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Saturday, December 9, 2006
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Here's a report on a Boulder startup that is hoping to produce economically viable biofuel from algae. from the article, "A business startup in Boulder is working with Colorado State University engineers on technology that begins with algae and ends with eco-friendly fuel. Over the next two years, Solix Biofuels Inc. plans to commercialize the technology, which affordably mass-produces oil derived from fast-growing algae and turns it into biodiesel. The goal is to offer biodiesel at costs competitive with the wholesale price of crude petroleum. 'Algae are the fastest-growing organisms on the planet and can produce 100 times more oil per acre than conventional soil-tilled crops that are now being grown for biofuel use,' said Solix founder Jim Sears. Solix is using a photo-bioreactor system to grow algae and extract its oil. The main ingredients for the process are sun and carbon dioxide, which is readily available from coal-burning power plants and ethanol plants. A carbon-dioxide producer, New Belgium Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, has agreed to let the researchers use excess carbon dioxide from its plant to test the process."
"2008 pres"
7:47:48 AM 
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Knox News: "Mines in the United States are failing to meet water-quality standards, according to a research study by Earthworks, a mine-watchdog group. That's despite the fact that today's mines - unlike historic ones - must show they will meet water-quality standards to get approved. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency officials said the study might provide some new and useful information to regulators. 'It's the kind of information that we don't have at our fingertips,' said Michael Gearhead, the EPA's regional director for water and watersheds in Seattle. One of the study's major findings: Water-quality impacts at mines are common and they are most often caused by unsuccessful cleanups. Why is this happening? The main culprit appears to be faulty predictions before the mines are approved by regulators, the study's authors said Thursday."
Here's the link to the report, Comparison of Predicted and Actual Water Quality at Hardrock Mines.
"colorado water"
7:26:54 AM
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Wilderness status for the Beaver Creek wilderness study area is the subject of this article from the Colorado Springs Gazette. From the article, "A scenic wildland area 11 miles southwest of Colorado Springs that's languished as a recommended wilderness area for years has a chance to gain permanent federal protection. A Democratic Congress that will take over next month is expected to be more nature-friendly. More important, a huge obstacle to Beaver Creek Wilderness Study Area's designation - Colorado Springs Utilities' opposition - might be lifted. Utilities spokeswoman Rachel Beck said the city's water experts are ready to revisit whether a wilderness designation would impair the city's ability to use water from Beaver Creek, which flows off Pikes Peak's south slope...
"Concerns about water rights were noted in a 1993 Bureau of Land Management environmental impact statement that characterized the 20,750-acre Beaver Creek area as 'out-standingly remarkable' and worthy of the wilderness label. The study found that massive granite walls rising above the creek and conifer, aspen and Gambel oak shelter the once-endangered peregrine falcon and still-threatened Mexican spotted owl. It's also one of the few places that support four species of trout - brook, rainbow, brown and native cutthroat. If given the federal protection that precludes logging, mining and road-building, Beaver Creek would become Colorado Springs' nearest wilderness area.
"In the past, Colorado Springs has worried that a wilderness designation would complicate management of its water rights in Rosemont and South Slope watersheds above Beaver Creek. Wilderness designations usually call for a federal reserved water right, which allows for sufficient water to sustain the proposed use. The city has noted that a wilderness designation downstream of its reservoirs could interfere with rehabilitation of its high-altitude dams, which are more than 100 years old. Construction activities could have an impact on water quality or flow levels, which would be protected under a wilderness designation. Beck said Utilities officials now want to know if they can get a variance that would allow for maintenance and reconstruction activities."
"colorado water"
7:03:01 AM
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© Copyright 2009 John Orr.
Last update: 3/15/09; 12:17:03 PM.
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