Category Archives: GOVERNMENT

government, politicians, military, political issues, U.S. congressional record and so on

America’s energy future. U.S. House hearing 2011

Posted on June 2, 2017 by

[  It’s always good to look back in time to when our representatives were worried about our dependency on oil.  Apparently they were desperate, since the proposed H.R. 909 bill included Coal-To-Liquids (CTL), much of it for the military.  I … Continue reading →

Posted in Coal to Liquids (CTL), Energy Dependence | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Federal government subsidies, tax breaks, costs of renewable and fossil energy production GAO 2014

Posted on May 30, 2017 by

[ I’m far more interested in the energy returned on invested than money since that’s what really matters.  So I often stopped taking notes, and didn’t organize them. But the tables and figures give you an idea of subsidies and … Continue reading →

Posted in GAO Government Accountability Office, Subsidies | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Interdependencies of Energy Infrastructure, Water, and Climate Change GAO 2014

Posted on May 28, 2017 by

[ This report shows the interdependencies of Climate Change and the nation’s energy infrastructure, which is especially vulnerable because it’s so old and falling apart already. Another GAO report discusses the energy-water nexus.  Interdependent systems are more vulnerable – climate … Continue reading →

Posted in Climate Change, Energy, Energy Production, GAO Government Accountability Office, Interdependencies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

U.S. GAO on mutually dependent water and energy

Posted on May 26, 2017 by

[ This post contains excerpts from a Government Accountability Office on the interdependency of water and energy.  Mutual dependencies make the essential systems that keep us alive more fragile, since disruption in one can cause shortages or failures in related … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Production, GAO Government Accountability Office, Interdependencies | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Why can’t we have a global government?

Posted on May 17, 2017 by

MacKenzie, D. September 6, 2014. Imagine there’s no countries…it isn’t hard to do, sang John Lennon. Actually it is. Is there an alternative?  NewScientist. Nation states cause some of our biggest problems, from civil war to climate inaction. Try, for … Continue reading →

Posted in GOVERNMENT | 2 Comments

Should America Export Oil? Senate hearings 2014-2015

Posted on April 14, 2017 by

[ There are excerpts from two senate hearings on exporting crude oil below. Much of the testimony is either from industries that will make money off of exports, or industries that will lose money because they use (cheap) oil as … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Independence | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

How are energy storage batteries coming along? U.S. House hearing 2015

Posted on April 5, 2017 by

[ My favorite quotes from this U.S. House of Representatives session: THOMAS MASSIE, KENTUCKY. I want to say this has been a very enlightening hearing, and it confirms my personal experience, which is batteries are not sexy. Buckets of acid … Continue reading →

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Energy as a weapon: Implications for U.S. policy U.S. House hearing 2006

Posted on April 2, 2017 by

[ My favorite quotes from this session: Mr. Lynch: E.F. Schumacher said in 1964: “There is no substitute for energy: the whole edifice of modern life is built upon it. Although energy can be bought and sold like any other … Continue reading →

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Tax reform & federal energy policy: incentives to promote energy efficiency. U.S. Senate hearing.

Posted on March 30, 2017 by

[ By far the best strategy to cope with energy decline is to prepare by making homes, businesses, appliances, vehicles, and so on more energy efficient.  If it turns out that renewable energy has too low an EROI to sustain … Continue reading →

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U.S. House hearing on how to get Central Asian oil before Russia and China do, 2006

Posted on March 15, 2017 by

[ Make no mistake: one of the main focuses of the U.S. government is to keep crude oil flowing, because without oil, civilization as we know it collapses. This is because the transportation that matters most – heavy-duty diesel-engine trucks … Continue reading →

Posted in Energy Dependence | Comments Off on U.S. House hearing on how to get Central Asian oil before Russia and China do, 2006