Chemically Green
To Drill or Not To Drill? USA Oil Dilemma
(Map for drilling in Alaska)
Experts are now saying that gasoline prices might be $3.50 per gallon by Labor Day.
From FT.com:
Oil prices continued their correction this week as the debate about the influence of speculators in energy markets reached a new pitch. The US Senate yesterday failed to agree on proposals to limit excessive speculation in energy markets and, with oil prices becoming a huge political issue in a presidential election year, attention turns to the House of Representatives, which will debate the issue next week. The correction in oil prices has weighed heavily across agricultural commodities, base metals and gold. Renewed fears about the health of the global financial system and the outlook for economic growth has prompted many hedge funds and short-term momentum players to cut back on their commodities exposures.
From CNN Money:
Either way, Is America sitting on a potential cure for high oil prices or we’re wasting our time.? There seems to be the two schools of thought emerging as politicians call for expanded drilling in Alaska. However, there is the environmental side and the side that wants to reduce the cost of gasoline. We might not want to admit this, but the U.S. economy slowing down may have a bigger impact on gas prices than we think. This means increased supplies and less people buying gas. This is happening now to a certain extent on oil and gas prices, but for how long?
It’s no surprise that with oil prices at $130 a barrel (oil dropped to $124.00 a barrel this past weekend), lawmakers facing angry voters want to be seen as tackling the problem head-on.
And while it’s hard to deny that the jackpot of all untapped domestic oil lies just north of the Arctic Circle in Alaska’s Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, it’s tougher to say whether or not extracting this energy will benefit our nation in the long run (see: Large oil deposits found in Arctic).
Supporters say it would send a message to the oil market that the United States is serious about increasing domestic supplies, and bring oil prices down immediately. While the country also needs alternatives, they say more domestic production is necessary in the interim to ease the pain on drivers and help offset the huge amount of oil this country imports.
Voter’s Say Drill
Poll says 74% voters want to drill off shore.
Opponents say that in addition to the environmental damage drilling may cause, there’s not really that much oil there. Focusing on drilling in Alaska, they say, distracts from more meaningful solutions like conservation and alternative energy.
Even if prices were to fall, the drop may be short-lived. “Consumption would go back up,” said Peter Tertzakian, chief energy economist at ARC Financial, a Calgary-based private equity firm. “People would revert to their bad habits, and prices would rise again.”
(We are creatures of habit. Oil may or may not go down, but if oil and gasoline prices would drop dramatically, would America continue to purchase cheap gas? Yes, bet the bank the cheap gas would take over. What happens to the start-up ethanol plants using nonfood biomass? These plants, more than likely might have to shut down).
Tertzakian sees the value of drilling in Alaska from an energy security perspective - the more oil that’s under free-market control the better, he said. And he thinks it could be pumped without too much environmental disruption.
But he also thinks the whole debate over drilling in the refuge is a distraction.
“Only 15% of the energy in a barrel of oil is used to turn the wheels of a car,” he said, highlighting the need for better technology. “You can’t just throw barrels at the problem.”
Well, what’s it going to be: To Drill or Not to Drill?
Drilling may or may not help our oil and gasoline pricing. But it comes a time that Americans NEED to stand up and just say no, we must seek green fuel alternatives and stop the mass transfer of our dollars to oil rich countries.
Experts are saying fuel prices will continue to rise regardless of who is elected President of the U.S. Check this out.
Folks believe me, as long as we stay hooked up to the oil needle, the purchasing of America will only continue. You want cheap gas, or do you want to keep from going broke because of the transfer of U.S. dollars overseas, loss of historical monuments, buildings and corporations being purchased with our oil and gas dollars? Biofuels are the future for our Fuel dilemma. This battle has not been completely won and only U.S. citizens can make the difference. However, corn for ethanol needs to deleted from the biofuel list.
Salmonella on Mexican Jalapeno Peppers Found in Irrigation Water
(image credit: ilmungo)
Latest Update on Contaminated Mexican Peppers
A jalapeno pepper contaminated with the same strain of salmonella responsible for the outbreak has been found in a small distribution center in McAllen, Texas, government investigators said Monday. Peppers from Agricola Zaragoza sent to Georgia and Texas restaurants and retailers have been recalled, according to the company. The pepper discovery led officials to widen their warning against eating raw jalapeno and serrano peppers from all sources. Contaminated irrigation water is suspected contained the salmonella strain.
The long-running outbreak has sickened 1,251 people and caused at least 229 hospitalizations, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It has been linked to two deaths since the outbreak began April 10.
Story from Yahoo news here.
Tomatoes suspected earlier in June to contain salmonella strain: Consumers, restaurants and supermarkets, told earlier this summer to shun certain kinds of tomatoes suspected of causing the outbreak, are now being advised not to eat, serve or sell raw jalapenos or serranos. Those peppers are a staple in Mexican cuisine.
Tomatoes taken off contamination list: Tomatoes, on the other hand, are back on the cleared list, with federal officials saying last week that all tomatoes on the market are from safe growing regions.
Salmonella is found in animal feces and can spread to food through contaminated soil, irrigation water, dirty hands or processing equipment. Signs of illness include diarrhea, vomiting and stomach cramps, and can last for several days.
Want to know about Salmonella, causes, sickness and other information? Check this out!
GE and Abu Dhabi Forming Financial Partnership
The United States has a real dilemma. Do we keep buying imported oil or will we try to break the chains of our oil addiction? How many billions of dollars of American’s hard earned money will go to the foreign oil cartel as they continue to buy up American land, buildings and businesses?
From Reuters News Service: Abu Dhabi and General Electric form financial partnership for $8 billion dollars. Does this mean more of America’s money will be going overseas to support Abu Dhabi when the U.S. is already transferring billions of dollars to the oil cities including Abu Dhabi?
(above: Barrels of Oil waiting to be shipped to U.S.
Conglomerate General Electric Co (GE.N: Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and Abu Dhabi investment agency Mubadala Development Co said on Tuesday they have entered into an $8 billion joint venture that will initially focus on providing commercial finance in the Middle East and Africa. The two companies said they also plan on working together in the clean energy and water, aviation, and oil and gas sectors. The action reflects GE’s strategy of shifting its financial operations away from volatile segments such as those influenced by U.S. consumer spending toward areas of higher growth.
Shares of the second-largest U.S. company by market capitalization have been battered this year because of concerns about its consumer and commercial finance units. Why has the stock price of GE dropped to record level lows? Uh, could it be because stock holders have dumped a lot of GE stock and are boycotting GE because of continued sales to Iran?? Think about it, GE is selling goods to Iran even though Jeff Immelt (CEO of GE) has stated the company would stop this practice.
GE Looking to Sell other Units to Foreign Investors: Last year GE sold it’s plastic division to Sabic, the big Saudi Arabian industrials company, for $11.6 billion. General Electric is planning to sell its appliances division, one of the longest-running businesses in the conglomerate’s 120-year history, a person briefed on the matter said. A sale of the unit could fetch at least $5 billion, this person said. G.E. has hired Goldman Sachs to run the auction. Auction? Run the Auction, is this for real? Among the potential bidders are Haier of China, Bosch of Germany and LG of South Korea. (Three more foreign companies buying up America.)
TOKYO (Reuters) - General Electric Co (GE.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) will sell its Japanese consumer finance operation to Shinsei Bank Ltd (8303.T: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) for $5.4 billion, concluding a year-long effort to pull out of consumer lending in Japan. Read the entire story in Reuters.
Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on last week vowed that Iran would not yield in the crisis over its nuclear drive but the White House warned again that it risks more sanctions if it fails to freeze sensitive nuclear work. “The Iranian people are steadfast and will not step back an inch against the oppressive powers,” Ahmadinejad told a rally in the southwestern province of Kohgelouyeh-Boyerahmad. His defiant comments come after world powers warned Iran has only a fortnight to respond to their latest offer seeking to end a five-year crisis that has raised fears of regional conflict and sent oil prices spiralling.
In Iran — “the most active state sponsor of terrorism,” according to the State Department — General Electric is providing four hydroelectric generators to expand a dam on the Kurun River through a Canadian subsidiary called GE Hydro and is also supplying pipeline compressors and gas turbines for Iran’s burgeoning oil sector through an Italian unit called Nuovo Pignone. Not far from the Iraqi border, a subsidiary of Halliburton is helping to build a $228 million fertilizer plant, one of the world’s largest. Another Halliburton division based in Sweden is providing the Iranian National Oil Co. with a $226 million semi-submersible drilling rig, while other subsidiaries operate in Libya. A British subsidiary of Conoco Phillips helped Iran survey its Azadegan oil field, and ExxonMobil only recently sold its Sudanese gas subsidiary based in Khartoum.
“It makes a lot of sense for us to become shareholders in GE,” said Mubadala CEO Khaldoon Al Mubarak. “We like the company. We think that under Jeff’s management this is an institution that has done extremely well.”
Ask the stock holders of GE how well the company has performed over the past 5 years. This statement is just plain not true! The GE stock has done nothing but go down and this is the 2nd largest company in the U.S.
The companies said Mubadala “plans over time” to become one of GE’s 10-largest shareholders by acquiring shares in the open market. One Big Question: If Abu Dhabi becomes one of the main shareholders in GE, then what stops then from eventually buying up more stock and taking over GE, the second largest U.S. company?
In Iran — “the most active state sponsor of terrorism,” according to the State Department — General Electric is providing four hydroelectric generators to expand a dam on the Kurun River through a Canadian subsidiary called GE Hydro and is also supplying pipeline compressors and gas turbines for Iran’s burgeoning oil sector through an Italian unit called Nuovo Pignone. Not far from the Iraqi border, a subsidiary of Halliburton is helping to build a $228 million fertilizer plant, one of the world’s largest. Another Halliburton division based in Sweden is providing the Iranian National Oil Co. with a $226 million semi-submersible drilling rig, while other subsidiaries operate in Libya. A British subsidiary of ConocoPhillips helped Iran survey its Azadegan oil field, and ExxonMobil only recently sold its Sudanese gas subsidiary based in Khartoum.
It seems a few other companies care more about profits by selling to Iran. It’s all about money and greed.
The do nothing Congress sits in Washington and play their fiddles. Wake up America, the oil producing and foreign nations are buying America.
Whoa, California Uses More Gas than China?
Doesn’t seem possible but California is the 2nd largest user of gasoline in the world!
From Treehugger, check this out! Well, wonders never cease. Talk about a state that needs to wake up and smell the biofuels (except corn ethanol)!
Given all the news coverage about the rise of the Chinese economy, you could be forgiven for thinking that the world’s most populous country is hogging all the world’s resources, while the developed nations are fighting for scraps.
But, at least with transportation fuel, you’d be wrong. California alone uses more gasoline than any country in the world (except the US as a whole, of course). That means California’s 20 billion gallon gasoline and diesel habit is greater than China’s! (Or Russia’s. Or India’s. Or Brazil’s. Or Germany’s.) I thought California was the state that set the standard for Green! But China’s oil thirst is growing — to almost 20 billion gallons in 2007 – and perhaps as early as this year, China’s 1.3 billion people will overtake California’s 37 million people in total gasoline and diesel usage.
One more choice statistic: gasoline usage in California has increased 50 percent, that’s 6.7 billion gallons, since 1988. Has there been anything close to a commensurate increase in quality of life here to accompany that rise in energy use?
If Water Runs Out, Oil May Be Hard to Swallow
Is the sun setting on America’s water supply?
Oil the elixir that runs industry, water the elixir that sustains life and industry. What happens if the U.S. runs out of water, oil may not be as important as we think?
A real dilemma facing our country that is raising the worst question of all. What happens if and when our water supply runs out? We can have oil and fuels, but if our water supply starts failing or begins to run out, what then? Unfortunately, this is happening now to our water supply in the US - I am not a voice in the wilderness or an alarmist, but people realize our water resources are being strained and even conservation of water that is being required by a lot of states may or may not help. Without water, our oil issues will seem somewhat small.
Era of Water Scarcity
Scientists and resource specialists say freshwater scarcity, even in unexpected places, threatens farm productivity, limits growth, increases business expenses, and drains local treasuries.
That’s desert. It was never meant to have cities. There are millions of people there, and they all have one water supply, only one, the Colorado.
“I truly believe we are moving into an era of water scarcity throughout the United States” said Peter Gleick, science adviser to Circle of Blue and president of the Pacific Institute, a think tank specializing in water issues based in Oakland, California. “That by itself is going to force us to adopt more efficient management techniques.”
From Circle of Blue, an interview with the Pacific Institutes’s Dr. Peter Gleick discusses water resource challenges the U.S. faces in the near future. As co-founder and president of one of the nation’s leading water think tanks, Gleick served as an academician at the International Water Academy in Oslo, Norway in 1999 and was named a MacArthur Fellow in 2003. He was also elected to the National Academy of Sciences in Washington D.C in 2006. Gleick currently serves as a science adviser for Circle of Blue.
(Above: Picture from Circle of Blue)
Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam make a bold statement of the U.S. water systems. Lake Mead is low and in a drought condition.
Striking symbols of American engineering prowess, Lake Mead and the Hoover Dam stand in testimony to the U.S. spirit of growth and prosperity. But the 28.5 million* acre-foot Lake Mead is shrinking, as an ever-thirsty nation sprawls across the desert and consumes the waters of the Colorado in an increasingly unsustainable way.
(*An acre-foot is a unit of volume commonly used in the U.S. in reference to large-scale water resources, such as reservoirs, aqueducts, canals, sewer flow capacity, and river flows.)
However, the We cannot take water for granted anywhere in any form in the US!
Exactly what would happen if we ran out of water, Check this Out.
From: (CSR Wire)- July 9, 2008 -
Just as diminishing supplies of oil and natural gas are wrenching the economy and producing changes in lifestyles built on the principle of plenty, states and communities across the country are confronting another significant impediment to the American way of life: increased competition for scarce water.
Scientists and resource specialists say freshwater scarcity, even in unexpected places, threatens farm productivity, limits growth, increases business expenses, and drains local treasuries. The U.S. Drought Monitor, a weekly online report produced by the Department of Agriculture and the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, shows that severe drought still grips much of the American Southeast, is spreading east from California across the Rocky Mountains, and has also settled in the Texas Panhandle and parts of Oklahoma and Colorado.
While agriculture in the Colorado Basin faces shortages, farmers to the east in the high plains - tapping the Ogallala Aquifer - have progressively seen their wells dry up. The aquifer is the largest in the United States and sees a depletion rate of some 12 billion cubic meters a year, a quantity equivalent to 18 times the annual flow of the Colorado River. Since pumping started in the 1940s, Ogallala water levels have dropped by more than 100 feet (30 meters) in some areas.
Kevin Dennehey, program coordinator for the Ground-Water Resources Program at the U.S. Geological Survey, said, “The problem with the aquifer is that it’’s a limited resource. There is not an unlimited supply, so the recharge is much less than the withdrawals.”
(Above: Large automatic spraying system for crops in the midwest.)
How much longer will this type of irrigation be utilized before the Ogallala Aquifer becomes completely exhausted? I mentioned in a previous post about the effect growing corn has had on the midwestern states’ water supply.
With the aquifer being depleted so rapidly, what is going to happen to ethanol production that depends on corn crops that have to be heavily irrigated to maintain high yields? The prognosis for farmers, whose irrigation accounts for 94 percent of the groundwater use on the high plains, does not look optimistic. In the future, irrigation may not be possible at all as the levels continue to drop past the well intakes of farmers. More likely, before the pumping stops, the cost of drilling and maintaining deeper wells may exceed the value of what can be grown, severely limiting the farmland’s value. “There is no other water available,” said Dennehey.
Read More from the CSR Wire article.
including drought in Georgia, “In Atlanta, where a severe drought also persists, authorities pressed residents to reduce water use, successfully. Then leaders of the city’s Watershed Management Department, concerned about declining revenue to operate the system, asked permission to raise rates. Officials in Fulton County, where Atlanta is located, did the same thing, praising residents for their efforts at conservation — then increasing their rates by 15 percent. If approved by the city council, the average residential water bill in Atlanta would jump from $84 to $107 next year. ” The gravity of the situation hasn’t set in for most Americans. In Atlanta, where drought dramatically lowered Lake Lanier, the region’s primary reservoir, water scarcity is generally seen as temporary, and not related to how the region has grown. Water levels have risen slightly in Lake Lanier, but drought conditions still continue and as long as Atlanta uses over 2 billion gallons a day from a extremely low reservoir, the problem continues to be a serious problem.
Is there a water problem in the US? Most compelling information on this post. Water is the elixir of life and if we run out, oil will be hard to swallow!
Map: circleofblue.org - Extent of state shortages likely over the next decade under average rain fall conditions.
Live Interview: Makers of Kudzu Ethanol (Kudzunol)
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” - Margaret Mead
In several polls conducted last week, Americans want more ethanol for fuel use, check this out. After all, biofuels is not just about corn.
There is no denying that we have a serious problem with America’s oil addiction and now is the time for the American people to show our resolve, stand-up and do something as the head of OPEC says $170.00 per barrel for oil will be here before summer ends, which equates to another $.75/gallon for gasoline. Time will tell about what price oil will be by the end of summer. However, there are companies that are stepping up to offer practical solutions to America’s oil dilemma.
One company that has accepted the challenge and is going to try and put a dent in reducing oil use in America is Agro*Gas Indusrtries, LLC.
Chemically Green had the opportunity to interview Mr. Doug Mizell, co-founder of Agro*Gas Industries LLC, and we asked Doug a series of questions about Kudzunol, ethanol distilled from kudzu. The interview will be very informative to everyone interested in using ethanol being produced from a non-edible biomass instead of corn, soybeans or sugar. Just Say No to Corn Ethanol.
Global Warming May Cause Kidney Stones?
Having trouble with kidney stones?
They can really be painful. Global warming may be causing increased cases of kidney stones because of increased temperatures and people not drinking enough water.
Check out this article, not to mention this video on William Shatner’s Kidney Stone.
Check this out: CNBC gets in on the reporting action.
Bottom Line, remember to drink plenty of water during the hot summer!
Growing Nuts for Biodiesel, Update on Jatropha Curcas
Nuts from Jatropha Curcas contain an oil being used for biodiesel.
All around the world, countries and companies are investing big dollars in Jatropha Curcas as a source for biodiesel.
Jatropha Curas
Update on Jatropha Curcas: the world’s interest in using this plant to produce biodiesel!
- United States: California: Allegro Biodiesel has commenced processing of jadtropha oil into biodiesel on a test basis.
- England, De-Ord Fuel opened a new 100,000 GPY biodiesel facility in Mansfield that will use jatropha and waste vegetable oil as feedstocks. The company will distribute fuel to bus and truck fleets. The $550,000 project is one of the first of a wave of micro-facilities that will utilize sustainable feedstocks in Europe. (Read on …)
It’s Official: Abu Dhabi Owns 90% of the Chrysler Building
Chrysler Building, 2nd tallest building in New York
On a previously post on CG, Foreign Investors Buying Major U.S. Properties, we reported about Abu Dhabi was looking at purchasing the Chrysler Building through a real estate investment group.
From the International Harold Tribune:
Abu Dhabi buys 90% of the Chrysler Building
The government of Abu Dhabi bought a 90 percent stake in the Chrysler Building on Tuesday for $800 million from German real estate investors and Tishman Speyer.
From The New York Post:
Chrysler Building Goes Abu Dhabi
From The nearly $800 million deal, first reported by The Post on June 11, by the Middle East sovereign wealth fund included the purchase of 90 percent of the ownership stake while leaving local Tishman Speyer Properties as the manager of the 77-story tower. As of today, the majority of the iconic Chrysler Building should be in the - we expect - happy hands of the Abu Dhabi Investment Council.FLASH NEWS BREAK:
Donald Trump closes deal on Palm Beach residence to Russian investor for $95 million dollars. Check this out.
How Corn Grown for Ethanol is Killing Our Oceans
Next Page »
Reasons Why Corn Ethanol is Bad for the Environment!
Biofuels can provide a significant source of renewable energy to reduce dependency on foreign oil and reduce climate change pollution. Since Congress voted to use corn as a biofuel, this decision has turned out to be a big mistake because of increased oil prices and flooding in the mid-west. (Read on …)
