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Recent Posts
- Rare Earth updates: recent research on why complex & intelligent life are rare in the Universe
- Book review of “Chip War” and the Fragility of microchips
- The tremendous material and energy toll of the digital economy
- Nuclear attack on U.S. could kill 90% of Americans
- What percent of Americans are rational?
- Book review of Lights Out. A Cyberattack. A Nation Unprepared. Surviving the Aftermath
- Off-Road vehicles & equipment need diesel fuel
- Book review of “Prime Movers of Globalization: the History & Impact of Diesel Engines & Gas Turbines”
- Mental Health. Coping with the future: notes from Jackson & Jensen’s “An Inconvenient Apocalypse”
- Tesla Semi trucks hauling corn chips
- What is the plan for an electric grid outage that lasts for months?
- Where to be? Links to Superfund, hazardous waste and other toxic sites in U.S.
- Why methanol cannot replace petroleum in shipping
- Why is everyone afraid of AI taking over? It makes stuff up!
- Do you want to eat, drink, or fly?
Monthly Archives: April 2016
Most energy efficient: passenger bus, rail, or auto?
Preface. Weight reduces energy efficiency, so one way to make transportation more efficient is to light-weight rail cars, buses, trucks, and cars. For every 10% reduction in weight, up to 7.6% more fuel efficiency can be gained (Joost 2012). While … Continue reading
Posted in Automobiles, Mass Transit, Railroads
Tagged auto, bus, car, efficiency, energy, mass transit, passenger, rail
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Oil Dependence and what to do about it. Senate hearing 2007
[ In recent years there have been so many hearings proclaiming energy independence that I thought I should publish more sessions where Congress admits to a dependency on oil. The same old solutions and ideas appear: drill baby drill, ethanol, … Continue reading
Posted in U.S. Congress Energy Dependence
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Is the U.S. so energy independent we should export crude oil?
[ This is one of several House of Representative sessions discussing energy independence and whether to revoke the energy policy and conservation act of 1975 ban on crude oil export. The only time so far I have ever seen a … Continue reading
Posted in U.S. Congress Energy Independence
Tagged energy independence, export oil, oil
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Why aren’t net energy and Energy Returned on Invested the basis of U.S. energy policy?
[ David Murphy doesn’t answer this question, but does give the history of EROI and more importantly, what this means for oil production and society. If we are going to spend money on fossil alternatives, wouldn’t it make sense to … Continue reading
Posted in EROEI Energy Returned on Energy Invested, U.S. Congress Energy Policy
Tagged energy policy, EROEI, EROI, net energy
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Let’s get rid of invasive species ASAP
Preface. Breaking news: if you can’t beat them, eat them! Wildlife officials are encouraging people to eat invasive bullfrogs (Eggett 2019). No limits and no license required. They can get up to 1.5 … Continue reading
Posted in BioInvasion, Congressional Record U.S.
Tagged Bioinvasion, bullfrogs, congressional record, house hearing, invasive species, utah
3 Comments
U.S. Senate hearing on our aging water infrastructure
[ Even though conventional oil production has been on a plateau since 2005, there is no sense of alarm or urgency to try to fix infrastructure before oil is rationed and not enough exists to replace or repair it. Some … Continue reading
Posted in U.S. Congress Infrastructure, Water Infrastructure
Tagged congressional record, dams, energy, infrastructure, reservoirs, water
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The dark side of religion: how ritual human sacrifice helped create unequal societies
April 5, 2016. The dark side of religion: how ritual human sacrifice helped create unequal societies. University of Auckland, New Zealand. Journal article: Watts, J., et al. April 14, 2016. Ritual human sacrifice promoted and sustained the evolution of stratified … Continue reading
Posted in Human Nature
1 Comment
Shale Euphoria: The Boom and Bust of Sub Prime Oil and Natural Gas
[ U.S. house hearings have stated that the U.S. is energy independent, that shale oil and gas will give us a century of energy independence: House 112-176 in 2012, House 113-1 2013, and several others. In fact we have so … Continue reading
Posted in Oil & Gas Fracked, Peak Natural Gas, Peak Oil
Tagged bubble, deflation, fracking, gas, oil, peak natural gas, peak oil, shale
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House hearing 2014: Should the U.S. export oil and natural gas?
[Of course selling off our gas and oil is a crazy stupid idea as this excellent article Shale Euphoria: The Boom and Bust of Sub Prime Oil and Natural Gas explains. Alice Friedemann www.energyskeptic.com ] House 113–131. April 2, 2014. The … Continue reading
Posted in U.S. Congress Energy Policy
Tagged energy independence, energy policy
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Yet another 2013 house hearing about U.S. energy independence
House 113-1. February 5, 2013. American energy security & innovation: an assessment of North America’s energy resources. House of Representatives. 202 pages. [Excerpts from the 202 page transcript of this hearing] Representatives and speakers declaring the U.S. energy independent: Ed … Continue reading
Posted in U.S. Congress Energy Independence
Tagged energy independence
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