[Vision2020] Inconvenient Truth -- What WE REALLY HAVE TO DO

Thu Aug 24 13:46:18 PDT 2006

Tom,

I hate to defend the Bush administration on this one but they certainly
have not terminated the bio-diesel program.  The DOE released a call for
proposals for creation of two bio-energy research centers on August 1,
each center will be funded up to $125 million over 5 years (needless to
say the Fairbanks North Star Borough and University of Alaska Fairbanks
are preparing an application).  The DOE/USDA is also supporting a
"Biomass Research and Development Initiative" at $14 million, the
"Commercial Demonstration of an Integrated Biorefinery System for
Production of Liquid Transportation Biofuels, Biobased chemical,
Substitutes for Petroleum-based Feedstocks and Products, and
Biomass-based Heat/Power at $80 million.    I will concede that they
have cut research funding; however that funding has been transferred to
development/implementation projects.

On the big oil company front, Shell is leading the charge to develop
biofuels.  Their European divisions are actively constructing several
biofuels facilities throughout Germany, the Baltic States, Russia, and
Poland.  BP is ramping up their biofuel efforts in Canada and Great
Britain (provided they don't go broke because of their "minor" problems
on the North Slope).  If big oil truly wanted to kill bio-fuels they
would drop the price of gas and diesel below $2/gallon, the current
price level that bio-fuels programs need just to break even.  

We have three bio-fuels projects that are underway; the first is install
a modest 15 ton/day operation to convert wood waste and paper that is
presently dumped in the landfill into a bio-diesel product that our
local utility will use in its power plants.  Second is a program
designed to wean Alaska bush villages from expensive diesel ($6/gallon
when delivered) using bio-diesel from their local biomass with the
components manufactured assembled and tested here in Fairbanks; and
third is a larger long term program to create bio-fuel from a mix of
locally grown canola, willows, black spruce and so forth to the tune of
around 30 million gallons of B20.  We are working with growers in Delta
Junction, UAF, and the USDA to complete field testing of canola this
year.  A small press will give us enough fuel to test its
characteristics in cold climates

On a larger front local visionaries have proposed a 50 year program to
completely replace (on a sustainable basis) North Slope crude in the
TAPS system with bio-fuel created through harvesting of large tree farms
planted with local varieties of really fast growing trees.  I planted
one of these seedlings; a variety of Pacific Willow, this spring, the
tree is now just over 12 feet.  (My wife hates the thing now because of
its scrawny size, she was expecting a smaller dense willow).  The thing
has little bulk to it but I have been told that as long as the moose do
not eat it, its girth will increase dramatically in the next few years.

I am of the firm belief that bio-fuel projects should be local economic
development efforts.  Just imagine if LEDC, the Port of Whitman, UI,
WSU, and others were to team up on such a project.  The intellectual
capacity of the Palouse is remarkable, combine that with abundant
agricultural lands, large forests and local will power, I am very
willing to bet that the Palouse region can produce far more than enough
bio-fuels to completely remove big oil from your local picture.  Imagine
shutting off the leakage of local dollars to big oil and keeping that
money in your community; imagine the job creation potential; farm income
potential; and so forth that such a program would award the region.
Your government leaders will be silly not to embrace such a project.   

Take care, 

Chris

________________________________

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Tom Hansen
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2006 10:55 AM
To: 'Art Deco'; 'Vision 2020'
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Inconvenient Truth -- What WE REALLY HAVE TO
DO

One good idea would be to re-invest in bio-diesel research.  The program
was promoted and supported under the Clinton administration and
terminated under the Bush administration.

Simply coming up with an alternate fuel source will not work.  It needs
government support.  

Remember the "Get the Lead Out!" campaign that was mandated by
government policy?  It worked.  If the government mandates that all
vehicles will be fueled with bio-diesel by the year 2012, you can bet
your last gallon of regular gas that Exxon, Standard Oil, etc. etc. will
do their best to get into the bio-diesel market.

Has anybody got any ideas on how to develop some SERIOUS interest in
alternate fuels, the kind of ideas that will "spark a fire" of major
interest within the George "All for Oil" Bush administration?

Tom Hansen

Moscow, Idaho

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of
arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to
skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, a drink in the other, body
thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming 'WOO HOO. What a
ride!'"

________________________________

From: vision2020-bounces at moscow.com
[mailto:vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] On Behalf Of Art Deco
Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2006 11:41 AM
To: Vision 2020
Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Inconvenient Truth -- What WE REALLY HAVE TO
DO

God (alleged, choose the one that pleases you most) save the Queen!

Donovan and I agree on at least some fundamental outlooks.

1.    There is a limited amount of terrestrial/atmospheric resources.
There are and will be too many people competing for these resources.
Further, overuse of some of these resources creates life/quality of life
threatening environmental problems for all plants and animals including
humankind.  Think about this:  What would happen if at least half of the
world's human population lived at the same standard of resource usage as
the US and western Europe?

2.    Petroleum resources are not only quite limited, but their uses are
a leading cause of many life/quality of life threatening problems.
Hence, a very high tax on such products may help motivate a search for
much better, kinder to the earth, plants and animals (including
humankind) alternatives, and also decrease their usage and the
associated problems.

However, I also think the pessimistic outlook of Nils that we lack the
political will to do what needs to be done before it is too late is also
accurate.

Art Deco (Wayne A. Fox)
deco at moscow.com

----- Original Message ----- 

From: Donovan Arnold <mailto:donovanjarnold2005 at yahoo.com>  

To: Nils Peterson <mailto:nils_peterson at wsu.edu>  ;
vision2020 at moscow.com ; areaman at moscow.com 

Sent: Thursday, August 24, 2006 9:30 AM

Subject: Re: [Vision2020] Inconvenient Truth -- What WE REALLY HAVE TO
DO

Niles writes:

"I doubt we'll find the political will to 

take the scale of actions Donovan suggests."

Niles, if we lack the will to do what it takes to save the Earth,

then the Earth is surly doomed. 

Dan Carscallen writes:

"Hey, you gotta start somewhere."

What's the point of building a catapult to go 1/4 the way

across a canyon we must cross, you are better off staying where you are.
We will

not save the Earth if this generation does not do something drastic

and soon. 

The only reason buses have real ridership is because of economic

necessity of the riders. 

Nobody WANTS to ride a bus. They smell, they are crowded, unsafe,
unclean,

inconvenient, slow, and uncomfortable. People do it mostly because it is
their best

option, not because they are trying to save the Earth.

If you really want to raise bus ridership raise gas prices, make them
clean,

safer, more convenient,
 and much more comfortable. Add cushy seats that have

online access, more buses, more locations, and give them their own lane.

For Moscow, a trolley on the old railroad tracks would work nicely.  

Best,

_DJA

Nils Peterson <nils_peterson at wsu.edu> wrote: 

Thanks Dan for sharing information on Valley Transit ridership. I
understand
that they have a new route for commuters from Lewiston to Moscow.
Perhaps we
need periodic reminders of the data that these systems are growing.

And thanks for pointing out that we can, and need, to start small --
because
without that personal action, I doubt we'll find the political will to
take
the scale of actions Donovan suggests.

On 8/24/06 8:13 AM, "areaman> wrote:
Donovan says:
"You guys are thinking so small, so tiny. It doesn't help save the earth
even a day to do these tiny things."

Hey, you gotta start somewhere.

An aside to Joe: Believe you me, my good buddy Tom LaPointe is getting
the word out there as far as Moscow Valley Transit is concerned. Would
he like more people to ride the bus? Heck yes, but I'm here to tell you
that I've seen charts and graphs and whatnot presented by Tom that shows
nothing but increasing ridership for Moscow Valley Transit. While I'm
not a guy who would normally ride the bus -- various reasons, including
a short bicycle or motorcycle commute to work -- I'm all in favor of
having that option for people.

DC

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