwar mortgage subsidies and the orgy of Interstate-building merely democratized an already-existing reality.
I think you just said that Out West people hate railroads because once upon a time there were Robber Barons.
Hunh? The very same people love Deadeye Dick and his sidekick Chimpy.
A few facts to disturb your ideology certainities. But not to denate, your mind is clearly set in concrete.
The larger Urban rail systems are, the more efficient they are. DC Metro and BART cover ~80% of operating expenses (NOT 1/3rd) with fares and could, with a fair amount of ease cover 100%.
But it would be sub-optimum for them to operate at breakeven because of *ALL* of the unpaid for negatives of auto transportation. They would have fewer riders at 100% cost recovery, but the negatives associated increased auto use make that a very bad social choice.
The roads & highways take land (often as much as 20%), off of the property tax rolls, and distort the urban form compeltely. Rail never takes even 1%, and inter-city rail pays property taxes. A MAJOR plus for any city; to put more land to useful purpose (even parks are useful) inctead of wasting *SO* much on roads & highways.
Thanks for the snide remark about New Orleans. One can tell the loving spirit and true character of a man when you see a man that kicks someone in the ass after they have slipped and fallen (or rather pushed down and pummeled to a pulp with multiple broken bones by the US Army and US Gov't). It reveals *SO* much about the inner person !
New Orleans is still a major port, operating at about 93% of pre-K levels, still a major rail hub, still has two medical schools (in what is now a city of less than 300,000), a major food manufacturer, a center for the oil & gas industry, etc.
I wish justice rather than mercy for you.
Alan
The highway system is one of the most massively subsidized government works projects in the U.S. The majority of funding comes straight out of our property taxes, income taxes and sales taxes. Only 35% of all federal, state and local expenditures for highways are paid for by gas taxes. Local streets are even more heavily subsidized. So the more you drive, the more subsidy you get. No wonder car travel is cheap. Not to mention externalities like pollution, congestion, oil wars, global warming, etc.
The airline industry has rolled up a cumulative loss over its entire history. Since 9/11 the industry has experienced two dozen Chapter 11 bankruptcy filings, five liquidations, and $35 billion in cumulative losses.
There is a real holier than thou undercurrent on this site that believes anyone who wants to get somewhere in a short amount of time is an unenlightened fool. You know, some of us aren't retired and don't have all day to putz around, and if it's the difference between a two hour trip and a six hour trip, it might be the difference between seeing our loved ones frequently and hardly seeing them at all. Some people don't want to be forced to "enjoy" the scenerey, they just want to get where they are going. If you want to see the sights, may I suggest you bike out and really see them, rather than simply glance as you ride on by?
Post-Peak Oil, you will likely see your distant loved ones less, due to economic constraints.
Having a choice better trading off time for $; perhaps on some trips you will make one choice and the other choice on other trips. Is choice a bad thing ?
In the case in point, Edmonton & Calgary, about 175 miles apart, air xervice is marginal and a top speed of 110 mph and an average speed of 88 mph (2 hours city center to city center ) certainly competes quite well with driving AND flying.
Best Hopes,
Alan
Not to presume to speak for others, but I think the point is that slower rail is more likely to get built for reasons of cost. If so, it might become a case of being able to see distant relatives at all... or not.
Hard to imagine there being enough money and resources around to build and maintain 300mph bullet trains to everywhere.
I believe that true high speed rail is down our list of priorities and will not be suitable for many routes for decades to come.
OTOH, "faster than driving" rail is often quite doable at reasonable prices (see Edmonton-Calgary).
Best Hopes,
Alan
I'd be happy with "as fast as driving" or "nearly as fast as driving." Why? Well, when I'm driving, I have to pay attention to the road (not as if everybody else does, but oh well) and as a result I cannot read a book on the way to my destination. (Or do something more mind-numbing such as watching a show/movie, playing a game, etc.)
Another benefit is that it's not a potentially deadly scenario if I were to fall asleep in transit. :) (That's something that my body likes to do.)
Now folks, what we need here is a range of choices. For those of you who just want to get there fast and don't care to stare at the scenery, might I suggest a cruise missile? Or, if you are young and can take the G's, an ICBM? The food is lousy and the stewardesses are nowhere, but, ya don't get speed for nothin'.
Excellent article from up top:
Peak Oil Passnotes: Refinery Bottleneck Redux
http://www.resourceinvestor.com/pebble.asp?relid=31309
This sums up a lot of the problems we are facing in a free marketplace economy. We go with the thing that will get us the biggest profit in that fiscal year. We need to have viable alternatives planned out well in advance of events. We need to have plans for "best case" scenarios as well as "worst case" scenarios.
What if we run out of cheap, high-quality crude?
How will we transport masses of people around this country if gasoline becomes unaffordable to a large segment of our population?
What if a disease wipes out the main pollinating insect for a good chunk of our agriculture?
What if a disease wipes out the species of corn we grow in the US?
These types of planning cost money and have no direct monetary benefit when things are going well. However, when things don't go as planned, you have a head start on a smooth transition to a new status.
The article about the Belgian refinery strike could be bad news. Last year at this time, gasoline imports from Europe saved our bacon.
Looks like gas imports seem to be the main shortfall at this point, even before a strike occurs. Is this a case where internal consumption is curtailing exports?
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/gtimusm.gif
http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/twip/twip_gasoline.html
I think another good part of the article is some actual talk about how vertically integrated oligopolies function. But, I'm sure we can get some Econ 101 oil industry explanations on how the invisible hand really controls the refinery business -- "pay no attention to the man behind the curtain," the wizard yelled to the little girl and her dog.
From the Huffington Post article:
It's past time for the dinosaurs to go extinct.
(Both Levin and Boucher are Democrats. Boucher actually represents a district in Virginia.)
We supposedly have a market economy, it which people buy what they want (and can afford.) No need for Congress--they can't really help consumers make choices; they only funnel public money to useless enterprises for the benefit of the connected few. Time to dismiss the whole pack of liars.
Levin is irrelevant-- if people really want fuel efficient cars, they will buy them. Already, Toyota has surpassed GM, and it can only get worse for US manufacturers-- and of course, the US workers.
Without jobs, US consumers will not be buying fuel-inefficient cars. They won't be buying anything.
You need the state, Congress included, to make sure that people really pay what things cost. If the iron mining industry just dumps their waste into your house, or upriver from your city, the cars made with that iron will be cheaper, because the price for cleaning up the mess is passed to someone else.
It is left as an exercise to the reader to discern if the current state really accomplishes this mission, and how could it be fixed so it does it better.
If the costs of fuel inefficient cars are passed to them. Otherwise, they will happily dump those costs on others.
It is not a zero sum game. Japanese Toyota workers buy computers with Windows. Market economy, when it is well done, benefits the poor more, but it also benefits the rich. The more the merrier. Economies of scale.
Sorry, but it really is a zero sum game on the level of resources. You can exchange some apples for oranges, of course, and make a better fruit salad. But the exchange itself costs resources. So, when the costs of the transaction start to exceed the benefits you gain by it, it becomes pointless and even harmful.
The successes of the market economy in the past relied mostly on an oppressive social structure (slaves, serfs,..; tithes, rents,..), externalized costs (pollution, war,..) or one-time-only resources (fossil fuels, newly colonized farmland,..).
Capitalism has been very resilient up to this point, with the reasons stated above pushing through boundary after boundary. This has occurred in a expanding resource and labor base, combined with the all time energy bonanza (oil). We are now all bumping against the walls of the petri dish, and the delusion of unlimited growth in a finite system will become shockingly apparent.
US politicians (and not only US politicians) seem to always side with industry in maximizing short-term profits rather than the long-term public interest. The reason they do so is because they are bribed.
In the USA, political bribes usually take the form of campaign contributions. True, occasionally there are direct cash handouts (witness Congressman Randy "Duke" Cunningham, now serving an 8-year sentence), but that's more the exception than the rule.
We have the Interstate Highway System because the oil, trucking and automotive industries were able to pay bigger bribes than the railroad industry. It's as simple as that.
In my opinion, the only answer is public financing of political campaigns. You only need to look at the present US presidential administration to see just how corrupt government can become when it is financed by corporations.
No those cash handouts ain't the exception. Cunningham was the tip of one iceberg. Carol Lam lost her job for having the audacity to begin exposing that iceberg.
It is not a zero sum game. Japanese Toyota workers buy computers with Windows.
That would be a negative sum game.
Laurence, as you noted Rick Boucher is a Democrat from Virginia -- not West Virginia. He does, however, represent the coal-producing region of the state and, no doubt, feels considerable pressure not to act on something which might harm the local economy (which -- such as it is -- is pretty much dependent upon coal).
Well, that's a losing battle. From the conclusion of A Predictive Production Rate Life-Cycle Model for Southwestern Virginia Coalfields:
Yeah, that's why I said "the economy, such as it is." Apart from the labor needed to exploit coal and timber resources, there really isn't any reason for people to live in the "coalfields." Undoubtedly, there was once a great natural beauty to the area but that has been greatly diminished by mining activities. Once the coal is gone, the great majority of the people will leave as well. A few will be left up in the "hollers," ekeing out a living by cutting some wood, scratching in the garden and shooting the occasional deer.
We need a coalition that will actively defeat these kinds of representatives in primaries. Obviously, if wasn't good enough to simply form a Democratic majority. Too bad. I used to have a lot of respect for Levin. Pelosi should remove Boucher from head of the subcommittee.
Well, I have no doubt that the PO + GW crises are going to expose the flaws in our political and economic system like no previous crises. And this is why I'm so pessimistic about the future of this country (the US). Levin may be a decent guy -- I don't know. I've met and talked at length with Rick Boucher and I can say that I think he's a decent fellow (and certainly an intelligent fellow). The problem is that no one ever got elected by telling people that they needed to change their ways or that they needed to make some sacrifice. Until and unless people begin to see that drastic changes are needed to preserve things of true value, they will do nothing. Will they become convinced in time? Who can say? My guess is that it is too late.
(apologies if this was posted in previous DBs and I missed it)
I think the first step to mitigate Peak Oil should be to exterminate economists.