Where there's a Will, there's a way

A new report by the Government Accountability Office is a warning to clean coal advocates and central Illinois electricity customers. They found that stakeholders, including experts inside the coal industry, believe carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) technology will increase costs between 30%-80%.

The Department of Energy was further criticized for not having a systematic way to measure whether the hundreds of millions they spend on clean coal technology is reaching the intended goals.

GOA confirms the common view within the industry that carbon capture won't be commercially viable for 10-15 years. Scientists say we have to significantly reduce our CO2 emissions within a much shorter time frame. Carbon capture isn't a realistic option for stopping climate change because the technology won't be ready in time.

The report finds that other technologies for reducing pollution from existing coal plants, by making them more efficient, are currently available and less expensive than CCS. This raises an obvious question. Is the industry holding out the promise of distant clean coal technology so that they aren't forced to make improvements to their existing plants?

This is a familiar delay tactic in the fossil fuel industry. George W. Bush promoted hydrogen fuel cell cars while neglecting near-term alternatives that are cheaper and more realistic. It was a false solution that delayed meaningful action. Clean Coal is the new hydrogen fuel cell that merely distracts us from realistic alternatives like solar, wind, and efficiency projects.

Additional problems mentioned include reduced reliability and dramatic increases in water use at CCS plants.

The cost implications are important for central Illinois since a CCS plant is proposed in Taylorville. There are primarily three ways the Taylorville Tenaska plant hopes to make a profit despite the added cost of power generation.

1) Take massive taxpayer subsidies from state, local and federal government.
2) Have the state enforce mandatory contracts at higher rates.
3) Hope a pipeline is built to sell captured CO2 on the market.

If any one of these elements falls through then the plant isn't economically viable on its own. Even if everything goes as planned, consumers will pick up the tab by paying higher electricity rates and through our tax dollars.

We could create more jobs in our region and produce cheaper energy by pursuing better alternatives. The simple truth is that CCS isn't designed to help anyone except the coal mining industry.

Posted by Will at 1:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I appreciate all the work John Kerry has done in support of passing a climate change and green jobs bill in the Senate. I'm glad he pledged to keep fighting for it even though a major cap-and-trade bill probably won't pass this year.

That being said, I'm irritated by something he said in his statement about their decision to give up on the cap-and-trade bill without a vote.

“I just want to say to all of you on a personal level, that you know I watched Ted Kennedy over 26 years fight to get tough things passed. And in 1970 he began that effort to pass health care reform. We just got it this year. This is not going to take that long. This is not going to take close to that long.

Let's review some problems that scientists tell us will get worse if we fail to act quickly.
More catastrophic flooding and unpredictable rain, like what we've seen too much of this year. The expansion of invasive species that could harm other plant and animal life. That includes some pests that spread disease or attack food crops. Unpredictable flooding during planting and harvesting season, along with more droughts in summer. More severe tornadoes and hurricanes.

In other words, more communities will be destroyed and more people will die. We can't afford 26 years of stalling while the Neville Chamberlains of the Senate appease the fossil fuel industry. That's beside the fact that no one has come up with a better jobs recovery program than investing in more clean energy and efficiency projects.

It's fine to blame Republican Senators. The party of "just say no" is playing political games with life-and-death decisions like health care, unemployment benefits, and climate change.

But it's disingenuous to blame just Republicans when we have backward Democrats like Blanche Lincoln and Ben Nelson. The bill didn't need just one Republican vote. It needed several more to make up for conservative Democrats.

We also have to put blame on the Governor of West Virginia for replacing Robert Byrd with a shameless lackey for the coal industry. That's when serious climate change legislation died.

This reminds me of the Illinois General Assembly's habit of avoiding controversial votes on the floor. Senate Democrats could force Republicans to filibuster and explain their subservience to the fossil fuel industry. But, that creates a problem for Democrats.

Every Senator would have a vote on the record that voters could hold them accountable for. There would no longer be wiggle room for vague promises about supporting action on climate change. I suspect that Democratic leaders are foolishly avoiding a controversial vote to help their own members up for election this year. They should remember that just because most lobbyists oppose cap-and-trade doesn't mean that most citizens do.

On the plus side, I was worried that too many fossil fuel subsidies in the Kerry-Lieberman bill could have caused it to do more harm than good. Heavy coal subsidies already make it difficult to create room in the market for renewables. Ending all coal giveaways at the federal, state, and local level might be nearly as effective as a cap-and-trade system.

If a cap-and-trade bill doesn't pass this year then the movement needs to focus on how to reduce carbon in a way that doesn't depend on a federal solution. It has to be a movement of local action because the US Senate is a subsidiary of the coal industry.

Posted by Will at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just read Ninety-Three. Hugo's ode to nature in the face of an outdoor execution leapt at me.

Nature is pitiless; she never withdraws her flowers, her music, her fragrance, and her sunlight from before human cruelty or suffering. She overwhelms man by the contrast between divine beauty and social hideousness. She spares him nothing of her loveliness, neither wing or butterfly nor song of bird. In the midst of murder, vengeance, barbarism, he must feel himself watched by holy things; he can not escape the immense reproach of universal nature and the implacable serenity of the sky. The deformity of human laws is forced to exhibit itself naked amidst the dazzling rays of eternal beauty. Man breaks and destroys; man lays waste; man kills; but the summer remains summer; the lily remains the lily; the star remains a star.

A mountain ceases to be a mountain. The ocean ceases to be the ocean. Summer is no longer the same summer. We realized the fragility of nature's divine beauty only after we allowed our barbarity to destroy it.

Posted by Will at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I have to thank Jim Leach for his facebook page. Thanks to his page I'm now aware that the Republican candidate for Secretary of State is an off-the-wall tea party, talk radio bot well outside the mainstream of Illinois politics. Jim posted a status update last week commending candidate Robert S. Enriquez for engaging voters on Facebook.

I think it's great when candidates personally post on their facebook page so I checked it out and replied with this comment on Jim Leach's page.

Interesting guy. In one post he's angry about the "marginalization of Hispanics" in Illinois politics. In another he calls the cultural traditions of Middle Eastern countries "obtuse and barbaric."
I wonder if he'll ever see the hypocritical contradiction in those two statements.

One of the first rules for political candidates engaging in online discussion is that you don't get into a back and forth with random strangers. All you need to do is make your position clear and state your case. Anything beyond two replies to a question almost always goes downhill. Someone should have told Robert.

Instead, he engaged in the trademark behavior of what passes for debate on right-wing talk radio. He misrepresented my argument to avoid responding, changed the subject by attacking his opponent, and descended into a rant of random gripes against Democrats. Wow!

Here's the facebook post by Enriquez about a stoning incident in Iran that I referred to:

THIS IS WHY you don't go around bowing to people in the world. Their social and legal values are just so different (obtuse and barbaric, really) from what we absolutely know to be correct. Bowing to other (legal or not) leaders by a US President just confuses them and sends a seriously flawed signal to friend and foe... alike.

The better thing for a US President to do is look them in the eye, shake their hand and treat them like we treat other Americans, here at home. With respect, equality and decency...compassion even.

I'm sure everyone would agree with him if he had simply condemned stoning. But, in his attempt to attack Obama, he went further than that. He used an instance of stoning to condemn the social and legal values of entire culture as "obtuse and barbaric."

That insults every Iranian and American of Iranian heritage who opposes the practice of stoning and struggles for human rights.

You can read a screen cap of our conversation here. After defending his statement and questioning my right to criticize a candidate for public office, he gave up even trying to justify his words.

What about that Obama guy keeping his Aunt Zeituni ... See Morehere and deporting MORE Hispanics than were deported by W? How is that for "proper"? What about that Revered White guy, hating on the US and Obama never heard ONE Word? To say nothing of dingbat Farrakhan. I don't see you high and mighty and attacking these folks.

What about THIS as a backdrop to an apology:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fwog6E08CFU?

Another poster, in a comment that was later removed, stated that Enriquez's statement is racist. Enriquez defended himself further by posting this definition of racism.

1. a belief or doctrine that inherent differences among the various human races determine cultural or individual achievement, usually involving the idea that one's own race is superior and has the right to rule others.

Hmm... It just might fit the definition.

If you stroll through his page you'll find other interesting items like a link to an article entitled, "Is Obama really a socialist? Some say so, but where's the evidence?" He even linked to a video of Jan Brewer in support of Arizona's new immigration laws.

I almost didn't post this because Enriquez is such a long-shot candidate. Then I remembered that most newspapers are giving the same level of coverage to this race as they gave to the Democratic primary for Lieutenant Governor. So I'll do my part to pick up the slack.

Posted by Will at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

One of the best things the Illinois General Assembly did this year was to pass bills in support of solar energy including one that adds more solar power to the renewable energy portfolio standard. The standard requires utilities to gradually increase their use of clean energy and the new law sets minimum targets for how much comes from solar. Awesome!

The original bill required solar power generated in Illinois. That means more jobs building utility scale solar, rooftop panels, and maybe a manufacturing plant. What more could you want than building clean energy and creating Illinois jobs?!

Recent advances make solar more cost effective in the Midwest. The industry is ready to explode across the region. This is Illinois' time to think ahead and grab all the solar jobs we can.

But what did our state leaders do? The provision requiring Illinois solar was removed. Utilities can buy solar generated elsewhere because it might be slightly cheaper. Now we don't know how many of those jobs will go to other states.

I don't get it. Maybe they were doing a favor for the coal or utility industry. Maybe they don't understand how popular clean energy and green jobs are with the public. Polls show that most people are willing to pay a little more on their utility bill if it means converting to clean energy.

Removing the in-state requirement will bring more bad news when a cap-and-trade program is passed. Utilities generating clean energy will be in better shape when there's a price on carbon. Coal-dependent utilities, and their customers, will be hit hardest. We should be building as much wind and solar inside Illinois as possible, not just buying from elsewhere.

The legislature deserves credit for passing the bill. But, it's obvious that some of our Democratic legislative leaders just don't get it.

Posted by Will at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Droidfriend: A Droid phone which becomes the main object of its owner's affection.

Used in a sentence: My girlfriend keeps ignoring me to play with her new Droid phone and I don't like that she giggles when it vibrates.

Posted by Will at 9:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I wish that headline were about Illinois but it's happening in Colorado.

Vestas Wind Systems said Tuesday it will hire more than 1,000 people at three Colorado plants that manufacture wind turbine components after receiving a surge of orders for the electricity generators in the U.S. and Canada.

Vestas plans to hire the new workers over the next 18 months, bringing the company's Colorado work force to about 2,200...

I'm reminded of an old article quoting State Representative Brandon Phelps.

He also said he will continue to represent coal mining and agricultural interests in Springfield despite the push for "green jobs," and opposition by the Sierra Club to mining.
"I'm fighting the Sierra Club every day to keep mines open."

Maybe next year they'll propose a jobs plan based on brand new horse and buggy technology. Or a plant to manufacture old-timey cotton gins and quill pens. That's the kind of innovative thinking I would expect from any politician who thinks coal is the future.

Posted by Will at 4:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I've been casually following the Kentucky U.S. Senate election since it's one of a few Republican seats Democrats could win this year. The latest I've heard is the back and forth about federal earmarks.

Republican Rand Paul wants to eliminate earmarks completely. Democrat Jack Conway wants more transparency.

I wonder if Rand Paul will take his anti-earmark message to Paducah Kentucky. Outside of Washington DC, I don't know of any other town that owes so much of its existence to nearly 200 years worth of federal projects. If you haven't been there before then you should visit their beautiful downtown and riverfront.

In the early 19th century, William Clark (of the Lewis & Clark expedition) gained title to land in the area. It was inherited from his brother for service in the Revolutionary War. Clark used his influence to get several key federal facilities located there which gave Paducah its start. This enraged his rival, John Frontage, but that's another story.

During the civil war, it benefited from being a key point along the supply line for union armies.

The federal government has spent millions on local flood control.

(Murals along the Paducah flood wall)

The heyday of federal pork came through the efforts of Paducah's favorite son, Alben Barkley. He was a popular US Senator, Democratic Majority Leader, and Harry Truman's Vice-President. He's the namesake of Barkley dam, Lake Barkley, Barkley Airport, Barkley Park and a long list of other federally funded projects. Most, if not all, of those projects fit Rand Paul's definition of a pork barrel earmark.

If anyone knows of a comprehensive list of federal pork Barkley secured for western Kentucky, please let me know. It would probably fill several volumes of books.

And don't forget two major employers in town, Paducah's US Coast Guard base and the US Department of Energy's uranium enrichment facility.

If Rand Paul is so opposed to federal earmarks then maybe he should ask western Kentucky to give up all the projects they received as a result of the influence wielded by their former Senator. That would be the logically consistent thing to do if he really believes what he says. Clearly, Paul would have secured none of those projects had he been Senator instead of Barkley.

Then Paul can explain why he wants to destroy the regional economy and put everyone out of work. In western Kentucky, and in the rest of the real world, government does create jobs.

Posted by Will at 2:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Fit Club South is hosting the public July 24th to show off their new solar panels. They're doing a rooftop tour and presentation on the benefits of solar power, plus a bicycle prize drawing.

I believe they're the first local business to install commercial rooftop solar. They join the new IBEW Local 193 hall that has solar panels and a geothermal system.

It looks like solar power is on the rise in Springfield! Developing local sources of renewable energy should be one of the city's top priorities for job creation and in preparation for likely regulation of carbon.

Check out this video and all the nerdy details at Haenig Electric if you can't wait for the tour.

Posted by Will at 8:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

I just did a google news search on Obama and the Blagojevich trial. I quickly found half a dozen articles suggesting improper action or negative "involvement" by Barack Obama in the appointment of his US Senate seat. News coverage from the start has included speculative statements about Obama's role.

So I was interested to see today's State Journal-Register story about FBI tapes showing that Blagojevich was angry after receiving an offer of nothing but gratitude from Obama.

I'm sure all the news outlets that spent months making insinuations about Obama and Blagojevich will run this as a top headline to clear up any confusion they caused. Right? I'll be on the lookout. Maybe they'll run it next to their apologies for piling on the take-down of ACORN without checking out the story first.

In particular, I'm sure we can expect Fox News, Rush Limbaugh and the rest of the hate-radio hosts to make sure their listeners are all aware of this story after months of making unsupported accusations against Obama. That would be the "fair and balanced" thing to do after all.

Posted by Will at 10:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Earlier this month I wrote about Obama's veto threat against the Murkowski resolution. Murkowski would have removed the EPA's authority to regulate global warming pollution from large new sources like coal power plants.

Thankfully, the resolution failed. In the process we were able to see which Senators place the short-term interests of the fossil fuel industry over the health and safety of American citizens. These are the Senators more interested in having the approval of Massey Coal, BP, and the rest of the fossil fuel industry.

The list of fossil fuel lackeys includes EVERY Republican in the US Senate. They all voted for it.

Some of them said in debate that the climate crisis should be dealt with by Congressional action rather than through EPA regulation. It's impossible to take these arguments seriously since most of them oppose any meaningful climate change bill.

I sometimes point out to conservative or libertarian friends that Republicans leaders represent the interests of large corporations over the average person and small business owners. They often respond that it's not so clear cut because some Democrats also represent corporate special interests first.

The Murkowski resolution is a perfect example. Six Democrats joined Republicans in supporting Murkowski's sloppy wet kiss on the lips of those companies most responsible for the climate change crisis. These are the Democrats who compromise the message and effectiveness of the entire party.

Evan Bayh - Indiana
Mary Landrieu - Louisiana
Blanche Lincoln - Arkansas
Ben Nelson - Nebraska
Mark Pryor - Arkansas
Jay Rockefeller - West Virginia

It's particularly sad to see Mary Landrieu accept the risk of another Katrina rather than stand up to the oil industry that's so powerful in her state. It's pathetic that Jay Rockefeller would rather keep his vote and his state's economy subservient to the declining coal industry instead of embracing a new energy future.

These kind of Democrats are why having a 59 vote majority isn't enough. This is a vote that makes me deeply disappointed to see conservative Democrat Blanche Lincoln win her primary. When she's replaced by a Republican it probably won't make much difference on the difficult votes that really matter. Thanks for nothing, Bill Clinton.

On a side note, wasn't it bizarre for Lincoln to complain about "outside interests" supporting her opponent after all the money she took from the US Chamber of Commerce, the fossil fuel industry and other outside corporate special interests she serves over Arkansas citizens? And why didn't more media outlets mention her hypocritical contradiction? Why should unions with members in the state be the only ones who count as "outsiders."

But getting back to the topic, the negative side of this victory is that media pundits are using it to to predict that climate change legislation won't pass the Senate this year. These are largely the same pundits who made identical predictions about health care and continually suggested Obama would give up.

There are many important issues facing the country right now. But, for no issue is the price of delay so enormous.

Every year we stall will result in more severe climate disasters experienced by today's youth and future generations who will suffer the consequences of inaction by the US Senate gerontocracy. It's a generational injustice being committed against everyone under 40.

Obama's campaign platform focused on health care, climate change, getting out of Iraq, and government intervention to stop the economic decline. There's only one item left. The time for change is now.

Posted by Will at 2:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Last weekend I made my second trip to the annual Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester Tennessee. My first was in 2005.

I didn't get many impressive pictures without a press pass or a professional camera, but I'll post a few impressions. Click on any of the photos to see more and larger versions at my flickr site.

(Umphrey's McGee at Which Stage)

Best unplanned surprise: Tinariwen.
I didn't plan on seeing their show but I was drawn in. Their sound is unique and they looked great on stage despite the oppressive heat.

(Tinariwen)

Best up and comers: Regina Spektor and The National.
They're both getting more popular lately and they had two of the best sets at Bonnaroo.

The National will do well if they can avoid being pigeon-holed as another neo-80's band. That trend is just about played out.

I think this picture of Regina Spektor hamming it up for the camera captures her goofy stage presence.

It was nice to get away to the smaller Sonic Stage now and then.


The Postelles from New York were good.

(Sunset as Phoenix plays)

Dave Matthews Band didn't disappoint on Sunday night. They're an excellent group of musicians who are worth seeing live even if you're sick of their overplayed radio hits.

(Dave Matthews Band Sunday night)

Other personal highlights:
Rinsing off fake blood in the fountain after Gwar's show when the band joined in. The fountain was still running pink the next morning as it rinsed off dirty hippies. Gwar was easily the most offensive set at Bonnaroo in every way. I felt pretty good about being in the mosh pit four months after breaking my leg.

John Fogerty played the lesser known song I was most hoping to hear, Wrote a Song for Everyone.

(Fogerty on the main stage)

Dave Rawlings Machine with Gillian Welch was practically a spiritual experience.

Daft Punk is playing at my house. My house.

Dead Weather blew me away. I like this band much better than the Raconteurs. I hated leaving their set early to see Weezer, who were excellent.

My one gripe since I always have to gripe about something:
Bonnaroo made some bizarre scheduling choices this year. I understand that conflicts are always going to happen with a festival of this size, but I don't understand the point of having a gigantic main stage if you're going to cram some of the most popular bands into smaller areas playing against other bands with a similar fan base. I spent much less time at the main stage this year than in '05. Hopefully they do a better job next year.

Overall, Bonnaroo was another incredible once-in-a-lifetime experience that happens every year in June.

Posted by Will at 1:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)