The technology of irradiating food is, to say the least, quite controversial. Here is an article that gives some interesting background information on the subject. I am not sure which side to take on this issue. Obviously more research needs to be done.
In a follow-up story, the USFDA has approved irradiation on some produce in this country. No doubt the recent salmonella problems with peppers and tomatoes was a factor in this action.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Gasoline Produced From Biomass In Two Years
Researchers at the Texas Engineering Experiment Station and Byogy Renewables, Inc. have found a method to make gasoline out of everyday waste. It seems to me that this would be carbon neutral since the waste would break down anyway.
This seems to be another option to bridge our way to electric vehicles by cutting out foreign oil. I have noticed at least one good thing that has come out of $3+ gasoline prices and that is innovation and implementation of alternative energy sources. These types of stories seem to be coming out every week. Some public support and pressure on the nitwits in the District of Corruption to not get in the way would be helpful.
This seems to be another option to bridge our way to electric vehicles by cutting out foreign oil. I have noticed at least one good thing that has come out of $3+ gasoline prices and that is innovation and implementation of alternative energy sources. These types of stories seem to be coming out every week. Some public support and pressure on the nitwits in the District of Corruption to not get in the way would be helpful.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A Plan to Put Electric Cars on the Road Soon
Shia Agassi has a plan to get electric cars on the road and it is much more aggressive than the big auto's plans. His ideas on the implementation of the charging and battery infrastructure is cutting edge and it is getting a lot of attention from leaders in governments and industry around the world. They guy is thinking out of the box and it's catching on. This is a long but interesting read.
Friday, August 15, 2008
Affordable Solar Power
This is some news on solar power from back in April of this year. Seems like there are alternative energy breakthroughs almost every month. It will be interesting to see if the latest drop in oil prices has a slowing effect.
IMHO, cheap energy prices mean less expensive research, so it should be full speed ahead on alternative sources. The payoff will be the next time oil prices ratchet back up to $120 per barrel or higher. Kind of like buying low and selling high in the financial markets.
IMHO, cheap energy prices mean less expensive research, so it should be full speed ahead on alternative sources. The payoff will be the next time oil prices ratchet back up to $120 per barrel or higher. Kind of like buying low and selling high in the financial markets.
Progress In Radiation Protection
Here is some interesting news on the radiation protection front. There are potential benefits for patients undergoing medical treatments that use high doses of radiation. There may be implications for the use of lengthy space missions like humans traveling to Mars and back.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
So You Think You Know Oil....
Well, I have to admit I didn't know much until I read this.
So You Think You Know Oil: Maybe Not
By John David Powell
Here we are with a new week and another round of posturing, politicking, and punditry regarding the price of petroleum. As happens when folks do a lot of talking, very little is said.
I hang around educated and talented people. Each individual has at least one university degree. Most read, watch, or listen to more than one news source every day. They span generations with ages ranging from the 20s to the 70s.
Yet, not a single person among them knew the answers to some basic questions pertinent to the growing discourse regarding the rising price of oil. A few knew some of the answers, and some knew a few of the answers
To be fair, I had to look up the answers, or else I would have been among the shoulder shruggers.
For instance, how big is a barrel? Answer: 42 gallons. So, now you know that when the price for a barrel of crude oil hits $140, that’s the same as $3.33 a gallon.
What nation supplies the most crude oil and petroleum products to the United States? Answer: The United States. According to the Energy Information Agency (www.eia.doe.gov), our country supplied 41 percent of the oil we consumed in March of this year.
What nation, other than the U.S., supplies the most crude oil and petroleum products to our country? Answer: Canada. Our northern neighbor accounts for 12 percent of our nation’s oil and 20 percent of all the oil we import. The rest of the top five include Saudi Arabia (7 percent and 13 percent); Venezuela (6 percent and 11 percent); Nigeria (6 percent and 10 percent); and Mexico (5 percent and 8 percent).
How much oil do we import from Persian Gulf countries? I’m glad you asked. Persian Gulf countries accounted for only 16 percent of our foreign oil imports each year from 2005 to 2007. In fact, our Persian Gulf imports declined most of this decade, from a 15-year high of a little more than 1 billion barrels in 2001 to 791.9 million barrels in 2007.
What’s the difference between crude oil and petroleum products? Answer: Crude oil provides, among other products, gasoline, diesel and jet fuels heating oil, liquefied petroleum gas, lubricants, asphalt, plastics, synthetic fibers, detergents, fertilizers, ink, crayons, bubble gum deodorant, tires, and heart valves.
One barrel of crude oil (which is 42 gallons, remember?), yields about 19.6 gallons of gasoline. The other 22.4 gallons go into the products just mentioned.
How much of the cost of oil goes into the price of gasoline? Answer: A bunch. We consumed about 390 million gallons of gas a day last year in our cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, boats, farm implements, and construction and landscaping equipment. Back when crude was $68 a barrel (that was just last year), it accounted for about 58 percent of the price of a gallon of gasoline. The rest of the price came from refining costs (17 percent), federal and state taxes (15 percent), and distribution and marketing (10 percent). By the way, the price of crude accounts for about 77 percent of the cost of gas at $4 a gallon.
Here’s a little something you may not have considered. What products that you buy on a regular basis are sold with tax included? Answer: Gasoline. For everything else, you add the tax at checkout.
The folks in California pay 63.9 cents a gallon in state and federal fuel taxes, the most in the nation. That’s just the base, though. Motorists there also pay an additional 6-percent state sales tax, with some paying another 1.25-percent county sales tax plus applicable local sales taxes. Same in Illinois, where Chicago motorists pay 12.75 cents per gallon on top of the 57.9 cents per gallon in state and federal taxes. Some Illinois motorists also pay a 6.25-percent sales tax.
Politicians, pundits, and other TV talking heads don’t like to provide these answers, because facts get in the way of positions that pander to the mob. We don’t point fingers at Canada, because it’s de rigueur to paint the Saudis with the broad brush of blame. Folks float the idea of a moratorium on state and federal gasoline taxes without explaining its minimal impact on gas prices, or without mentioning the $3 sales tax some motorists pay on top of a $50 fill up. Policymakers don’t explain that oil trades in the dollar, which is weak vis-r-vis the Euro, because that would require solutions for strengthening the greenback.
So You Think You Know Oil: Maybe Not
By John David Powell
Here we are with a new week and another round of posturing, politicking, and punditry regarding the price of petroleum. As happens when folks do a lot of talking, very little is said.
I hang around educated and talented people. Each individual has at least one university degree. Most read, watch, or listen to more than one news source every day. They span generations with ages ranging from the 20s to the 70s.
Yet, not a single person among them knew the answers to some basic questions pertinent to the growing discourse regarding the rising price of oil. A few knew some of the answers, and some knew a few of the answers
To be fair, I had to look up the answers, or else I would have been among the shoulder shruggers.
For instance, how big is a barrel? Answer: 42 gallons. So, now you know that when the price for a barrel of crude oil hits $140, that’s the same as $3.33 a gallon.
What nation supplies the most crude oil and petroleum products to the United States? Answer: The United States. According to the Energy Information Agency (www.eia.doe.gov), our country supplied 41 percent of the oil we consumed in March of this year.
What nation, other than the U.S., supplies the most crude oil and petroleum products to our country? Answer: Canada. Our northern neighbor accounts for 12 percent of our nation’s oil and 20 percent of all the oil we import. The rest of the top five include Saudi Arabia (7 percent and 13 percent); Venezuela (6 percent and 11 percent); Nigeria (6 percent and 10 percent); and Mexico (5 percent and 8 percent).
How much oil do we import from Persian Gulf countries? I’m glad you asked. Persian Gulf countries accounted for only 16 percent of our foreign oil imports each year from 2005 to 2007. In fact, our Persian Gulf imports declined most of this decade, from a 15-year high of a little more than 1 billion barrels in 2001 to 791.9 million barrels in 2007.
What’s the difference between crude oil and petroleum products? Answer: Crude oil provides, among other products, gasoline, diesel and jet fuels heating oil, liquefied petroleum gas, lubricants, asphalt, plastics, synthetic fibers, detergents, fertilizers, ink, crayons, bubble gum deodorant, tires, and heart valves.
One barrel of crude oil (which is 42 gallons, remember?), yields about 19.6 gallons of gasoline. The other 22.4 gallons go into the products just mentioned.
How much of the cost of oil goes into the price of gasoline? Answer: A bunch. We consumed about 390 million gallons of gas a day last year in our cars, trucks, recreational vehicles, boats, farm implements, and construction and landscaping equipment. Back when crude was $68 a barrel (that was just last year), it accounted for about 58 percent of the price of a gallon of gasoline. The rest of the price came from refining costs (17 percent), federal and state taxes (15 percent), and distribution and marketing (10 percent). By the way, the price of crude accounts for about 77 percent of the cost of gas at $4 a gallon.
Here’s a little something you may not have considered. What products that you buy on a regular basis are sold with tax included? Answer: Gasoline. For everything else, you add the tax at checkout.
The folks in California pay 63.9 cents a gallon in state and federal fuel taxes, the most in the nation. That’s just the base, though. Motorists there also pay an additional 6-percent state sales tax, with some paying another 1.25-percent county sales tax plus applicable local sales taxes. Same in Illinois, where Chicago motorists pay 12.75 cents per gallon on top of the 57.9 cents per gallon in state and federal taxes. Some Illinois motorists also pay a 6.25-percent sales tax.
Politicians, pundits, and other TV talking heads don’t like to provide these answers, because facts get in the way of positions that pander to the mob. We don’t point fingers at Canada, because it’s de rigueur to paint the Saudis with the broad brush of blame. Folks float the idea of a moratorium on state and federal gasoline taxes without explaining its minimal impact on gas prices, or without mentioning the $3 sales tax some motorists pay on top of a $50 fill up. Policymakers don’t explain that oil trades in the dollar, which is weak vis-r-vis the Euro, because that would require solutions for strengthening the greenback.
Rep. Don Young (AK) Urges Producing American Energy
Rep. Young doesn't mention flex fuel but I think he is basically correct on dealing with the supply side of oil production. Click here to watch the 5-min. video.
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