Category: Energy
The U.S. could learn a thing or two from the Netherlands
Every time I come to the Netherlands, I can't help think that the United States could learn a thing or two from the Dutch. Over the last week I've watched their incredible capacity to move people using their mass transit system while at the same time reaping the results of their investment into an infrastructure which encourages people to use human-energy-propulsion methods (i.e. the bicycle).
They employ a version of the “hub system” similar to what the top airlines have been forced to embrace as a cost cutting philosophy to become more efficient. The hub system develops hubs to which all feeder routes converge and connect. The Dutch do this so effectively with their cities as the natural hub where everyone wants to go. And I mean everyone.
In Amsterdam for example, there is an incredible array of choices for the commuter to get from the outer suburbs into the incredible city of Amsterdam. And all of the various forms of mass transit have been developed to feed off of and take advantage of the Dutch people's love affair with the bicycle.
The mass transit systems are well thought out and well maintained. For the commuters, this means that you get incredibly efficient, incredibly clean, safe, and very cheap mass transit to the hub city of Amsterdam, and once you are there, you can continue to rely on their mass transit system in and around the city as well. Or you can do as the natives do and grab a bike.
And when you examine the system closer, the bicycle is the key that sets Holland's system apart from any other big city with a subway or commuter trains system. One of the first things visitors to Amsterdam notice are the thousands of bikes locked everywhere they are allowed, but even more impressive to someone from the United States are the huge bicycle parking lots.
Service Forum win, lose or draw?
Last night at the National Service Forum held at Columbia University, we saw more similarities than differences between John McCain and Barack Obama. And though I thought each candidate did well enough to get at least a low B, there was no obvious big winner or loser, at least not on the stage.
Possibly the most influential man of the night was the man in the advertising for the Pickens Plan, T. Boone Pickens himself. When it's all said and done, he estimates to spend around $58,000,000 of his $3 billion fortune on his multi-media campaign promoting his energy plan. The plan extols the use of natural gas, which can be produced domestically, in vehicles as a less-expensive stop-gap measure, while we catch up on the energy technology and infrastructure needed to begin taking advantage of renewable sources of energy. This shift of our use of natural gas, from electricity production to vehicles, would decrease our dependence on foreign oil by millions of barrels per year. His self-funded campaign is a perfect example of democratic capitalism at it's best. An individual using his own money to promote the solution to a serious problem, without having to bow to or cater to and special interest group whatsoever, gives his plan more of a chance to be implemented. More so than any proposed energy plan from either side of the the political battlefield, because of the intrinsic partisan bickering that will surely take place when Congress seriously decides to do something about it than make speeches.
Using oil as a weapon: Part II
"Days of Future Past"
Oil has been used as a weapon before, and as seen in yesterday’s entry, it continues to be used as a weapon today. If used against the United States in its most extreme form as it was in 1973, it could be a more effective weapon than any bomb or any terrorist attack possibly could, because it would rapidly cripple and destabilize our economy.
Using oil as a weapon: Part I
On Thursday, Libya announced that they were ceasing oil shipments to Switzerland as punishment for arresting and briefly detaining Hannibal Gaddafi, son of Muammar al-Gaddafi, Libya’s “Leader and Guide of the Revolution”. Hannibal Gaddafi and his wife were arrested at a luxury hotel in Geneva, Switzerland for allegedly striking two servants. They were released on bail two days later, and have since left the country. The Libyan government is demanding a formal apology from the Swiss government before shipments to Switzerland will be resumed, and failure to do so could even result in further action. This move could have a serious affect on Switzerland as they rely on Libya for more than 50% of their oil. The Swiss have sent a delegation to Tripoli to plead their case and try to convince the Libyan government to lift the embargo.
America's oil addiction: Issue #1
What is the most important issue we face this election? Is it the war in Iraq, Iran’s nuclear program, Osama Bin Laden, Al-Qaeda, the economy, the price of oil, the price of gas, the mortgage crisis, the housing crisis, unemployment, health insurance, inflation, a crumbling infrastructure? I say all of the above, but if there is one over-riding factor that ties almost all of these issues together, it's America’s addiction to foreign oil.
America needs to build its peloton
America already has a peloton. But in this time of acute alternative energy awareness, now more than ever it needs to be expanded, it needs to be refined, but most of all, it needs to be provided with a certain measure of safety. In order to do so, it needs to be given a safe lane of passage, right-of-way laws, respect, and an infrastructure to support and encourage its growth. American’s have been shocked at the pump into realizing that we are facing a serious energy problem, and that we must not only begin conserving gas, but we must also find viable alternative methods of operating our homes, alternative styles of living, and perhaps most importantly, alternative methods of getting from Point A to Point B. This is where building on America’s Peloton comes into play.
Dick Cheney sells out his grandchildren
Today the claims made by former EPA official, Jason Burnett, that the Office of Vice-President, Dick Cheney made a concerted effort to alter sworn testimony concealing and diminishing the possible adverse health effects on the population from global warming and greenhouse gas emissions.
On the surface this looks like the typical political maneuvering we’ve grown to expect as commonplace from this administration. On further inspection, this action looks almost criminal in nature as sworn testimony was tampered with, there was a clear motive in mind which was anti-regulation and pro big business, and as a result, the health of the country and even the people of the world were knowingly at least compromised and potentially even put at risk.
Governor Crist betrays Florida
Originally posted June 19, 2008
Florida’s Governor, Charlie Crist has sold out his own constituents and betrayed them, by joining the Great Republican Flip-Flop on the question of lifting the ban on offshore drilling. There have been plenty of well-publicized rumors that he is a frontrunner as a possible choice as John McCain’s running mate and this seems to add a great deal of weight to those rumors.
McCains' Energy solutions. Like filling up a Hummer with an eyedropper.
Originally posted June 18, 2008
Just when I thought there wasn’t much to talk about today, John McCain gave a speech. Doing a flip-flop from his past position of opposing U.S. offshore oil drilling, John McCain tried to exploit the easy path to sticker-shocked Americans, by falsely promising and implying that the way to lower gas prices was to lift the embargo on oil drilling near the U.S. coastline. Barack Obama was quick to rebut McCain’s remarks as another gimmick, similar to his summer gas tax holiday, and Obama was right on the money.
Soaring gas prices. Maybe it's the only remedy that will work.
Originally posted June 8, 2008
Every time you go to the gas station, the total to fill-up is higher than it was last time, and you know, maybe it's the only thing that will actually bring about a change. As bad as it hurts me, and my little hatchback, I can’t imagine what it must be like for the millions of Americans who got sucked in by the whole SUV craze, as the American automobile manufacturers followed the wave of the publics' philosophy of demand, that bigger was once again better. But it seems that everyone forgot the lesson’s learned at the hands of the oil embargo of the 70’s, and the Japanese compact car invasion and the destabilization they caused.
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