Tag: #clean renewable energy

The Inflation Reduction Act At Work

  By , , , , , , , ,

The Inflation Reduction Act At Work

 

The Inflation Reduction Act At Work

By D. S. Mitchell

In the Winter edition of “Solutions,” a publication of the Environmental Defense there was a brief article on the Inflation Reduction Act by Vanessa Glavinskas.  Ms. Glavinskas explained five benefits to the average American to facilitate the transition to clean renewable energy.  The new law allocates $369 billion to address climate change and promote lower-carbon living through rebates and tax credits. Listed below are five areas of your home where you can start saving money today.

The Roof: Time to add solar panels. The new law provides tax credits of up to 30% to households that invest in clean energy. The credit is retroactive to 2022. The typical cost for a residential solar set up is around $19,000. In that scenario a homeowner would save $5,700. The cost of the system is usually recouped within 12 years.

The Driveway: The new law gives tax credits of up to $4,000 for buying a used electrical vehicle and up to $7,500 for a new EV. The EV must have final assembly in North America to qualify. This means some brands won’t qualify. So if it is important to you to get those tax credits make sure you confirm that the EV you intend to buy was assembled in the U.S.A.

The Kitchen: Gas stoves leak the super pollutant methane, comparable to 500,000 gasoline powered cars. Furthermore gas stoves also release the carcinogenic benzene. If you want to transition to an electric stove, oven, or range there are rebates of up to $840.

The Laundry Room: Heat pump clothes dryers, rarely seen in the U.S. but popular in Europe take a bit longer to dry a load of clothes but are much more energy efficient than traditional models. Qualifying households can get a rebate of up to $840.

The Thermostat: A heat pump is an efficient way to heat and cool your home. With a heat pump the system transfers heat between your home and the outdoors and can save you hundreds of dollars annually. Most U.S. households can qualify for a tax credit up to $2,000. Low income families may be able to qualify for a tax credit of as much as $8,000 per installation.

 

 

Carbon Capture Is B.S.

  By , ,

Carbon Capture Is B.S.

“Carbon capture and storage is a process in which a relatively pure stream of carbon dioxide from industrial sources is separated, treated and transported to a long-term storage location. For example, the carbon dioxide stream that is to be captured can result from burning fossil fuels or biomass.” Wikipedia

 

CARBON CAPTURE IS DANGEROUS BULL SHIT

By D. S. Mitchell

Oil companies are woke to the fact that carbon capture allows them to remain in business longer. I’m  sure there are CEO’s at the big oil companies who believe that all they have to do is bury their emissions and they can stay in business forever. CO2 is their industry waste, in other words, their damn garbage. It is the biggest driver of climate crisis and the greatest threat to our food and water supply. Carbon capture is a scheme of the fossil fuel industry that has found supporters in Washington, D. C.

The U.S. government, actually the U.S. taxpayer, is offering big bucks to companies working on carbon capture projects. The most conclusive thing we know so far about carbon capture is that it is a failure; a dangerous failure.  The dream of carbon capture “keeps the U.S. addicted to fossil fuels, degrades our agricultural land, threatens our water, and puts our communities and climate at risk.” Emma Schmit.

Summit Carbon Solutions, Navigator Heartland Greenway and Wolf Carbon are proposing nearly 4,000 miles of hazardous pipeline that will cross Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota, Nebraska, South Dakota and North Dakota. Hopefully activists in those states will pressure state authorities to deny permits to applicants for these dangerous projects. In many cases these pipelines are seeking eminent domain to force landowners to deed them private property for the pipeline.

The question really is why when we know the safety concerns and the technology is a failure, why is our government still trying to make carbon capture happen? It is time to stop the scam. Time to stop the fossil fuel industry from playing games with our future.

5 Reasons Carbon Capture is Dangerous Bull Shit

  1. Carbon Storage And Transport Are Not Safe. When carbon pipelines rupture they can expel lethal levels of carbon dioxide, an invisible asphyxiant literally for miles surrounding the break. CO2 displaces oxygen, stalling combustion engines and impairing emergency response. CO2 can leak from storage containers and contaminate groundwater and soil.
  2. Carbon Capture A Colossal Failure. Billions of public and private monies have been spent over multiple decades developing carbon capture projects and it has proven a complete folly. The Densbury Pipeline outside Satartia, Mississippi and the Petra Nova coal plant in Texas are just two examples of leaks, ruptures, frequent shut offs and persistent technological problems.
  3.  Carbon Capture Is Energy Intensive. The United States emits approximately 5 billion tons of carbon into the atmosphere annually. To capture a mere 25% of that figure would require nearly the entire electrical output of the nation.
  4. Carbon Capture Increases Emissions.  Due to both the life cycle of fossil fuels and the huge amount of energy required to capture carbon such projects in the U.S. have emitted more CO2 than it ever removed.  95% of the captured carbon is currently being used to extract more oil in a practice known as ‘enhanced oil recovery.”
  5. Carbon Capture Diverts Investments From Renewable Energy. Time is of the essence. We need to move to renewable energy to stop the worst effects of climate change, the greatest threat to our water, food, and a livable future. The switch from fossil to renewable sources will be slowed as long as the fossil fuel industry can convince the public and government officials to continue investing in carbon capture schemes instead of focusing on safe and proven clean energy solutions.

If you have little knowledge about the subject of carbon capture, now is the time to learn about it. Then once you understand the dangers please tell your Senator and your Congressperson that you want to stop wasting time and money on this bogus plan by the fossil fuel industry to stay in business forever.