[Vision2020] Can Algae Fill Our Gas Tanks & Can Coal Energy KeepCO2 Stored?

[Ted Moffett]

Hi Chris-

I appreciate your comments... Your recommendations carry far more weight, I
suspect, than any proposals I might make, given your experience and work.

If the Moscow City Council and the U of I need motivation from someone such
as I, with no credentials or experience in the field of alternative energy
or biofuels (beyond my informal independent scholarly studies on this issue,
pursued for the sheer joy of discovery and learning, along with a real
concern for the health of our beautiful planet), to aggressively pursue
every option for CO2 reduction in energy technology, then the human race is
truly in d**p s**t.

What about it, Wayne, do you agree with this assessment?  Time to buy that
new "beach front" property that will inevitably form when the oceans rise...
Damn, if I could only predict the new "stable" beach fronts of the future!

Oh well, the human race has overpopulated the planet, and it may be poetic
justice if human caused global warming lowers the human population by
billions... We will face the consequences of our arrogant neglect of our
mother... The Earth.

I hope this does not happen, but the writing is on the wall.  Money rules,
and there is too much money to be made in the short term from relying on
cheap accessible fossil fuel CO2 emitting energy, though I agree with Chris
that a reworking of energy markets and technology could generate economic
activity galore.  However, this would displace other more fossil fuel
related economic interests, and they have tremendous power to control the
energy agenda, both in the private and public sector.  And even the average
consumer may refuse to pay the increased costs of energy from non-CO2
emitting sources, increased costs that are hard to get around, choosing (a
choice they perhaps should not be given) cheaper fossil fuel/CO2 emitting
energy. Energy industry players are now suing the State of California over
the requirements of the new California Global Warming Legislation that was
passed in an attempt to lower CO2 emissions.  We can keep the fossil
fuel/CO2 emitting energy model going for another 50-100 years, and then when
global warming really scares people enough, it will be too late.

Just read Wayne's post on Exxon/Mobil manipulating science to cast doubt on
human caused global warming.  Just as the Bush administration has done.  If
the USA, the world's most powerful and rich nation, cannot lead the way to
solve the global warming crisis, as it clearly is not,
then...                fill in the blank.

Ted Moffett

On 1/5/07, Chris Storhok <cstorhok at co.fairbanks.ak.us> wrote:
>
>  Ted,
>
> Why don't you propose to the Moscow City Council and the UI the idea of
> using the city sewage treatment facility as a source of nutrients to grow
> algae or duckweed for a local bio-fuels production facility?   The city has
> spent millions of dollars trying to bring the facility up to current EPA
> standards and faces spending millions more for future compliance standards;
> instead use that money to build large runs that can grow algae or duckweed,
> a bio-fuel plant, and storage facilities.  I am sure that someone at the UI
> would love to serve as a research partner to such a venture.
>
> The city/university partnership then could produce bio-fuels, sell it to
> fuel station owners who then sell it to the consumer.  The city/university
> partnership can make a lot of money off of such a facility, address global
> warming issues, solve water pollution problems; talk about a huge win-win
> for everyone.
>
> In my professional opinion, the biofuels (and alternative energy market)
> is the next great economic opportunity that the U.S. (and the rest of the
> world) faces.
>
>
>
> How about it Moscow and UI?  You can lead the world in alternative fuel
> production technology using sewage effluent to grow algae to produce
> bio-fuels….
>
>
>
> Chris
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Chris Storhok
>
> (former Viola resident)
>
>
>
>
>
>
>  ------------------------------
>
> *From:* vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:
> vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] *On Behalf Of *Ted Moffett
> *Sent:* Wednesday, January 03, 2007 12:08 AM
> *To:* Vision2020
> *Subject:* [Vision2020] Can Algae Fill Our Gas Tanks & Can Coal Energy
> KeepCO2 Stored?
>
>
>
> All-
>
>
>
> I was disappointed to learn that the biofuel plant planned for Spangle,
> Washington has gone under:
>
>
>
> http://spokesmanreview.com/business/story.asp?ID=166758
>
>
>
> However, in a recent discussion of solutions to global warming and fossil
> fuel depletion, someone mentioned biofuel from algae.  I first thought...
> Yeah, sure!  But apparently this is not a joke:
>
>
>
> Read about it here:
>
>
>
> http://www.energybulletin.net/2364.html
>
>
>
> And while I'm at it, there are promising developments with CO2
> sequestration from coal energy plants:
>
>
>
>
> http://www.discover.com/issues/dec-06/features/clean-coal-technology/?page=3
>
>
>
> Though global warming and fossil fuel depletion are massive daunting
> problems that threaten the next generation, there are solutions, and the
> quicker they are adopted, the better.
>
>
>
> Ted Moffett
>
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