29 April 2012
Alternative Fuel Vehicle News for April 2012
With the century-long dominance of petroleum-derived fuels in the transportation sector, it’s been tough to bring in and establish alternative technologies for cars and trucks. Here are a few developments from recent articles I’ve found interesting this month: Electric Cars Forbes reports in How One Chevrolet Dealer Is Selling 25 Volts a Month that the key to selling the Volt is understanding the nuances of the product and educating the consumer. …
16 April 2012
Pennsylvania PUC Schedules AFV Forum
The Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission (PUC) has scheduled a forum next month at Drexel University to focus on promotion and regulation of alternative fuel vehicles (AFV), including natural gas and electric cars. Specifically, the forum will address: The state of development and costs of various technologies; What constraints exist in developing AFVs – both nationwide and in Pennsylvania; What are the appropriate private sector, utility and Commission roles in fostering the …
13 April 2012
Where are the Natural Gas Vehicles?
Gasoline prices are up, natural gas prices are way down. Vehicles can run on natural gas. So, where are all the natural gas vehicles? A good overview of the feasibility of using natural gas as a vehicle fuel is available in the 2010 International Energy Agency publication “The Contribution of Natural Gas Vehicles to Sustainable Transport“. The advocacy group Natural Gas Vehicles for America reports there are about 112,000 natural …
4 February 2012
Germany Moving Forward with the Third Industrial Revolution
Despite the high up-front costs of re-building a national power infrastructure, largely decentralized and based on renewable energy sources, Germany remains Europe’s economic powerhouse. In 2007, the European Parliament made a written declaration to establish a Third Industrial Revolution ”through partnership with committed regions and cities, SMEs (small and medium-size enterprises) and civil society organizations.” With all of the financial trouble going on in parts of Europe, and Germany’s central role …
18 December 2011
Pipelines Galore: The Keystone XL Controversy
The proposed Canada-to-Texas Keystone XL Pipeline has become a political football. The Republican-led House of Representatives insists the pipeline be ”fast-tracked.” The Obama administration wants time to study alternative routes and make a final decision in 2013. The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) generally has authority over interstate pipeline projects, however, given the pipeline crosses an international border, the Department of State has to sign off. In addition to sending products from Canadian tar sands, the Keystone …
28 November 2011
Using Thermogravimetry for Carbon Accounting
Thermogravimetry-Derivative Thermogravimetry (TG/DTG) is a simple and inexpensive method to account for recent soil carbon sequestration. As such, it’s a good choice to be a standardized test in international carbon trading markets. More about TG/DTG shortly, but first, why is this important? Background Here in the United States, clearly, any federal legislation that seeks to reduce carbon emissions, such as by taxation or carbon trading, has no chance of getting through …
20 November 2011
A Mine is a Terrible Thing to Waste
Here in the United States, mine reclamation typically focuses on returning the site to some semblance of its former condition. Given enough time, money and effort, it can turn out pretty well. However, results are mixed and many old abandoned mine lands continue to cause problems. Elsewhere around the world, some creative geo-architects are finding some amazing uses for mines. Jessica Drake, who blogs, teaches, does research, and writes from …
10 November 2011
Australia Passes a Carbon Tax
In a bold move, Australia has passed a carbon tax. The 500 largest polluters will pay $23 per tonne. Farmers can cash in by selling carbon offsets, presumably through ways including soil carbon sequestration. Obviously, the measure’s not popular with everyone. Australia mines and uses a lot of coal, even though, as part of the law, there is a lot of money appropriated to support displaced jobs. Scientific American has the …
8 November 2011
Coal Ash in Lake Michigan
Last week saw a coal-ash landslide at the Oak Creek power plant near Milwaukee, and congressional action that would allow a car ferry to dump coal ash in Lake Michigan. Both incidents raise questions about regulatory and permitting processes. Full disclosure is in order here. To minimize bias, scientists are supposed to be disinterested (not uninterested) in their subjects. I love Lake Michigan. For a kid who grew up in the “Rust Belt-Corn Belt” …
21 October 2011
BBC: Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature Project Finds Earth is Warming
This is big. The Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature Project was launched by skeptics and included funding from the Koch brothers in response to “Climategate.” That fiasco began with the hacking of the University of East Anglia climate researchers’ emails. Read more at the BBC.
John Freeland is an environmental scientist working in the private sector. Most of his work centers on wetland and soil investigations, permitting, and NEPA documentation. He is interested in the ecological services of soils, wetlands and woodlands; the land-water-energy nexus, and sustainability. John lives in Michigan with his wife and three children.
