Sunday, February 17, 2008

? for President? Andrew Sullivan: "Clinton leads by 6 in a new ARG poll. Obama is still ahead in the Wisconsin poll of polls, but not by much. Tuesday should be interesting." "2008 pres" 7:21:52 PM

? for President? Political Wire: "Sen. Barack Obama enjoys his first statistically significant lead in the Gallup tracking poll, 49% to 42%, over Sen. Hillary Clinton. Additionally, the 49% support for Obama represents the high point for him in the daily survey. On the Republican side, Sen. John McCain leads Mike Huckabee, 54% to 28%." "2008 pres" 4:36:47 PM

2008 Democratic National Convention From The Denver Business Journal, " The Downtown Denver Partnership and the Downtown Denver Business Improvement District on Friday unveiled their plans for the upcoming Democratic National Convention. The convention will be held in Denver from Aug. 25-28. A partnership task force has been working for the past year on how downtown businesses can benefit from the DNC." More: Here are some projects in the works: * A commemorative film, a four-minute effort being produced by Cinema Veritage, to show faces and places downtown. An original orchestral score is being composed and will be performed by an orchestra from Denver. * An incentives program for people willing to get commuters off the roads during and after the DNC, funded with a $174,000 federal grant. Commuters will be offered free passes and gift certificates for taking alternative transportation such as a bus, light rail, bicycle or carpool. * An event called "Artocracy," in which people will stand in a central spot downtown and read portions of the United States Constitution, Bill of Rights or Declaration of Independence. * An electronic newsletter, the "Denver 08 Update," will provide DNC-related information to businesses. * The Downtown Denver BID will invest $140,000 beginning in May to install and maintain 105 new flower planters on streets that adjoin the 16th Street Mall. "2008 pres" 4:22:21 PM

Hellchild and ??'s excellent Mexican adventure Hellchild has recruited a new traveling companion for her excellent Mexican adventure. They're working out logistics now. Beaver dropped out after a rough go in Mexico. Mexican immigration didn't think that his plan of hopping a freight train to Mexico City was something that they wanted him to do. He had no luck hitching a ride either. Rodolfo tells us that the part of Mexico (across from Laredo, TX) has seen a lot of crime from the drug traffic so no one stops for someone hitching. Beaver is in Austin trading his bicycle for a guitar. We're changing his headline to "Beaver learns to play the blues in the Old South." Back to Hellchild. She has not started for Mexico City yet but will soon. We couldn't talk her into an airplane ride to DIA. 12:44:12 PM

Uncompahgre Basin: Registering pumps From The Montrose Daily Press, "The Uncompahgre Valley Water Users Association requests registration of the illegal, unregistered pumps to be used in ditches in the Uncompahgre Basin this year. "It's a big job trying to keep track of everything, and then when you have people dropping their pump in -- pretty soon it gets unfair," UVWUA manager Marc Catlin said. He said about 200 such pumps are registered, though he estimates as many as 300 hundred aren't. Registering the pumps is not only a requirement but gives the association an idea of how much water to let into the basin's ditches. When local entities can account for where the water is going, it helps deter those on the Front Range from trying to gain access to the regional supply." "colorado water" 8:26:30 AM

Severance tax hikes on November ballot? Environmentalists are hoping to force the Colorado General Assembly and Governor Ritter to act on oil and gas severance taxes by introducing a smorgasboard of initiatives for the fall ballot, according to The Aspen Times "reg". From the article: Environmentalists introduced four ballot proposals Thursday to increase the taxes paid by the oil and gas industry as they seek to build support for a statewide campaign. The move comes as state lawmakers and the governor are still considering whether to ask voters to increase the state's severance tax this year. The coalition, which includes Trout Unlimited, Environmental Defense, The Wilderness Society and others, wants to use the estimated $200 to $300 million the proposed hikes could generate to boost renewable energy, protect wildlife habitat and help communities impacted by the boom. Joe Neuhof, West Slope field director for the Colorado Environmental Coalition, said some coalition members have been involved in the Capitol discussions about whether to raise Colorado's tax -- the second-lowest in the West -- but wanted to put forward their priorities for how the money should be spent as they continue to talk. "This is a starting point," Neuhof said. "This is where we're at right now and we want to build a coalition and work with other interests in shaping it." Evan Dreyer, a spokesman for Gov. Bill Ritter, said lawmakers have been talking both about whether to change the tax -- including getting rid of a deduction for property tax paid by the industry -- and which of the state's pressing needs, such as health care or higher education, would get money. Dreyer said communities seeing an increase in oil and gas production also need to be considered. Rep. Kathleen Curry, D-Gunnison, said she expects to introduce a severance tax proposal within the next week that could either get rid of the property tax deduction or raise the tax. She didn't see the ballot proposals as a threat to her effort. "I think this just sends a strong signal to us here that people want this addressed," she said. The environmental coalition would have to collect signatures to get a proposal on the ballot this fall, while lawmakers could simply vote to refer a measure to voters... The four ballot proposals include different combinations of getting rid of the current tax exemption for small wells, adding an extra 3 percent tax for all oil and gas wells and setting a new 10 percent tax rate for wells that produce more than $300,000 a year. Some would also bar energy companies from deducting their property tax in calculating the severance tax they owe. According to legislative economists, Colorado's severance tax is the lowest after Utah in the West. Factoring in other taxes, like income taxes paid by companies in those states, Wyoming has the highest effective tax rate at 11.2 percent, compared to 5.7 percent in Colorado. Right now, severance tax revenues are divided between the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Local Affairs, which gives out some grants to affected cities and counties as well as others not impacted by oil and gas. "denver 2008" 8:21:50 AM

Pesticides in combination: Effects on salmon Here's a look at the toxicity of a cocktail of pesticides on salmon as opposed to studies of pesticide effects on at a time from The Environmental News Network. From the article: In his research, scientist Nat Scholz examines how pesticides that run off the land and mix in rivers and streams combine to have a greater than expected toxic effect on the salmon nervous system. These pesticides are widely used in the United States and their occurrence as mixtures in the food supply for humans may also pose an unexpected risk for people. "We have a pretty good handle on how to assess the health effects of single chemicals in conventional toxicity trials,"[caron] said Scholz, a fishery biologist with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "But the real world is usually more complex, and exposures to mixtures of chemicals can be more of the rule than the exception. One of the major scientific challenges of our generation is to develop new approaches to anticipate and head off any ill effects of interacting chemicals." Scholz will present his research along with five other scientists from the U.S. government, the Canadian government and academia in the symposium entitled "From Kitchen Sinks to Ocean Basins: Emerging Chemical Contaminants and Human Health." Organized by NOAA's Oceans and Human Health Initiative, the symposium is one of the features of the AAAS Annual Meeting. Scholz and his colleagues found that salmon died when exposed to combinations of pesticides that were not deadly when tested in individual trials. The findings for salmon could have important implications for the recovery of many threatened and endangered salmon populations throughout the western United States. The research also points to the need for more study of how combinations of pesticides found on fruits and vegetables may be affecting humans. "colorado water" 8:09:16 AM

Energy policy: Oil shale Here's a recap of last Thursday's meeting of the Bureau of Land Management's Northwest Resource Advisory Council over in Glenwood Springs, from The Glenwood Springs Post Independent "reg". From the article: Much of the discussion among RAC members centered on whether to support possible oil shale development in the area and potential oil shale regulations before commercially proven oil shale extraction technologies have been implemented. The 15 members of the Northwest RAC represent a broad range of interests, including environmental protection, energy and mineral interests, along with elected officials. The group advises the BLM on its policies. Sherri Thompson, project manager for the BLM's oil shale project, sketched out alternatives Thursday for possible oil shale leasing across Wyoming, Utah and Colorado. She said BLM's plan is to select an alternative that could open the most areas for possible oil shale development. Last month, the BLM issued its draft programmatic environmental impact statement (PEIS), which has designated about 2 million acres in Colorado, Utah and Wyoming as possible areas for oil shale development. Public comment on the PEIS is being accepted until March 20. A decision on the matter is expected this year. Based in part on comments from cooperating agencies, which include Garfield County, the BLM determined that the PEIS would not be used to make leasing decisions, but rather to identify available lands that could be leased. Clare Bastable, conservation director for the Colorado Mountain Club and a member of the RAC, asked Thompson about the power plants and large water consumption that would be needed to drive oil shale development in the area. Thompson conceded that water and power issues in connection with oil shale development still need to be addressed. Proposed oil shale leases would last for an indeterminate amount of time, with adjustment at 20 years, said Charlie Beecham, branch chief for solid materials for the BLM. The minimum lease size would be 5,760 acres and the maximum size would be 50,000 acres. Some other steps in the leasing process would include consultations with state governors and an environmental review. The lease would go to the highest qualified bidder, who would pay for the lease's environmental review. A royalty rate for oil shale has not yet been determined, Beecham said. A draft of the regulations is expected in late spring. More Coyote Gulch coverage here and here. "2008 pres" 7:53:49 AM

HB 08-1161 and HB 08-1165 Here's an opinion piece in support of HB 08-1161 and HB 08-1165 from The Greeley Tribune "reg". From the article: The predictable whining, wailing and moaning of uranium mining companies has begun following the recent announcement of two pieces of legislation at the Capitol: House Bill 1161 and HB 1165. They are water-protection bills presented by Republicans and Democrats. Uranium mining is a nonpartisan issue. The proposed mines are close to populated areas of Weld County, near a drinking-water aquifer, and damage to it would adversely affect 40,000 ranchers, farmers and rural people, regardless of their political affiliation, and potentially many future Front Range communities. Those bills put the burden of responsibility on the mining company to prove that what they intend to do is safe for our environment and our residents. Plus, this legislation makes mining companies accountable for damages and cleanup costs following mining. The taxpayers will appreciate not having to pay for mining disasters like Summitville a few years ago. HB 1161 and HB 1165 place greater authority in the hands of local authorities for land-use permits, rather than in the hands of state or federal agencies. This should appeal to everyone statewide. We have had several "open" town hall meetings so residents, elected officials and the mining company could openly discuss the proposed mine. During one of these meetings, organized by U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., at the Nunn Community Center last July, the congresswoman personally asked Powertech officials about groundwater safety and other environmental issues. Following more than an hour of discussion, she concluded that Powertech had not provided sufficient enough assurances for her to support of the Centennial Project. Thank you, Congresswoman Musgrave. More Coyote Gulch coverage here, here, here and here. "2008 pres" 7:46:53 AM

Energy policy: Biofuel from algae Here's a background piece on utilizing carbon dioxide from power generation to grow algae from The Salina Journal. From the article: Algae really need two things to grow: sunlight and carbon dioxide. Thus, the rate at which algae can be grown -- and therefore, the amount of carbon dioxide that can be absorbed -- is directly related to the area exposed to sunlight. Sparsely populated western states are considered ideal, both due to the availability of land and annual hours of sunlight. Early algae reactors were little more than shallow ponds with paddles to agitate the water. But the latest research has focused on sophisticated, closed systems that increased productivity exponentially. They are considerably more expensive than open systems, but the hope is that the intensive algae production will more than offset the increased cost. So how large an area would the Holcomb algae reactor cover? "Unknown until we know how many plants will be built and further testing occurs," spokesman [Sunflower Electric] Steve Miller said in an e-mail response. But what is the capture rate of such an algae reactor? How much carbon dioxide, on a per-acre basis, can an algae reactor utilize? "I don't have that information," Miller said Algae might be the alchemists of the 21st century: take something we have in surplus (carbon dioxide), combine it with something abundant and free (sunlight), supply a modicum of feed, and in no time you have slime that is 60 percent oil. The possibilities aren't unlimited, but they're getting there. "You can't grow more algae than the energy you supply from the sun," says David Bayless, professor of mechanical engineering at Ohio University and director of the Ohio Coal Research Center. "It truly is the limiting factor." And there's a lot of that available. Even the most efficient bioreactors today utilize less than one-tenth of the available sunlight. None, of course, work at night. In 1990 the Argonne National Laboratory estimated there is enough waste carbon dioxide available in suitable climates within the United States to generate up to 7 quadrillion BTUs of algae -- the equivalent of 40 percent of all the coal burned in 2007 to generate electricity in the United States. For almost 20 years, the National Renewable Energy Laboratory studied the subject. "Algal biodiesel could easily supply several 'quads' of biodiesel -- substantially more than existing oilseed crops could provide," NREL said in the report it issued upon closing the program. "Microalgal systems use far less water than traditional oilseed crops. Land is hardly a limitation. Two hundred thousand hectares (about 480,000 acres, slightly larger than Saline County) could produce one quad of fuel." That is the energy equivalent of all the coal burned last year to generate electricity in Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado combined... NREL's estimate of algae's energy potential was offered in 1996. The decade since has yielded significant gains in productivity. But even so, an algae reactor that could swallow 25 million pounds of carbon dioxide a day is not trivial. Nothing on that scale has been built anywhere in the world. Miller suggested last year it could be as small as 3,000 acres. Bayless wonders if even that would be workable. "The capital costs on that," he said. "I don't see anybody building 3,000 acres of bioreactor." Nor would it capture but a fraction of the plant's carbon dioxide. According to Sunflower Electric's Web site, GreenFuel Technologies, which is based in Cambridge, Mass., and is considered one of the leaders in algal reactor technology, is helping develop plans for the Holcomb bioenergy center. Last summer GreenFuel completed an experimental project in Red Hawk, Ariz., in which carbon dioxide from a coal-fired power plant was used to grow algae. "The performance of the ... system exceeded the target goal," the project report says. "... This is one of the most productive algal cultivation systems ever built." The experiment was conducted over a 19-day period under highly controlled conditions. The daily algae yield averaged about 1 ounce for every three square feet. At that rate, capturing 1 lb. of carbon dioxide daily would take about 27 square feet. The Holcomb plant would generate 2.8 million pounds of carbon dioxide an hour. Assuming a massive operation could operate year-around with the same efficiency, to capture 40 percent of the carbon emissions would require a 16,700-acre bioreactor -- roughly five times the area of Kanopolis Lake... The reason only 40 percent of the carbon dioxide can be captured is because photosynthesis requires sunlight, but power plants operate around-the-clock. "Nobody has any idea how to run a facility like this yet," says Al Darzins, group manager in NREL's National Bioenergy Center. "That's the thing I think people are going to have to get their hands around." Trevor McKeeman is director of business development for the National Institute for Strategic Technology Acquisition and Commercialization, a Manhattan-based organization affiliated with Kansas State University that is a partner in the Holcomb bioenergy project. He acknowledges there is much that still isn't known about how to make such a project actually work. "There are a lot of groups trying to figure out how to scale this up into commercial form," McKeeman said. "If it's figured out in Holcomb, there should be a lot of folks worldwide trying to see how we did it." Blake Simmons is manager of Sandia National Laboratory's energy systems department. Sandia, which is based in Albuquerque, N.M., has access to some formidable resources: it is a partnership of the federal government and Lockheed Martin. Simmons is deeply involved in the effort to commercialize production of algae. Simmons is very optimistic it is only a matter of time before the logistics are worked out. But nobody has reached that point yet. "There are no algo-biorefineries in existence that can produce significant amounts of oil," he said. "Carbon dioxide scrubbing is not as efficient as hoped."[...] Growing the algae is just the beginning. "One of the biggest expenses here is ... exactly how do you harvest and process it after it's grown?" Simmons said. A bioreactor that captured 40 percent of the Holcomb plants' carbon dioxide would produce about 12 million pounds of algae a day. "That is a lot of biomass to produce. That's not saying it cannot be done; that's saying it's challenging," he said. "No one is doing it on that scale currently. If you're [using] all your carbon capture benefits on the amount of energy that's consumed to power the process, then it no longer makes sense, even from a carbon capture standpoint...Our take on this whole area is that, because it's so new, there are literally years and years of research that are needed before you can get to a large, viable - and that's important: viable -- commercial plant," Darzins said. Related article from The Los Angeles Times "reg". They write: UCLA scientists have synthesized a new class of sponge-like crystals that can soak up carbon dioxide, the primary greenhouse gas in industrial emissions. The crystals -- zeolitic imidazolate frameworks, or ZIFs -- are grids of metal atoms and organic molecules that loosely trap carbon dioxide as it drifts into microscopic pores. The researchers believe that atomic charges hold the gas in place. One variety, ZIF-69, is so absorbent that a single liter of the material can hold 83 liters of carbon dioxide, according to a study published Friday in the journal Science. The crystals could be tailored to capture carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, factories and other industrial sources, said UCLA chemist Omar M. Yaghi, who led the study. The idea is to line the insides of smokestacks with a layer of ZIF. Carbon dioxide that enters the pores could be sucked out periodically and sequestered underground. Yaghi said the material could also be used to line vehicle exhaust systems. When drivers fill their gas tanks, they could also have the carbon dioxide removed. More Coyote Gulch coverage here. "2008 pres" 7:39:04 AM

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