Other Intersting Blogs

As of late when I find myself crawling over the blogosphere I have been returning to three different blogs. Each attacks their topic with inquiry and insight, so you should check them out.

Jumping the Fence : A pro-immigrant rights blog done by an immigrant to the United States. The blog looks critically at the topic of immigration and shows how it affects economic and social factors. It is also very interesting to read something from the point of view of an immigrant.

War on Drugs : Ever wanted to understand the war on drugs better? This blog looks at the effectiveness of the war on drugs and how society is being affected. I recommend reading a few posts; you will find something that surprises you.

Crime and Punishment : The prison system is more complicated than you might think. This blog explores the arguments over punishment and rehabilitation in the prison system.

Want to Learn More?

Want to learn more about energy and the environment on your own? Here are some links that will help you:

Barack Obama and Joe Biden: The Change We Need | New Energy for America - Barack Obama’s official website devoted his views on energy. It is a good place to see what Obama says he stands for.

JohnMcCain.com - McCain-Palin 2008 - John McCain’s official website devoted to his views on energy. Great for getting a view on what McCain says.

Obama, McCain energy plans – CNN.com - CNN’s coverage on the energy plans of John McCain and Barack Obama. This site makes it easy to compare the two plans.

Energy Information Administration - EIA - Official Energy Statistics from the U.S. Government - This US Department of Energy page is full of every statistic you could ever wonder about energy. Not neccesarrily a casual read, but you can find some interesting information at this page.

World Coal Institute - Environmental Impacts of Coal Use - This page contains basic information to the different ways coal pollutes the environment while offering solutions to these problems. It should be noted that this is a very pro coal industry page.

Energy: Is Offshore Oil Drilling the Answer? | Newsweek Voices - Daniel Gross | Newsweek.com - A Newsweek article that interviews Shell’s president of US operations about how offshore drilling does not support the American economy.

Exxon Valdez oil spill - Encyclopedia of Earth - A large encyclopedia article about the Exxon Valdez oil spill. I recommend reading this article to better understand how oil spills do effect the environment.

Not Smart Power, but Smart Delivery

Here is an interesting idea: energy source aren’t the problem, the way energy is transferred is. Ben Jervey posted Intelligent Transmission, a blog post, about switching from conventional energy transmission techniques to new smarter more efficient methods.

Jervey’s post has some good thoughts. He states that solar and wind powers are effective ways of generating energy, they aren’t continuously running. Instead of using our current transmission system that just lets the energy flow, we should move to a system that stores and adapts to energy to help it move more efficiently. I wonder is this new systems efficiency would offset its costs to implement?

The More You Know

Over the time since I have started writing this blog the way I think has changed. My view of how blogs are used and what their purpose is has been altered. Also, I can more clearly see and understand energy issues and the response to these issues our presidential candidates are making.

At first I thought of blogs as a stupid creation. I imagined all of them to be the diary of a depressed sixteen year old girl. I was wrong. I didn’t respect blogs before for the reason I like them now: anything can be posted on a blog. This means when the news partially reports on a subject a person can still look into it and inform everyone else. There is only so far the media can go before they worry about offending people, but a blog can push that limit to the point of truth.

I began this blog with the knowledge I had from an environmental science class I took two years ago. I could tell you about how polution from coal plants is effecting the environment with sulfur emissions and other compounds. Also, I could tell you roughly about the Yucca Mountain site where we are planning to stick all of our excess nuclear waste that should have already been cleaned up. I even knew of other nuclear power related accidents, such as Three Mile Island or Chernobyl. Both nuclear events involve a catastrophe that was involved with human error that could have been solved with a larger budget. I had a rough idea of my own value concerning energy and how it affects the world around me, but I decided I wanted to learn more.

I have learned of ecological disasters like the Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. This oil tanker run aground has made me believe that our energy markets should be more regulated to help the safety of our environment. Also, the Exxon Valdez event and other oil spills from hurricane Katrina have shown me how ecology can be partially ignored by the government in times of crisis.

My thoughts about the presidential candidates have changed also. I assumed that Obama would go green and McCain wouldn’t really care about clean energy, but I was wrong. McCain does want to develop cleaner coal power plants. Obama does have an energy plan that is more dependent on creating more environmentally friendly energy sources. I loved to learn that both candidates wanted to lower the United States dependence on oil, specifically foreign oil. I still do not like how McCain is supporting off shore oil drilling. I believed that this is a problematic process and that it is still a problematic process.

The more I have put thought into the entire subject I like both candidates stances for different reasons. I liked McCain support of developing more nuclear power, but McCain still is holding onto coal power to much. I think it is a close decision and I will endorse Obama to win because of his anti-drilling policies. Obama seems to be committed to cleaner power that doesn’t hurt the environment as much. I can now comprehend these energy issues better and help other with them.

Heaven let your light shine down

Well, were following Europe's lead with our financial troubles. We might as well follow them when it comes to energy. The Catholic Church is installing solar panels on some of the buildings in the Vatican City. The Pope says that he wants to promote environmentally friendly energy. The solar cells used were given to the Pope as a gift.

Even though this measure was done due to charity, it is still a step in the right direction. If the Vatican can recap the money they would spend it will send a powerful method. Lets hope the world can follow their lead.

If we dont act

If energy issues are ignored the future is quite dark. Our access to oil and natural gas reserves will be exhausted, nuclear waste will pile up ignored, and the environment will continue to become more and more polluted. With a little bit of work and though on the public bleak future will can be brightened.

If we keep doing what we are doing CO2 levels will keep rising just from people burning fossil fuels. Currently, nuclear waste is just stored in facilities on site at plants. Nuclear waste will build up and this could lead to easier nuclear proliferation. Coal burning power plants will continue to spread sulfur into the environment which creates acid rain.

We should deal with our energy issues as quickly as we can. Otherwise, we will fall down our slippery slope.

What Does It

Education and economy a key to environmental and energy issues. Lack of education keeps people from fully comprehending the environmental issues that arise from energy. At the same time this ignorance is mixed with economic issues. When these two issues combine strong polarized views are created.

Groups like the Sierra Club focus completely on the environment but lack a careful analysis of economic issues. Likewise oil interest groups look purely at economic issues. The problem with this arises when the average person doesn’t understand all the issues. Companies are easily able to pull the wool over the average mans eyes. These companies have thought manly of economy and has resulted in laws like CERCLA to combat the environmental issues companies have created. CERCLA is a legislation enacted that sets up a fund to pay for the environmental disasters companies have made.

Such divided sides can be stopped with better education. There is a happy medium between economy and environment. Do you know what makes the energy you buy? If you said a power plant your right, but there is more to it than that. People should be conscious of what energy we use. Knowing the use of petroleum accounts for 44% of energy in the US makes a difference in how we think of our energy sources. A better world can be created from a better mind.

Coal Power

I believe that coal power is the worst energy source because of its emmisions. Coal power accounts for a large portion of the United States energy production. The Unite States has 25% of the worlds coal reserves. Because the United States has such a large amount of coal it is used quite quickly and easily.

The United States Department of Energy acknowledges that a significant amount of CO2 is released into the atmosphere from coal power plants. It is also important to note that coal releases large amounts of mercury into the atmosphere. Coal power plants also release radioactive fly ash into the environment. With all of the byproducts created by conventional coal plants something must be done.

Both candidates are interested in reducing emissions from coal plants. McCain wants to spend two billion dollars annually on clean burning coal methods. Obama is slightly more vague and wishes to create four prototype clean coal plants and further research coal technologies. America is sitting on a large amount of energy that is slowly hurting us, and we should be working to harness both its energy and environmental potentials.

Nuclear Power

One of the largest differences in Obama’s and McCain’s energy plans is their views on nuclear power. McCain is all for more nuclear power while Obama is against it. I believe that the general fear of nuclear power comes from ignorance on the issue. Let us examine nuclear power and how it effects the environment.

The largest environmental advantage nuclear power how it's low impact the environment. While conventional fossil fuels release ton of CO2 and other compounds into the atmosphere, nuclear power only releases excess heat in the form of steam. Concerns on nuclear power stem from handling and disposal methods. A research study done by MIT in 2003 suggest that nuclear power is a great candidate as a power sores to reduce CO2 emissions and will be used heavily in the next 50 years.

I believe nuclear powers main drawback is the lack of long term nuclear waste storage facilities. Much of the waste emitted from plants will stay radioactive for thousands of years and we do not currently have a facility to store this waste. One proposed option is to create breeder reactors which would take nuclear waste and help convert it into a form of waste that is less dangerous. Another suggested method of waste disposal is theSubductive Waste Disposal Method. In this method waste is placed underground and is carried deeper underground by tectonic plate movement. All current plans have their own pros and cons, but something does need to be done about current waste storage.

While nuclear power is a great solution, stricter controls on waste must be put into place. Much more clean energy could be put into place if the government started an even more heavily regulated plan to control nuclear energy and its byproducts.

What are we buying out?

America’s banks are being nationalized. Paulson’s bailout plan has been changed. Instead of buying toxic mortgages we are buying the banks. $250 billion are going to the banks in either shares of the bank or commercial paper. Major stable banks were voluntarily forced into being bought out. This plan is a result of plans in Europe. Now is the time of semi-free market capitalism.

What does this mean? In the short term the freeze on the banking crisis could stop. This is good, but the long term effects could be bad. What if the banks don’t re-privatize? Who is making money under the table? When will the system be permanently right instead of temporarily right?

The Issues

With the current American dependence on oil, off shore drilling could become the newest plague on our nation. New developments in technology mixed with concerns over energy resources are driving the American public to ignore the environment. In this upcoming presidential election we must band together as a people and make smart empowered choices about what will power our lives.

The temptation to allow more off shore drilling is growing. Methane hydrates, a form of ice full of methane gas, could come into play to fix energy concerns. Methane hydrates are found on the floor of the ocean in various global locations. The USGS questions the stability of the seafloor under conditions where mining of methane hydrates would take place. The EPA reports methane to have over 20 times the power of carbon dioxide as a greenhouse gas. Currently, the US is entered in a partnership with Japan for development of this fuel supply. Japan has already begun to start mining methane hydrates. Japanese officials are already concerned over how the mining of this gas will affect their fishing industry. Other concerns stem from this issue over the concept of a ”Methane Burp” which is a massive release of methane caused by either warming of the surrounding ocean or physical disturbance. While methane hydrate may hold a large amount of energy, it is unwise environmentally to focus on them.

Other forms of offshore oil drilling hold equal amounts of problems. Oil has proven itself time in and time out to be irresponsibly handled causing ecological disasters. The spilling of an Exxon Valdez oil tanker in 1989 began a change in the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act which extends today to bar further leasing of land to be used to drill upon. Besides simple man-made accidents, off shore drilling is also effected by “acts of god” as environmental issues. The US Minerals Management Service reported over 6,000 barrels of oil being spilled during the 2005 hurricane Katrina. Because of the relief crisis at the time it was hardly reported by the news that over 741,000 gallons of oil were spilled. Three years late, in 2008 hurricane Gustav caused at least 33 spills. Sure off shore oil is accessible, but is it really worth the cost to the environment?

Senator Obama’s campaign on energy does seem fairly environmentally friendly. Obama’s web site states that if elected he plans start using hybrid plug-in cars, make sure that 10% of our energy comes from renewable source by 2012, and eliminate oil imports from the Middle East and Venezuela. Obama has shown in the past that he votes and works on legislatures that benefit the environment by encouraging cleaner power. Obama has also voted against expanded drilling in the gulf of Mexico while stating that more efficient energy uses would be more important. In 2008, Obama did change his view on off shore oil drilling. While previously being against drilling, Obama admitted that he would accept it as long as it was involved in plans to more energy independence. It is quite possible that due to the current drop in oil prices that Obama would not support off shore drilling anymore.

Senator John McCain also has environmentally friendly plans, but McCain still has a large focus on oil products. McCain’s website describes how he wishes to expand domestic natural gas and oil, break dependency on foreign oil, promote clean coal technology, and increase usage of nuclear power. Critics question some of McCain’s policies, like forcing automakers to build more fuel efficient vehicles, as being things the American people are already doing. Other critics have explored how McCain’s energy policies seem to set himself up not to be known as a “third term Bush”. McCain has also stated that part of his energy plan includes drilling off shore for oil to help relieve oil dependency. McCain made a change to promoting the idea of off shore drilling. Originally he was against the drilling, but he claimed that drilling would help lower the price of gas.

Currently both candidates support the lift on the ban of off shore drilling. McCain has been known to misinform voters about the environmental dangers associated with offshore oil drilling. While Obama is no prince here either, I would say he has the better energy plan. Obama seems to have a better focus on renewable energy while McCain seems to still be stuck on different forms of oil. It would be selfish for me to tell you to go out and vote for one of these candidates purely because they have leaned one way or another in the past on energy issues, but think about how you truly feel about their plans.

Maybe We are Doomed to Repeat the Past

Closer and closer comes the time that outer continental shelf drilling will happen, and I for one am not happy about it. The Sierra Club aptly describes the history of this form of drilling and how it became banned. The ban on off shore drilling was in response to a series of oil spills in the 1980s. Further restraints were imposed by President Bush in 1989 after the spill of an Exxon Valdez oil tanker in the Prince William Sound of Alaska. As soon as 2012 the moratoriums placed on these waters will be extinct if we don’t do something about it.

Let’s take a look at the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989. This tanker released over 11 million gallons of crude oil into the surrounding waters. In 1993 this aquatic area was confirmed to still be contaminated with oil. A recent study done in 2001 by the NOAA showed that there were still residual amounts of oil trapped in the environment.

We have a government who does not like to keep big business accountable. Seven hundred billion dollar buyout for some banks that we knew were making shifty deals? No problem! What will happen when we let big business control the environment of our shores? How can we buyout a massive environmental disaster like a devastating oil spill? Oh yeah, Superfund.

Whether it’s terrorists or the economy, America loves the pre-emptive strike. Let’s keep this problem stopped before it can start again.

Energy is key

Everyone seems to be up in arms about gas prices these days. Prices are rising and America is already heavily dependent of foreign source of oil. In the coming presidential election, the topic of energy is being heavily addressed. While both major parties claim to want to change America’s plan on energy, both plans follow different means of doing this.

As a semi-liberal who is very interested in science this issue appeals to me very much. With my knowledge I will enlighten you all with concepts dealing with energy techniques and their consequences. No current energy plan presented by the candidates is perfect, but I believe that Senator McCain’s plan is fundamentally flawed in his plans for use of off shore energy sources. Energy is a complicated topic and soon you will all understand it much better.