chemrat's story links

Federal land management officials recommend almost 4,400 new natural gas wells be drilled in western Wyoming, an area where energy mining is already blamed for increased air and water pollution. The amount of natural gas to be harvested is supposedly equal to about one year's supply for the US. The damage to wildlife, their habitat and the environment is expected to be significant. The Bush administration is pushing for these decisions.

A turbodiesel plugin-hybrid concpt car from VW, the Golf Twin Drive has electric and diesel power, travels up to 30 miles on electric power, uses regenerative breaking to recharge the battery, and uses no power when stopped. The bad news? There are no plans to develop this car for the US market, though a fleet will be ready forthe German government in 2010. Let's try to get these cars to the US and elsewhere!

1sky.org reports that Congress is considering the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant and Green Jobs Act. A link is provided to help voice your support for this legislation to Congress.

As reported by Lyndsey Layton of the Washington Post, new regulations in Europe about the use of toxic and carcinogenic chemicals are affecting US manufacturers, if those manufacturers want to maintain exports to European countries.

Rising gas prices are ridding the roads of recreational vehicles (RVs and campers), and are also hurting organizations like Meals on Wheels where volunteers deliver meals to the elderly and invalids. Two articles on these topics are discussed.

Fuel prices may vary from station to station. But, there is a way of knowing which gas station is selling gas cheapest (other than, of course, roaming through the whole town). So, before you hit the road to fill in your tank, follow these steps to learn how to find the best gas deal in your town.

An article about the release of Toyota’s plug in Hybrid scheduled for release in 2010: “It’s no secret Toyota’s been working on a plug-in hybrid to compete against the forthcoming Chevrolet Volt, but Wednesday’s announcement sets a firm deadline and makes it clear Toyota has no plans of ceding the green mantle to General Motors. It also underscores how quickly the race to build a viable mass-market electric car is heating up.”

A combination of bad weather and the rising use of ethanol as fuel, combined with higher transportation costs and other economic factors, have caused the costs of corn to skyrocket. Corn ethanol programs must be stopped now, and the competition between food and fuel must be ended.

Diesel used to be cheaper than gas (petrol) in the U.S., but now it’s more expensive. Matthew L. Wald of the New York Times analyzes and explains why diesel’s price is rising in the article “So You Think Gas Costs A Lot?“. This and two other articles on diesel are discussed, and the advantages of high mpg turbodiesel cars are contrasted with some environmental concerns and the rising cost of diesel fuel.

As reported by By Juliet Eilperin, Washington Post Staff Writer: “Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson favored giving California some authority to regulate greenhouse gas emissions from cars and trucks … before he consulted with the White House and reversed course, congressional investigators said yesterday.”

Yes, 60 MPG from a turbodiesel production car that will be available in the US in 2009. For someone who doesn't even like carbon fuels, this is pretty amazing.

Norway, a country known for oil and natural gas exports and certainly not concerned about foreign oil, is making the switch to wind power.

“Two administrative law judges recommended today that power lines should not be built across west-central Minnesota from the proposed coal-fired plant on the South Dakota side of Big Stone Lake. The decision is a major victory in the fight to combat climate change.”

A court ruling has recommended that permits for new coal-fired power plant Big Stone II be denied based on environmental issues and lack of justification for the polluting coal plant when alternatives are available.

5 cents per kWh is claimed by a new company that combines extreme solar concentrators with hardy solar panels. To market next year!