Category Archives: Oil
Gasoline Usage Decline Signals End of Fossil Fuel Dominance, Major Changes in How Americans Live and Work
We often pass by stories like this because they don’t have pictures or screaming headlines. But the amount of gasoline Americans use is declining- not just temporarily- but permanently. There was a time not long ago this was looked at … Continue reading
Oil Shale, Coal-to-Liquids Report: Significant Financial and Environmental Risks for Utah, West
Utah is at the top of the list of states affected by this new report on oil shale and coal-to-liquids (CTL) development. But the report is not saying anything those of us who care about Utah, the west, and the … Continue reading
Solar Panel Carports: What’s So Ugly About Saving the Planet?
Stories have been done recently about new carports made of solar panels. This NYT contribution spends a fair amount of space on the argument in California about the esthetics of PVs versus their environmental logic. It’s somewhat ironic given California’s … Continue reading
Welcome to “Irononomics”: Eat More Cheese! No, Wait- Eat Less Cheese!
Urged on by government warnings about saturated fat, Americans have been moving toward low-fat milk for decades, leaving a surplus of whole milk and milk fat. Yet the government, through Dairy Management, is engaged in an effort to find ways … Continue reading
Navajo Election About Energy Independence; Dumping the White Man and Black Coal
“It’s a new day for the Navajo people. We can’t be trashing the land anymore.” Lori Goodman, Diné Citizens Against Ruining Our Environment The issues in the coming mid-term elections are nebulous and almost incidental. Some say it’s the economy, … Continue reading
White House Going Solar Again; Right Thing, Right Time
More than 30 years ago, President Jimmy Carter had solar panels installed at the White House. I was a young reporter who didn’t know much about life much less renewable energy. But that single, highly-publicized gesture had a lasting impact … Continue reading
Oil Shale Debate is Back with New Report on “Fossil Foolishness”; A Defining Issue in Utah’s Race for Governor
Utah’s governor goes on a statewide fact-finding/discussion sort of campaign starting today to develop an energy policy or something. An admirable endeavor seeing as Utah’s energy policy has basically been oil/coal/natural gas since the invention of the internal combustion engine … Continue reading
Obesity Epidemic Grows, Outdoor Activity Shrinks; Nature is Not “Cool”- It’s Everything
“What’s the purpose in going hiking? You just go up a mountain and then down.” Logan resident Evelin Cornejo, 17 Utah is one of the best places for outdoor and Nature recreation. It’s the major reason I moved here. As … Continue reading
Where’s the Wave of Support for Rewewables After BP’s Gulf Disaster?
As I rode my bike along Willow Creek near downtown Park City the other day, I noticed something new since I’d been there a year ago. There were about seven new homes, built not only to be affordable but also … Continue reading
China Now World’s Biggest Energy Hog; Is America Losing- or Learning?
The U.S. is still by far the biggest energy consumer per capita, with the average American burning five times as much energy annually as the average Chinese citizen…” – Fatih Birol, chief economist, International Energy Agency There was a time … Continue reading
