Monthly Archives: February 2016

USGS says Powder River Basin has 40 years of coal reserves, not 250

Posted on February 29, 2016 by

[ The Powder River Basin (PRB) in Wyoming and Montana supplies 42% of coal in the United States, mainly to generate electricity across the nation.  So far 11 billion tons of coal filling 95 million rail cars have been removed. … Continue reading →

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Chemicals banned in cosmetics

Posted on February 26, 2016 by

The environmental working group has this to say about cosmetics: “American families assume personal care products on the market today have been tested by the federal government. Unfortunately, the personal care products industry remains largely unregulated. The FDA does not … Continue reading →

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Why the Grid is getting less reliable. House Hearing 2013.

Posted on February 25, 2016 by

House 113-40. May 9, 2013. Grid reliability challenges in a shifting energy resource landscape. U.S. House of Representatives. 176 pages. Mr. Jonathan A. Lesser, President Continental Economics, Inc. [This is a really good introduction to how the grid works and … Continue reading →

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Alternative fuels to replace transportation oil. U.S. House hearing 2012

Posted on February 22, 2016 by

House 112–159. July 10, 2012. The American energy initiative part 23: A focus on Alternative Fuels and vehicles. House of Representatives. [ Excerpts from this 210 page transcript follow ] MIKE BREEN, Vice President of the Truman National Security Project.   … Continue reading →

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Challenges facing California’s high-speed rail. House Hearing 2014.

Posted on February 19, 2016 by

House 113-49. January 15, 2014. A review of the challenges facing California high-speed rail. House of Representatives. [ Excerpts from the 166 page transcript of this House hearing ] Jeff Denham, California, Chair.  I think the question that every member … Continue reading →

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Overview of the United States freight transportation system. House hearing 2013

Posted on February 16, 2016 by

House 113-13. April 24, 2013. Overview of the United States Freight Transportation System. House of Representatives.   [ excerpts from the 193 page transcript of the house hearing ] Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member Rahall have designated this panel to … Continue reading →

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USA rail policy: goals, objectives, and responsibilities. House hearing 2013

Posted on February 13, 2016 by

House 113-28. June 27, 2013. National rail policy: Examining goals, objectives, and responsibilities. House of Representatives. [ Excerpts of the 211 page transcript of the hearing follow ] Edward R. Hamberger, President and Chief Executive Officer, Association of American Railroads … Continue reading →

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GAO asks Congress to prepare for Peak Oil

Posted on February 12, 2016 by

[The Department of Energy (DOE) asked Robert Hirsch to come up with a peak oil risk management and mitigation plan which was published in 2005.  Nothing happened, so in 2007 the Government Accountability Office asked Congress to prepare for Peak … Continue reading →

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U.S. Senate 2006 hearing on energy independence

Posted on February 10, 2016 by

[This is one of the most important hearings on U.S. Energy Policy I’ve read so far.  The title should have been Energy Dependence though. Senator Lieberman has many important points to make, too long to excerpt in this introduction, and … Continue reading →

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NAS 2015 report on how to fix our falling-apart inland waterway system

Posted on February 7, 2016 by

[After reading two congressional hearings, one in 2008, and another in 2013, about how the inland waterway system was falling apart, and had been for 30 years, I was curious to know why such an important asset would be let … Continue reading →

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