by jboullion | Nov 21, 2008 | Uncategorized
From a report on WISC-TV:
LA CROSSE, Wis. — With gas prices still hovering above $2 per gallon, imagine paying as little as $1.25 a gallon to run a car.
Such a cost savings comes not from gasoline, but instead pumping a fuel that many of people already use to heat their home or to cook a meal.
Natural gas is a fuel that is readily available, produced in North America and is virtually pollution free. According to current designs, a compressed natural gas-powered vehicle could hypothetically be filled up in home’s garage every night.
A version of this vehicle is available today in Wisconsin.
A Honda Civic looks just like any other sedan seen on the road, but it isn’t. The Civic has a trick up its sleeve.
“This car is fueled by American-produced natural gas,” said Chris Schneider, president of Honda Motorwerks in La Crosse. “It’s stored as a gas and I should say, when we talk about gas, we are usually referring to gasoline that’s stored as a liquid. This is stored as a gas.”
by jboullion | Nov 20, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an announcement issued by the Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters:
With a new legislative session comes new opportunities AND new Conservation Priorities! At the 11 Listening Sessions held around the state, local groups and citizens like YOU had a lot to say about which issues should be top priorities. In the end, only 4 can rise to the top.
In 2009-2010, the conservation community will be fighting to make sure:
+ Wisconsin adopts a strong statewide plan to tackle global warming.
+ Wisconsin returns to an Independent DNR Secretary and has timely DNR Board Appointments by the Senate.
+ Wisconsin develops a statewide plan to protect our drinking water.
+ Wisconsin creates standards for safe agricultural, industrial and municipal waste-spreading. . . .
On February 25th, 2009, join citizens from across Wisconsin at the state Capitol to tell legislators that you expect them to vote well on natural resource issues.
RSVP TODAY for Conservation Lobby Day on February 25th, 2009!
by jboullion | Nov 19, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Dan Springer in the La Crosse Tribune:
Officials in area counties said while tumbling oil prices could provide some budget relief, they don’t trust the trend will last.
After talking about painfully steep costs for fuel, energy and asphalt for so long, county officials struggled to gauge what the recent falling prices might mean as they finalized annual budgets last week.
In the period between when most area counties established a preliminary budget and the 2009 plan was approved, the price of gasoline dropped as much as 46 percent, and the cost of energy was not far behind.
As La Crosse County leaders looked to whittle away at their 2009 budget, County Administrator Steve O’Malley suggested the board could lower its figures for fuel in the coming year.
As O’Malley expected, the idea wasn’t seriously considered.
“Do any of you have an idea where prices are going to go?” O’Malley asked at one meeting. “Maybe your crystal ball is clearer than mine, but I doubt the prices won’t go back up.”
Area county leaders agreed that banking on lower fuel-related costs would be a foolish move.
“We left it the same,” said Jeff Amo, first vice-chairman for the Jackson County Board. “We just don’t trust it’s going to stay there all next year.”
High fuel prices were to blame for Jackson County’s decision earlier this year to lay off workers in the highway department. Several of those workers since have been brought back, so the board would like nothing more than to see prices remain low to keep them on the job, Amo said.
by jboullion | Nov 18, 2008 | Uncategorized
From an article by Mike Ivey posted on The Capital Times:
Well, one thing about the global recession – it sure brought oil prices down.
Just a few months ago it seemed certain that gasoline was headed toward $5 a gallon. Now, it’s back below $2.50. If it falls much lower, maybe GM will consider reopening its monster truck factory in Janesville.
In all seriousness, however, you hope that cheaper gasoline doesn’t distract Americans from the challenge at hand of reducing dependence on foreign oil while curbing air pollution.
But if history shows us anything, consumers have short memories when it comes to anything related to their automobiles.
What the financial meltdown has done though is deal yet another blow to the beleaguered ethanol industry which was just starting to get a real toehold in Wisconsin before the bottom fell out.
Man, this state has got bad timing.
First it completely missed the IT revolution of the 1980s.
Then it largely missed out on the ethanol boom of the 1990s as neighboring states like Iowa and Minnesota jumped in big time.
Now, with Wall Street in turmoil, dollars for new biofuel ventures are even harder to come by.
In June, North Prairie Productions abandoned plans to build a $42 million biodiesel plant near Evansville in Rock County. It would have been the largest in the state, producing an estimated 45 million gallons of fuel annually.
And the story is being repeated across the Heartland.
In Missouri alone, more than a dozen ethanol and biodiesel companies sought state regulatory approval in 2006 to recruit investors for projects in South Dakota, Nebraska, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. Two years later, as many companies have failed or stalled as have finished their projects, according to a recent Associated Press report.
But I’m not crying over the biofuel bust.
From the beginning, it was little more than a government subsidized boondoggle that only put money in the pockets of huge corn growers like Archer Daniels while diverting attention from producing more efficient vehicles or encouraging transportation alternatives.
Moreover, from an air pollution standpoint, corn-based ethanol now appears to be a serious net loser when it comes to carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, a major contributor to global warming.
by jboullion | Nov 17, 2008 | Uncategorized
A media release issued by Better Environmental Solutions:
Wisconsin Dells — After record floods, Better Environmental Solutions today released a Biomass Flood Reduction Buffer Plan to help farmers restore buffers in floodplains to reduce flooding, provide biomass for power plants, increase farm income and cleaner water. Brett Hulsey, President of Better Enviro presented the plan at the annual meeting of the Wisconsin Association of Floodplain, Stormwater and Coastal Managers annual conference, “Change…How Will We Respond?” in Wisconsin Dells.
“These annual floods are tragic and biomass buffers can reduce the risk to flood victims and farmers, reduce pollution, grow fuel for power plants, and reduce the risks of extreme climate change,” said Hulsey.
Biomass buffers can also help clean up our streams and drinking water, help increase farm income, reduce crop loss and crop insurance payments, and improve habitat for people, fish and wildlife. Farmers would plant biomass buffers of native grasses like switchgrass, fast-growing willows and/or poplars to replace crops that are flooded each year. These buffers would be managed to optimize for flood protection, water quality, and biomass production for power plants and cellulosic ethanol production.
“We know buffers provide wildlife habitat, clean our water and reduce flooding,” said Tom Thrall, former state biologist of the Natural Resource Conservation Service. “The good news is that utilities and the state can contract with farmers to convert these floodplains to biomass.”
The Better Enviro analysis shows that farmers can make more from Biomass Buffers at $50/ton than with $4/bushel corn production.“We know that buffers and conservation must pay farmers, or they won’t stay,” said Hulsey. “Wisconsin has lost a higher percentage of Conservation Reserve Program lands than any other Midwest states and biomass buffers may be our best chance to protect our streams and produce fuel.”
A 2007 Better Enviro report, Cellulose Prairie, showed that Wisconsin has enough biomass to displace half its coal use, while restoring critical prairie habitat and reducing flooding. Sixty percent of Wisconsin’s renewable energy comes from biomass and wood now, 10 times more than wind and solar combined.
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Better Environmental Solutions is an energy and environmental consulting firm. Hulsey was the first non-governmental person to win FEMA’s Distinguished Public Service Award for helping people recover from floods and restoring wetland to reduce flooding. He has authored numerous reports on flood prevention like “Permitting Disaster,” “Subsidizing Disaster,” “Red River Rampage” and “Wetland Restoration in Waiting.” For more on the Biomass Buffer proposal, go to www.BetterEnviro.Com
