Words Not Deeds – Moon of Alabama

February 21, 2006

Words Not Deeds

The role of the government at this point is to continue to spend research dollars, to help push technologies forward; is to get these technologies to be even more competitive in the marketplace. And I’m calling on Congress to join us on this most important energy initiative. (…) And of all the issues, becoming less dependent on foreign sources of energy is an issue that we ought to be able to unite, and show the American people we can work together to help advance the technologies that will change the world in which we live.
President Discusses Solar Technology and Energy Initiatives in Michigan ,
Feb. 20, 2006

—

TOTAL BUDGET AUTHORITY BY FUNCTION AND SUBFUNCTION

(in millions of dollars)

Function and Subfunction 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011

270 Energy

271 Energy supply -116 368 -97 -182 -121

272 Energy conservation 662 640 636 627 635

274 Emergency energy preparedness 160 155 154 152 154

276 Energy information, policy, and regulation 499 492 493 493 500

Total, Energy 1,205 1,655 1,186 1,090 1,168

THE HIDDEN CUTS IN DOMESTIC APPROPRIATIONS,
Examining the Administrations FY `07 Budget,
Center on Budget and Policy Priorities,
Feb. 9, 2006

Posted by b on February 21, 2006 at 11:53 UTC | Permalink

Comments

I had to laugh this morning – one of the places bush is speaking is NREL in Golden CO. They laid off 30 people about a month or so ago. Suddenly DOE found some money to bring them back, seemingly the day before his visit.

Posted by: correlator | Feb 21 2006 16:09 utc | 1

Yep – here is the report: Funds restored to energy lab before Bush visit

On the eve of a presidential visit to a renewable energy lab in Colorado, the Department of Energy said it has transferred $5 million to the operation, which had funding cut and employees laid off this month due to budget shortfalls.
…
According to The Associated Press, 32 workers, including eight researchers, were laid off two weeks ago at the Colorado lab.
The restoration of funding left lab employees and renewable energy proponents puzzled about the motivation behind the decision.
…
The Department of Energy statement said the $5 million was transferred from other accounts and could be replaced with money from projects that “have failed to make progress.”

Posted by: b | Feb 21 2006 16:21 utc | 2

The radio announcer said this morning that a cap imposed 6 years ago on energy costs in the state of Maryland was set to expire. And that this could mean an 80% increase in home energy costs beginning July 31st. Maybe we won’t upsize from a townhouse to a single family home after all.
I remembered Enron gaming the energy prices in California, causing blackouts and blaming it on false supply disruptions and Democrats. The eighty percent increase will be just the beginning for Marylanders. [And that’s without considering the impending attack on Iran and the looming peak oil crisis.] There goes Maryland’s supposed state budget surplus. If a Dem can beat Ehrlich for the governorship this fall…. like the former California Guv, he will probably live to regret it.

Posted by: gylangirl | Feb 21 2006 18:48 utc | 3

I remember also that some church charity group brought transportable solar panels to a poor rural community in central america. And that some guy in the midwest was selling back energy to the the local power company due to his use of solar panels for his house. Why can’t we do that?

Posted by: gylangirl | Feb 21 2006 19:00 utc | 4

we can. it costs a lot of money sometimes to set up your own energy, but if you are going to stay for a long time it’s worth the investment. recently one of the neighbors near my land in western washington spent around 10 grand hooking up to the elec grid about a 1/2 mile away. i’m another i/2 mile down the road and he approached me about sharing and hooking up. for the cost, i could spend a couple grand on a windmill, which i would rather do anyway. of course you don’t get lots of juice out of one windmill, but considering i am doing ok w/no elec at all when i’m out there, the idea of spending 7 or 8 grand seems absurd. and then there are always batteries. candles work pretty good too. if i wanted all the amendities of home, i could just stay home. i am not going to buy solar panels because it’s expensive, my land is remote, and it doesn’t take long to dismantle them and carry them off, too much risk factor.

Posted by: annie | Feb 21 2006 19:29 utc | 5

ok then if it costs 10K to set up a solar energy system for a house; how much does it cost to set up a house for conventional energy supply of electricity, heat, ac, cable etc?
further, let’s spread the initial cost like the conventional system already does. [not to mention the external costs including pollution, illness, and warfare!] what portion of upfront cost is access to regular electricity for a new housing development [extending power grid, burying cables, putting in natural gas lines etc]? as long as they’re doing all that, why can’t they just do community-based alternative power instead? what’s the difference in cost to just install solar panels from the start?

Posted by: gylangirl | Feb 21 2006 20:04 utc | 6

gylangirl,
you don’t get it do you? If we become too dependent on solar energy, terrorists could hijack a spaceship and crash it into the sun!!!

Posted by: ralphieboy | Feb 21 2006 20:14 utc | 7

One brilliant way they are “advancing technology” is to lower emissions standards for old coal fired electrical plants. Will the excess emissions have an impact on the effectiveness of solar panels?
Here on the edge of the rain forest, solar panels really are not very effective so geothermal solutions are being introduced. Some new residential developments have a central geo source and distribution system. In a northern community we are retrofitting the local recreation centre: Ice arenas (refrigeration plants) produce a lot of heat which is typically ejected to atmosphere, so we will capture that heat via heat pumps and heat exchangers, then transfer to the aquatic centre which requires a lot of heat in order to maintain comfy water temperatures. We use a horizontal geothermal ground loop both to store and transfer heat. This installation will reduce annual natural gas consumption at the rec centre by about 75%. At today’s prices, a savings to the town of some $150,000 annually. Or a lost to the gas company.

Posted by: Anonymous | Feb 21 2006 20:46 utc | 8

Why is the great barkeep mute?
I was just remembering the all too numerous great posts that had 500+ comments on average. And all 500+ comments were worth reading.
A prophet in your own land?

Posted by: Cloned Poster | Feb 21 2006 22:03 utc | 9

More White Lab-Coat Welfare Bloat
Totally non-productive bureaucrative overhead:
274 Emergency energy preparedness (???QUE???)
160 155 154 152 154
276 Energy information, policy, and regulation
499 492 493 493 500
TOTAL 659 647 647 645 654
Semi-productive energy conservation (outsourced)
272 Energy conservation
662 640 636 627 635
If Federal government was non-profit, they would
rank at the absolute bottom, with 95%+ overhead
going to their Katrinized crony welfare system.
Let’s face it, we are f–ked, coming and going.
Would you like turnips with your cabbage soup?

Posted by: Alexander Solzhinitzen | Feb 22 2006 3:42 utc | 10

Whenever Bush praises something it means funding is being cut behind the scenes. He’s done it every time. And the idiot press only reports his speech. If he wasn’t gonna screw someone he wouldn’t go to all the effort of making a speech. Seriously. That is how Rove governs. Call it the kiss of death.
@cloned poster-
Those were the good old days. New blood is always welcome.

Posted by: Malooga | Feb 22 2006 5:52 utc | 11

Same topic, global scale:
March 20 to 26, 2006: Iran-USA, beginning of a major world crisis
Written by LEAP/E2020

Friday, 17 February 2006
or « The End of the Western World we have known since 1945 »
“The Laboratoire européen d’Anticipation Politique Europe 2020, LEAP/E2020, now estimates to over 80% the probability that the week of March 20-26, 2006 will be the beginning of the most significant political crisis the world has known since the Fall of the Iron Curtain in 1989, together with an economic and financial crisis of a scope comparable with that of 1929. This last week of March 2006 will be the turning-point of a number of critical developments, resulting in an acceleration of all the factors leading to a major crisis, disregard any American or Israeli military intervention against Iran. In case such an intervention is conducted, the probability of a major crisis to start rises up to 100%, according to LEAP/E2020.”
Link

Posted by: Noisette | Feb 22 2006 13:28 utc | 12

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