Friday, May 9, 2008
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Intervention
I guess I am beginning to believe that intervention can be a good or a bad thing. With all the huff about climate change and how our government should be putting a stop to it, I am beginning to think a non-intervention approach to it might be the best way. It is going along with my ever-more leaning libertarian views on just about everything. I will probably dwell on this for a while before actually sorting it out, but I need to consider my grassroots beliefs.
Intervention has no doubt proved to improve quite a bit with fuel efficiency stuff, and we have seen it work in the EU. My idea is that it is because of too much intervention in the first place that all the intervention is needed to correct it. For example: The subsidies given to big oil companies should be abolished. Say there were no subsidies, and the price of gas actually reflected the price of oil. One has to believe that with such innovative technology, someone would have actually given the millions of other ways to create energy a try.
With the current system I see how intervention has to be here to keep hope alive. I guess until the system is completely reformed there has to be intervention. I guess I am also fed up with begging the federal government to do something about an issue bigger than any other on their plate.
Intervention has no doubt proved to improve quite a bit with fuel efficiency stuff, and we have seen it work in the EU. My idea is that it is because of too much intervention in the first place that all the intervention is needed to correct it. For example: The subsidies given to big oil companies should be abolished. Say there were no subsidies, and the price of gas actually reflected the price of oil. One has to believe that with such innovative technology, someone would have actually given the millions of other ways to create energy a try.
With the current system I see how intervention has to be here to keep hope alive. I guess until the system is completely reformed there has to be intervention. I guess I am also fed up with begging the federal government to do something about an issue bigger than any other on their plate.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Some Good Images
My friend Rob, one of the many on the mailing list, loves to send me stuff he thinks I would like. Here are some images I find pretty amusing.
Blocking State Leadership on Global Warming
Blocking State Leadership on Global Warming
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/03/epa_buck.html
"Last week, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson published the official explanation of his decision to deny a waiver of preemption for California's program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. This action will undoubtedly set off another round of litigation on top of pending cases challenging the waiver denial—challenges that legal experts believe are likely to prevail."
This is a subject I gave care to a few times already, but the overwhelming amount of crap sense it makes only leads me to give it even more attention. This is more news on the EPA's decision to deny the waiver request by California and the other states trying to aggressively attack the problem of CO2 emissions by cars. The article is long and drawn out and it takes some extra effort to get through, but the reward is there.
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/03/epa_buck.html
"Last week, Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen Johnson published the official explanation of his decision to deny a waiver of preemption for California's program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. This action will undoubtedly set off another round of litigation on top of pending cases challenging the waiver denial—challenges that legal experts believe are likely to prevail."
This is a subject I gave care to a few times already, but the overwhelming amount of crap sense it makes only leads me to give it even more attention. This is more news on the EPA's decision to deny the waiver request by California and the other states trying to aggressively attack the problem of CO2 emissions by cars. The article is long and drawn out and it takes some extra effort to get through, but the reward is there.
H.R. 5351
Here is a summary of a bill that has already passed the house and will hopefully pass the senate soon. People can track the status of the bill with this link: http://www.govtrack.us/congress/bill.xpd?bill=h110-5351. I have been tracking this bill ever since I read news about it. I don't necessarily agree that tax incentives should be implemented to encourage the research and production of new, renewable and clean energy technology, but with the current system, it is the best bet we have. I do however agree with the abolishing of the billions of dollars of tax breaks big oil companies get.
H.R. 5351: Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax incentives for the production of renewable energy and energy conservation.
Overview
Summary
Other Info
Congressional Research Service Summary
The following summary is provided by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan government entity that serves Congress and is run by the Library of Congress. The summary is taken from the official website THOMAS.
2/12/2008--Introduced.
Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008- Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to renewable energy sources and energy conservation.
Extends: (1) the tax credit for production of electricity from renewable resources through 2011; (2) the energy tax credit for solar energy and fuel cell property through 2016; (3) the special rule for treatment of gain from electronic transmission transactions by certain electric utilities through 2009; (4) the tax credit for residential energy efficient property expenditures through 2014; (5) the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures through 2010; (6) the tax credit for biodiesel and renewable diesel used as fuel through 2010; (7) the tax credit for nonbusiness energy property expenditures through 2009; and (8) the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings through 2013.
Allows new tax credits for: (1) investment in new clean renewable energy bonds and qualified energy conservation bonds; and (2) the production of plug-in hybrid motor vehicles, cellulosic alcohol fuel, and electricity from marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy sources.
Revises the definition of "passenger automobile" for purposes of the limitation on depreciation deductions.
Allows a tax exclusion for bicycle commuting reimbursements.
Revises certain tax incentives for investment in the New York Liberty Zone.
Revises tax credit amounts for certain energy efficient household appliances produced after 2007.
Allows a five-year recovery period for the depreciation of qualified energy management devices.
Places limits on the tax deduction for income attributable to the domestic production of oil, natural gas, and any related products.
Revises tax rules relating to foreign oil and gas extraction income and foreign produced fuel used or sold outside the United States.
THOMAS Home | Contact | Accessibility | Legal | FirstGov
H.R. 5351: Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to provide tax incentives for the production of renewable energy and energy conservation.
Overview
Summary
Other Info
Congressional Research Service Summary
The following summary is provided by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan government entity that serves Congress and is run by the Library of Congress. The summary is taken from the official website THOMAS.
2/12/2008--Introduced.
Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation Tax Act of 2008- Amends Internal Revenue Code provisions relating to renewable energy sources and energy conservation.
Extends: (1) the tax credit for production of electricity from renewable resources through 2011; (2) the energy tax credit for solar energy and fuel cell property through 2016; (3) the special rule for treatment of gain from electronic transmission transactions by certain electric utilities through 2009; (4) the tax credit for residential energy efficient property expenditures through 2014; (5) the tax credit for alternative fuel vehicle refueling property expenditures through 2010; (6) the tax credit for biodiesel and renewable diesel used as fuel through 2010; (7) the tax credit for nonbusiness energy property expenditures through 2009; and (8) the tax deduction for energy efficient commercial buildings through 2013.
Allows new tax credits for: (1) investment in new clean renewable energy bonds and qualified energy conservation bonds; and (2) the production of plug-in hybrid motor vehicles, cellulosic alcohol fuel, and electricity from marine and hydrokinetic renewable energy sources.
Revises the definition of "passenger automobile" for purposes of the limitation on depreciation deductions.
Allows a tax exclusion for bicycle commuting reimbursements.
Revises certain tax incentives for investment in the New York Liberty Zone.
Revises tax credit amounts for certain energy efficient household appliances produced after 2007.
Allows a five-year recovery period for the depreciation of qualified energy management devices.
Places limits on the tax deduction for income attributable to the domestic production of oil, natural gas, and any related products.
Revises tax rules relating to foreign oil and gas extraction income and foreign produced fuel used or sold outside the United States.
THOMAS Home | Contact | Accessibility | Legal | FirstGov
Friday, March 7, 2008
Saturday, March 1, 2008
A little energy educator -- feel free to "google" more.
I found this article on the grist.org website to be very interesting. Not much I already didn't know, but it seems to cover a good amount of the bases, not including electric energy, (electricity can be captured from revolving doors people walk in and out of, why are we burning so much coal?!) Give it a read, and then think about how much better most alternative fuels are. Do you want your town's crops to be plowed over, given synthetic, green-house gas emitting fertilizer for the sake of ethanol production? I would rather they be kept for food, but that's just me. Peace.
No More Required
Why are biofuels losing steam in Europe -- and barreling ahead in the U.S.?
""Biodiesel: No War Required," reads a bumper sticker I see more often than you might expect in North Carolina. As in other states across the nation, a lot of activist energy here has gone into creating a market for diesel fuel made from vegetable oil. Of course, it's an uphill ride, given that a tiny fraction of the U.S. auto fleet runs on diesel to begin with."
http://www.grist.org/comments/food/2008/02/21/index.html?source=rss
No More Required
Why are biofuels losing steam in Europe -- and barreling ahead in the U.S.?
""Biodiesel: No War Required," reads a bumper sticker I see more often than you might expect in North Carolina. As in other states across the nation, a lot of activist energy here has gone into creating a market for diesel fuel made from vegetable oil. Of course, it's an uphill ride, given that a tiny fraction of the U.S. auto fleet runs on diesel to begin with."
http://www.grist.org/comments/food/2008/02/21/index.html?source=rss
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