Day: August 25, 2009

Ivory Tower Energy Policy: Energy efficiency obviates need for new coal?

Georgia Tech researchers claim that a 9% gain in energy efficiency by 2020 would obviate the need for new coal-fired power plants in 16 southern states (AL, AR, DE, FL, GA, KY, LA, MD, MS, NC, OK, SC, TN, TX, VA, WV). The study says,

“With vigorous policies, it is possible to reduce energy consumption in the South by 1 percent per year, which would more than eliminate the projected growth in energy demand in the region.”

The fact that reduced energy use and economic growth have never occurred simultaneously in the in the history of mankind seems to have been overlooked by these researchers.

Click here for the “study.”

Greens vow to oppose U.S. tar sands refinery

Carbon Control News reports:

A proposed oil refinery in South Dakota, the nation’s first new refiner in several decades, is emerging as the next battleground over whether tar sands from Canada would undermine U.S. goals to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Environmentalists are vowing to challenge in court South Dakota’s recently announced decision upholding a key air permit for what would be the first new refinery built in the United States in 30 years, a project designed to process crude oil from Canadian tar sands…

Click here for Hyperion Refining’s media release.

Peak oil demolished in NY Times op-ed

Michael Lynch opines in the New York Times today on so-called “peak oil”:

A careful examination of the facts shows that most arguments about peak oil are based on anecdotal information, vague references and ignorance of how the oil industry goes about finding fields and extracting petroleum.

Click here to read it.