An article by the Associated Press today (5/14/2012) reported that a $670 million overhaul at the San Onofre nuclear plant in California, intended to avoid problems with deteriorating pipes which could cause leakage of radioactive steam, was actually causing the pipes to deterioate faster.  San Olfre's twin reactors have been off line for three monthe while an investigation was in progress. So far the cause has not been pinpointed. Some pipes were so eroded that they were deemed unsafe to continue in operation. 

Mit Romney, in his quest to become our next president, keeps referring to the “Day by day job killing regulations, bureaucrat by bureaucrat that (are) crushing our dream.” How many dreams were crushed by the dismantling of financial regulations over the past several administrations which caused financial ruin for millions who lost their jobs and even their homes not to mention their retirement funds and it isn’t over yet.

While we here in the United States ponder, argue, deny, obfuscate and even lie about what to do about carbon in the air, or even doing nothing about it, the rest of the world is actually trying to work out some kind of solution, Interpol is trying to educate police as to how to keep criminals out of global carbon markets. The system of Cap & Trade, where big emitters of CO2 can trade emission credits to low emitters of CO2 to avoid paying penalties for for their emissions, is very complicated and subject to fraud. It’s happening in many European countries. Traditional environmental agencies have come up against so many different parties and new instruments never before seen that they are having to learn of forms of vulnerability they’ve never even heard of.As the price of carbon increeases the more likely criminals are to be attracted to the market.

Jonah  Goldberg, the ‘brilliant’ columnist who proclaimed not too long ago that oil and gas were the “True” green fuels, is criticising President Obama for saying we need all available fuels, pursuing nuclear as well as fossil fuels and alternatives such as wind and solar. Goldberg maintains that Obama blocked the Keystone XL pipeline and his policies are responsible for high gas prices now. Jonah is playing fast and loose with the truth. First, it is pretty well known that financial firms, speculating on future oil prices, are responsible for the high cost of gas at the pump. I don’t think the president has been buying oil futures. (Anyone with evidence that he is doing this let me know.) The president stopped the pipeline to allow an evaluation of the proposed route which passed through sensitive areas in which a pipeline spill could seriously harm a vital aquifer. Just a week ago he lifted the block and allowed the start of the lower end of the pipeline. As for not embracing cap and trade, that program does not take greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere. It just lets big polluters buy credits from a clean industry so they can pursue business as usual. Germany has tried cap-and-trade and found that the system was easily scammed.

Not even a little bit. On April 5 of 2012 a McClatchy Newspaper article claimed that financial speculators are gambling on oil prices much like they did on subprime mortgages bringing down the entire financial world in 2007, according to Michael Greenberger, professor of law at Maryland University and former federal regulator of financial markets. Republican presidential candidates are all too ready to blame Obama for $4.00 gas but it is pure political negative baloney. This speculation could bring to a halt the current recovery and lead to a deepening of the recession which finally seems to be responding to some of the things that Obama, did such as rescuing the auto industry and bailing out some of the financial institutions, all of which prevented a much worse economic crisis. They always seem to forget that George W. Bush bears the major blame for the 2007 melt-down. Presidents from Bill Clinton back to Ronald Regan can also share some of the blame by allowing the gutting of a lot of the financial regulations that help prevent financial disasters like that of 2007

Thomas Friedman predicted in his book, Hot, Flat, and Crowded, that the answer to our quest for renewable fuels would come from a thousand inventors in a thousand garages. One such inventor has already come up with a very creative solution. Burning salt water…

Ever hear of Rare Earth Metals? You well might in the near future. They represent a class of materials that have received little attention until recently. China has been trying to corner the market in them. Why? They are vital to almost all high tech equipment like alternative energy production,  including batteries, electric motors and the permanent magnets used in those giant wind turbines. They are also used in solar cells, photo optics, communication systems, precision munitions, navigation and guidance systems, lasers, and spy satellites. In other words they are vital, not only to the development of alternative energy systems, but also to our security. A Toyota Prius carries almost 25 pounds of rare earth metals. Unfortunately our government has made no effort to stockpile these rare earth metals, opting to import 100% of what we need…mostly from China…

Columnist Kathleen Parker wrote in her column in the Washington Post, Tuesday August 4, that the Waxman-Markey energy bill now before Congress, would make us less secure if passed. She claims we only have two choices:  we can either be green or we can be less dependent on foreign oil. Her reasoning is a bit convoluted. She is assuming that we continue business as usual. To her alternative energy is a non-starter. Any attempts by the government to cap CO2 emissions will cause a stampede to OPEC for our oil supplies. We will certainly continue to need oil for some time as we transition to a fossil fuel free economy. Most of our oil comes from Canada and Mexico, but there is some new developments that could alter that...