Chemically Green
Chemically Green: A Year in Review
As 2008 comes to an end, Chemically Green would like to thank everyone who has helped this blog grow and become an influential green blog.
Here are some of our favorite posts from this year, followed by some major goals being set for CG to meet in 2009.
Our Top Kudzu Posts
Goals for 2009
As a start up blog in 2008, Chemically Green is working to reach even higher goals in 2009. Some of these goals are:
1 - Get up to 1,000 RSS readers. We’ve weaved in and out of the 100 zone, and I think we can reach 1,000 next year with your help. Subscribe today if you haven’t already.
2 - New writers. We’re planning on bringing in some new writers this year. If you are passionate about Chemically Green, you can write for us too.
3 - Social Media. We have really been branching out in social media and already have a Twitter presence, well as a Facebook fan page and YouTube account. If you haven’t already, check us out!
4 - Advertising. It will be subtle and not overpowering. If you’re interested in advertising with us, we’d like to bring on a few more partners.
5 - Store. In the upcoming months, we’ll be rolling out some great gear for those that want to be Chemically Green. Stay tuned.
Happy new year, and see you next year!
Jatropha Biodiesel Only Getting Hotter
There have been more recent developments for Jatropha Curcas oil being used as a biodiesel fuel as more and more interest is being generated for this plant.
New Test Date for Jatropha Biodiesel by Air New Zealand.
December 30th is the new test date for Air New Zealand test flight using Jatropha Curcas as a biodiesel fuel.
Air New Zealand has confirmed that its test flight powered by a sustainable second-generation biofuel will now take place on 30 December 2008. The flight had originally been planned for 3 December 2008. The two hour 747-400 flight from Auckland plans to use a Jatropha-based fuel, sourced from seeds grown on environmentally sustainable farms.
The original test flight, slated for the 1st week of December, was halted due to a tragic crash of an Air New Zealand jet.
Air New Zealand postponed the historic biofuel test flight as the airline came to terms with the tragic loss of four employees in an Airbus A320 crash off the coast of France.
Lee County Florida, Hotbed of Activities for Jatropha Biodiesel!
Fort Myers, Florida: Ken Ryan is working closely with the University of Florida/IFAS (Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences) Lee County Extension program on a plant called Jatropha Curcas, an emerging possibility for a new biodiesel fuel source. Only in the research phase here in Florida, Jatropha Curcus has been used in India for several years. According to Ryan the plant grows a “nut” that produces oil when pressed. The oil could then be used to power buses, trucks, tractors — anything that uses a diesel engine to operate.
Major questions and answers about Jatropha Curcas being grown in Florida. Source: University of Florida, IFAS LEE County Extension, Ft. Myers, Fl. 33916
Has A New Gold Been Found in California?
The University of California, Davis is conducting research on the oil plant jatropha to determine if the plant can be grown successfully and profitably in Southern California to produce biodiesel.
Jatropha seeds from India grown in a UC Davis greenhouse were transplanted this spring into an acre parcel at the University of California Desert Research and Extension Center (DREC) in Holtville, Calif. The trial is funded by Chevron. “I think Jatropha would be ideal for this area,” said Sham Goyal, UC Davis agronomist, and a member of the university’s Jatropha research team. “A realistic estimate is an acre of Jatropha could produce from 500 to 600 gallons of biodiesel per acre per year. If you’re paying $5 per gallon for diesel, that’s about $2,500 per acre of gross return.”
Mr. Goyal shared his extensive knowledge of Jatropha with interested growers and other leading company representatives at a Fall Desert Crop workshop.
However, Mr. Goyal stated there are several concerns if jatropha is going to be a successful crop for biodiesel production in California.
One major concern is harvesting by mechanical means. Labor issues and costs for harvesting would cut profits drastically. If the Jatropha cannot be harvested by mechanical means, then the future for Jatropha would be in jeopardy. Another concern expressed by Mr. Goyal is the maturity rate of the fruits are in various stages and mechanical harvesting would damage the younger immature fruits.
Future genetic modifications for Jatropha to yield uniform fruits would have to be explored. The cost of harvesting in developing countries is not currently a major issue because of lower labor costs. Source: Western Farm Press.com
New Feed Stocks Being Tested for Biodiesel being explored in the U.S.
The United States currently trails Europe in biodiesel production, a researcher says. University of Iowa professor, Bingjun “Brian” He says “the U.S. is way behind in the production of biofuels.”
Many biodiesel producers have begun to import palm oils from East Asian countries, which goes against the original mission of the program, which is to reduction of dependence on imports. (Note from Chemically Green: the increased use of palm oil has also resulted in de-forestation and additional pollution from complete burning of forest land after trees have been removed.
For that reason, several years ago, the federal government began to encourage researchers to develop new oilseed crops. “Currently, the potential oil crops, besides soybeans, (include) camelina, because (it has) a much higher yield and also adapts to harsh conditions,” He said. “A lot of people are talking about jatropha.” Jatropha is a bush-type plant. The oil is toxic, He said, but the plant can grow rapidly anywhere, with a yield four to five times higher than that of soybeans. Note from Chemically Green: there are comments in this article made by Ms. Marth Azila, sustainability coordinator for the University of Florida extension office. Ms. Azilia states that Jatropha can produce 600 gallons of oil per acre. *Research based on Jatropha experts that Chemically Green has been in contact with say that about *60-70 gallons of oil per acre would be expected from Jatropha. Source: Capitol Press Info.
Myanmar in the news as large Jatropha expansion gets underway.
YANGON, Oct. 27 — The Myanmar agricultural authorities will cooperate with some Japanese institutions to produce high-grade bio-diesel by forming a joint venture, the local weekly Flower News reported Monday.
Under Myanmar’s Jatropha bio-energy program, a joint venture company, named Myanmar Bio Energy Company, will be formed between the Myanmar Ministry of Agriculture and Irrigation, and Japan Development Institute (JDI) and Japan Bio Energy Development Cooperation (JBEDC) for the move, the report said quoting agricultural experts involved in the project. A recent Chemically Green post discussed a day at a Jatropha farm in Myanmar as seen thorough the eyes of an outsider. Source: balita-dot-ph.
Pittsburgh, Pa. company, Thar Technologies looking to Jatropha for biodiesel production
Pittsburgh, Penn.-based Thar Technologies said it plans to build a biodiesel plant in Rajasthan, India, using the region’s karanj and jatropha crops. Source: Cleantech.com
In India, Large refinery shifting to Jatropha to increase biofuel production
“Mumbai-based Bharat Renewable Energy plans to spend Rs 2,200 crore ($480 million) to grow more than a million acres of jatropha on Indian wasteland in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh.
India accounts for about two-thirds of the world’s jatropha plantations, according to research firm New Energy Finance. Biodiesel is made by crushing the seeds of toxic fruit from the jatropha shrub. Seeds can yield up to 40 percent oil and produce about 60 to 70 U.S. gallons of oil per acre. Estimates are that Jatropha oil yields are 10 times that of corn, but that production hasn’t been realized on a commercial scale.” Source: Cleantech.com
Jatropha really is a Hot Topic in the world of biodiesel. A biofuel that is produced on marginal land without using land that is being used for food production. There are still major issues and questions that need to be answered about Jatropha. As these questions are answered through the many companies exploring and working with Jatropha, will this be the seed that saves the world?
Gonna Bailout Party Like It’s 1999
Well, what’s next with the government bailout that was going to save our bacon? Let’s face it, the housing mess started in 1999 and was really escalated during 2005-2008, and look where it has gotten the U.S. taxpayer as of today.
Check out this article from 1999 [yes, that's 1999]: Fannie Mae Eases Credit to Aid Mortgage Lending.
“In a move that could help increase home ownership rates
among minorities and low-income consumers, the Fannie Mae Corporation
is easing the credit requirements on loans that it will purchase from
banks and other lenders.The action, which will begin as a pilot program involving 24 banks
in 15 markets — including the New York metropolitan region — will
encourage those banks to extend home mortgages to individuals whose
credit is generally not good enough to qualify for conventional loans.
Fannie Mae officials say they hope to make it a nationwide program by
next spring.” [Source]
We know where this got us to: Bailout, $750 billion and still rising as Detroit auto makers step up and receive billions that will keep their doors open till March?? Folks, the government is going to go broke, maybe sooner than later. I am not a doom and gloom person, but I have an idea that the American taxpayer is really going to get left with a failed bailout, more bailout money being requested from all over the country and will we wake up in 2009 and say what the heck happened? (Read on …)
Lend Me Some Sugar, I’m an Addict!
An interesting article on sugar and its addictive nature was just released from Princeton University and the evidence is startling.
Is sugar as addictive as cocaine? The answer is a resounding yes, based on recent released data on sugar and addiction.
It all starts with Corn. The processing of corn yields high fructose corn syrup, the sweetener of choice for processed foods including soft drinks, soda, candy, and all the sweet things we often crave to eat. Unfortunately, HFCS is in just about every processed food items, including bread, cereals, crackers and many other food items.
Picture Credit: Mulch
It’s an addiction that won’t land you in court or an inpatient rehab. But sugar - as anyone who loves sweets can attest - can be just as habit-forming as cocaine.
Researchers at Princeton University studying binging and dependency in rats have found that when the animals ingest large amounts of sugar, their brains undergo changes similar to the changes in the brains of people who abuse illegal drugs like cocaine and heroin.
“Our evidence from an animal model suggests that bingeing on sugar can act in the brain in ways very similar to drugs of abuse,” says lead researcher and Princeton psychology professor Bart Hoebel.
In the studies, he explains, animals that drank large amounts of sugar water when hungry experienced behavioral changes, too, along with signs of withdrawal and even long-lasting effects that resemble cravings.
In the animals studied at Princeton, binging released a surge of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. “It’s been known that drugs of abuse release or increase the levels of dopamine in that part of the brain,” Hoebel said.
After the rats’ sugar supply was withdrawn, they became anxious. Their teeth chattered and they grew unwilling to venture into the open arm of their maze. Instead, they stayed in the tunnel of the maze.
Deprived of their sugar, the rats displayed signs of withdrawal similar to the symptoms seen in people when they stop smoking, drinking alcohol, or using drugs. Source, NYTimesDailyNew.com
One Point of View: I know what professor Bart Hoebel is talking about. Personally, I have had cravings for candy or a desert that contains sugar and would eat a piece of pie, still wanting more. With all the packaged foods and sodas containing high fructose corn syrup, (check out the ingredients on the package, even so called healthy foods contain HFCS), how many tons of HFCS are consumed by U.S. consumers each year? No wonder we are having high incidents of diabetes and obesity in our population, even including children. Read the labels, these so-called fruit flavored juices that are given to babies and young children are loaded with sweetness coming from HFCS. Do these habits start our children off to being addicted to sugar?
Another Point of View: From the people who make high fructose corn syrup.
“In the animals studied at Princeton, bingeing released a surge of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. “It’s been known that drugs of abuse release or increase the levels of dopamine in that part of the brain,” Hoebel said. After the rats’ sugar supply was withdrawn, they became anxious. Their teeth chattered and they grew unwilling to venture into the open arm of their maze. Instead, they stayed in the tunnel of the maze. Deprived of their sugar, the rats displayed signs of withdrawal similar to the symptoms seen in people when they stop smoking, drinking alcohol, or using drugs.”
High amounts of HFCS are currently used in processed foods to literally sweeten the pot.
Are we consuming too much sugar because of our lousy eating habits? What about the selling of fruit juices and soda in our school systems to raise extra money? A lot of school systems have stopped selling these products to help fight obesity. What about drinking 3, 6, or even 8 sodas a day and eating all the sweets that our bodies often crave? Think these habits will keep a small waistline? Sounds like sugar may have a hold on more people than we realize. Sugar, a sweet, addiction is harmful to our lives if not used in moderation.
I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas
For those readers who did not see the National NBC Nightly New with Brian Willams on Monday night, there was an interview with Doug Mizell from Agro*Gas Industries LLC about making kudzunol, ethanol from kudzu.
I have worked with Doug since early last summer and have posted about Kudzunol and did a video interview with Doug about Agro*Gas Industries LLC. I have just talked to Doug and he has the following information to report on the status of Agro*Gas Industries LLC.;
1. Status for Kudzunol, ethanol project, slightly behind schedule, but still planning on ground breaking for the new plant in 2nd or 3rd quarter, 2009
2. Land has been tied up, approximately 130 acres for plant operations and additional facilities.
3. Private investor funds will be used, but at the beginning of November 1, 2008, special federal grant money has become available and paper work is being completed for grant money.
4. Process patents, paper work and work with attorneys is ongoing and takes time to complete and this work has to be completed before plant construction will start.
5. Process trials for producing ethanol have all been completed in pilot and small scale production runs with satisfactory results. I was present and witnessed these trials.
6. There has been some obstacles to overcome, but like any new start up company, this will happen but all have been dealt with and eliminated.
7. Other non-food feedstock supplies have been selected and contracted to be used as the new plant comes on line. Some of these items will have no cost including manufacturer paying freight costs for delivery.
8. All the ethanol that will be produced at the Agro*Gas facilities has been sold out for over 6 months.
Agro*Gas Industries, LLC is still on schedule for a production plant to be built and start in 2009.
Chemically Green will be posting future updates on the progress of Agro*Gas Industries LLC and if anyone needs to contact Doug Mizell, please contact via email: d.mizell@kuduznol.com
Will the Agro*Gas Industries LLC dream become a reality next year? Even with current economic conditions and the lower price of ethanol and gasoline, Doug Mizell says he is going to get ‘er done!
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn? Nope, Myanmar.
Will a Small Nut Save the World?
Picture Credit: C Mulvany
I remember meeting with a research scientist last summer who’s background was biofuels and engineering. We talked about various feed stocks for biodiesel and when the topic came to Jatropha Curcas, he surprised me with the following statement: “Jatropha won’t make it because it seeds are poisonous.”
Even though the Jatropha seeds can kill, the flowers of Jatropha are beautiful and who would think such breath taking colors in a flower would yield such harm.
Picture Credit: Dreambird
Picture Credit: finolaprescott
Amidst this raging debate on the sustainability of biofuels, a second generation of feedstock has emerged - one that uses non-food crops. The jatropha plant, algae, wood mass from plant waste have been singled out as some promising “fuels of the future” as they don’t compete with food and can grow in hardy conditions or exist abundantly in other locations.
What a difference a few months make as Jatropha is getting large attention all over the world for making biodiesel especially in Burma or Myanmar, as called by the Military Junta.**** (Check out comment below).****
In Asia, many countries have particularly caught on the jatropha “fever”, with China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Cambodia, and Myanmar planting its seed extensively in the hope of riding on the wave of this sunrise industry and Myanmar is becoming a real hot area for Jatropha production.
While biofuels is a key player in the world’s future energy mix - one that is renewable and can make our transport fuels cleaner, its development can also lead to deforestation as it competes with food crops for arable land if not managed sustainably.
But these feedstocks are also not without its risks. Most are relatively under-researched, and no one knows if full-scale commercial applications of using such feedstocks to make biofuel will be successful yet.
Myanmar is a country that has placed its hopes in the future by growing Jatropha Curcas. The following newspaper article is a day in the life of a Jatropha plantation in Myanmar as seen through the eyes of Jessica Cheams, a reporter for The Straits Times out of Singapore. This is a great article and worth while reading that gives great insight to the everyday operations of a Jatropha plantation and what is happening in Myanmar.
I went with my eyes wide open to visit the 100,000 acre estate at Maw Tin, in south Myanmar, to get a better understanding of how the industry and this particular feedstock works. The plantation was eco-friendly and completely self-sufficient. It had the hallmarks of Singaporean planning and efficiency, if I might say so. And not surprisingly, it had a Singapore connection.
****I was impressed to see the degree of planning involved in the plantation, especially how the way it was run sharply contrasted the reports from NGOs (non government organizations) that have surfaced on how the Myanmar government’s jatropha drive has backfired on itself.****
Organisations such as the Ethnic Community Development Forum allege that Myanmar’s junta have used forced labour or confiscated land in some locations. And has directed the entire nation of farmers to plant jatropha wherever they can, without fully understanding the climatic conditions needed to cultivate the plant successfully. See CG Post: Update on Jatropha Curcas, Item 5.
Will the Jatropha seed save the world? A lot of research dollars and actual growing Jatropha and producing biodiesel is taking place all over the world, even in Florida. Time will tell.
Read the Entire Article, Source: The Straits Times
China - New Kid in the U.S. Housing Grab Party
Chinese Investor Groups Hunting for Low Priced Housing in the U.S.
In a recent Chemically Green post on American foreclosed housing gaining a lot of interest in foreign investors, (mainly from the oil rich countries), now a new group of investors are coming to America to buy up our foreclosed housing.
China is the newest investor to stalk cheap American foreclosed housing.
Even though the Chinese economy is slowing down due to the U.S. recession, Chinese investors are here and they are not just looking.
Reporting from Shanghai — Caravans of cash-rich Chinese in Hummers and Lincoln Navigators have been weaving through American neighborhoods in recent months, looking for foreclosures and other bargain properties to buy.
With housing prices crashing in the U.S., home-buying trips to America are becoming one of the more popular tour group packages in China. New U.S. visa rules for Chinese tourists and a loosening of foreign investment policies by China have made it easier for people such as Zhao Hongjun of Beijing to go house hunting across the Pacific.
Chinese home-buying missions in the U.S. are part of a broader trend of individuals and businesses in China seeking greater investment opportunities abroad. Last week government and business officials from China’s southern Guangdong province arrived in Los Angeles to create a regional chamber office.
Certainly, a wave of Chinese bottom fishers won’t end the housing woes in Southern California, where by some measures the median price has sunk more than 40% since the spring and summer of 2007.
But it could help rev up sales in some places, including the UC Riverside area and the San Gabriel Valley, home to large Chinese American communities and mentioned by some potential buyers as places of interest.
The 48-year-old owner of a media company went on a two-week road trip through the U.S. last fall, visiting scenic sites and checking out properties from Los Angeles to New York. He’s been following the swoon in prices ever since, and next month he’s considering joining another prospecting group that is heading for San Francisco, Los Angeles and Las Vegas, three of the hardest-hit housing markets in the U.S. Zhao’s budget: $1 million.
“L.A. is not bad; a lot of Chinese live there,” he said, noting that he was interested in both apartments and houses.
The tours are a new twist on an old phenomenon.
Overseas Chinese have been buying Southern California properties for years. What’s different now is that they are starting to do it in large groups and quite openly.
“Before, it was kind of private, a quiet thing among friends,” said Jamie Lee, a Chinese American who runs the Los Angeles Convention and Visitors Bureau office in Beijing. “Now it’s full-blown. . . . It’s huge.” Some of these groups “are talking about going every two weeks.”
But home prices in the U.S. have fallen more sharply than in China, and many Chinese consider the American market highly alluring as a place to invest and live because of the United States’ developed economy.
The purchasing tours in the U.S. grew out of similar trips by well-heeled Chinese back home.
The Chinese do have a lot of cash to spend. The central government holds the biggest stockpile of foreign reserves in the world, nearly $2 trillion, most of it in dollars. A Boston Consulting Group estimates that there were more than 391,000 millionaire households in mainland China last year, up from 310,000 reported the previous year. Source: L.A. Times
Simply amazing, the U.S. will sell to anyone including a country that loves our money but hates our so called freedom. Just a few week ago, a leading Chinese dissident, Liu Xiaobo, was arrested over a freedom charter because he advocates freedom and free elections. What a trading partner.
America and China and India, Oh My!
India’s Auto Expo, Picture Credit: Swapan22sadar’s photostream
The economic consensus has been that China and India could withstand an economic slowdown in America because of their booming economies. China and India have been depending on America for their economies to keep running strong. Gee, do you think that as Americans’ hunger for goods from these countries has been quenched, (due to Americans not buying goods and services) these countries would not be affected? As usual the so called experts get it wrong again.
Yeah, and I remember last summer when an OPEC minister said American had better get used to high oil and gas prices. I am thankful to have paid $1.49/gallon for regular gas on Monday. Oil prices can and may go up in the near future, but $1.00/gallon gas price predicted by Gulf Oil CEO.
One of the Biggest Factors Never Considered as Experts Make Their Opinions: Change Cannot be Controlled!
Wal*Mart in China: Picture Credit: Asian Travels
Globalism: The experts said China and India were the new economic “juggernauts” — strong, independent and insulated even from America’s financial woes. The experts were wrong.
The Chinese and Indian economies are in a free fall, proving that when America booms, the world booms; and conversely, when she sneezes, the world catches a cold. Stripped of all the hype, the “China Miracle” now looks more like a mirage, and the “Shining India” rather dull. Both countries, it turns out, have been desperately dependent on America for their growth. The World hates us, but will they hate us even more as Americans stop buying their imported goods?
China needs American’s purchasing power to keep their economic structure from failing. Nearly 60% of China’s total exports are churned out by plants not owned by the Chinese but by American and other Western companies. And they’re now starting to close them. The resulting layoffs have been so massive that dislocated workers are rioting. Some 3 million Chinese have already been fired in the industrial province of Zhejiang alone. Millions more layoffs will follow by Christmas, the World Bank predicts, as China grinds to its slowest growth in two decades.
Some might say that China’s economy might not really expand as it is an export driven economy. With developed economies down, China will not find any takers for its exports. Agreed, but this just turns the entire problem on its head. Source: Mostly Economics
Is India fairing any better? America’s economic calamity is hitting India hard as dislocated workers turn to violence. After Jet Airways, India’s biggest private airline, laid off 1,900, a large crowd of workers stormed the airline’s headquarters in Mumbai to vent their anger.
Though less export-dependent than China, key sectors of the Indian economy are exposed to the U.S. recession. The business outsourcing industry is particularly vulnerable due to its dependence on our crippled financial sector.
The Indian employment base relies heavily on the U.S. for call-center jobs, as well as those involving technical support. India’s software industry is also taking a beating.
The U.S.-led global recession smashes the myth that Asian economies have become so powerful their batteries no longer need charging by the American economy.
It’s a far cry from 2005, when the media breathlessly predicted the “communist economic juggernaut” would “challenge the West.”
What the financial crisis and U.S. recession have really exposed is the Big Lie. Far from posing a threat to our economy, China and India have proved to be paper tigers dependent on corporate America. As America goes, so still goes the world — in bad times as in good. Source: IBDeditorials.
California Dreamin’…of Clean Air
More People Dying in California from Polluted Air than Killed in Automobile Accidents!
Air Pollution in Southern California, Picture Credit: Infinite Wilderness
The state of California struggles with the economic slowdown and is looking for billions of dollars in the current bailout by the government as poor air quality continues to stagnate the so called “green state” leader. A recent study on air quality in Southern California by Cal State Fullerton reveals a real death hazard is lurking in California air.
FRESNO, Calif. (AP) - Lowering air pollution in Southern California and the San Joaquin Valley would save more lives annually than ending all motor vehicle fatalities in the two regions, according to a new study featured in My Way News.
The study, which examined the costs of air pollution in two areas with the worst levels in the country, also said meeting federal ozone and fine particulate standards could save $28 billion annually in health care costs, school absences, missed work and lost income potential from premature deaths.
The findings were released last month as the California Air Resources Board considers controversial new regulations to reduce diesel truck emissions, a move that could cost 170,000 business owners $5.5 billion. According to a board staff report, the savings in health care costs would be $68 billion by 2020 if the regulations were adopted next month.
Researchers at California State University-Fullerton sought to assess the potential economic benefits that could be achieved by reducing air pollution to levels within federal standards.
The Cal State Fullerton study says that particulate pollution levels must fall by 50 percent in both regions for health and economic benefits to occur, something they acknowledged would be “very difficult to achieve.”
“For decades there has been a tug of war over what to do about air pollution,” said Jane Hall, lead author of the study at Cal State Fullerton. “We are paying now for not having done enough.”
To illustrate its point, the study noted that the California Highway Patrol recorded 2,521 vehicular deaths in the San Joaquin Valley and South Coast Air Basin in 2006, compared to 3,812 deaths attributed to respiratory illness caused by particulate pollution.
Studies have indicated a relationship between ozone and particulate pollution and asthma and other respiratory problems, including chronic bronchitis. They also have connected particulate pollution with an increase in cardiovascular problems.
If pollution levels were to improve to federal standards, the study says residents of the two air basins would suffer 3,860 fewer premature deaths, 3,780 fewer nonfatal heart attacks and would miss 470,000 fewer days of work annually. School children would miss more than 1.2 million fewer days of school, a savings of $112 million in caregiver costs. There also would be more than 2 million fewer cases of upper respiratory problems.
The bottom line: painful times ahead.
Cleaning up air pollution in California will take a back seat while the California legislature and Governor try to get a handle on a $27 million dollar deficit that needs to be handled by reduced spending in the state. Stop spending and budget cuts are going to have to be done. Gonna hurt, but the whole country is going to go through this process starting right now. It’s tough to be green if you don’t have enough money to take care of business.