Slog
News & ArtsWednesday, January 30, 2013
Enviro The Secret Behind US Coal Exports
Posted by Cienna Madrid on Wed, Jan 30, 2013 at 2:25 PM
I wrote about the fight over coal trains in the northwest earlier this month, but if reading isn't your thing, I suggest you watch this video (starring Maeby Funke!), courtesy of Greenpeace:
And then forward this delightful progressive propaganda to your relatives in eastern Washington—once for every email chain your grandmother/aunt/cousin has forwarded to you about BFF Day/Microsoft million-dollar giveaways/Olive Garden's secret salad recipe.
21
I can't send this to my relatives because I am a chicken.
Gob: "Co-Ca-Co-Ca-Co-Ca!"
George Sr.: "Coo-Coo-Ca-Cha! Coo-Coo-Ca-Cha!"
Lindsey: "Cha-Chee-Cha-Chee-Cha!"
Lucille: A-Coodle-Doodle-Doo! A-Coodle-Doodle-Doo!"
Gob: "Co-Ca-Co-Ca-Co-Ca!"
George Sr.: "Coo-Coo-Ca-Cha! Coo-Coo-Ca-Cha!"
Lindsey: "Cha-Chee-Cha-Chee-Cha!"
Lucille: A-Coodle-Doodle-Doo! A-Coodle-Doodle-Doo!"
20
Ever since Whip It, I can see what George Michael Bluth saw in her. Her dowdy librarian outfit does not diminish her hotness.
And thanks for providing this, Cienna. Finally I have something to send in reply to my obnoxious relative in Montana that keeps including me in her email blasts of Jesus propaganda. If I "reply all" with this, maybe it will embarrass her enough to think twice next time.
And thanks for providing this, Cienna. Finally I have something to send in reply to my obnoxious relative in Montana that keeps including me in her email blasts of Jesus propaganda. If I "reply all" with this, maybe it will embarrass her enough to think twice next time.
19
Not to be a pedant, but... (oh, hell, who I am kidding?) It's Fünke not Funke. If your CMS doesn't support UTF-8 characters, Fuenke would be an acceptable alternative.
Sincerely,
that guy
Sincerely,
that guy
17
Up next: Bailo payiently explaining that since the Sun is made of hydrogen we merely need to mine it there and ship it home.
Following which Useless Will will explain he already thought of that, and has based a portion of his investments toward making money on it.
I tell ya, you get those two going and it is comedy gold.
Following which Useless Will will explain he already thought of that, and has based a portion of his investments toward making money on it.
I tell ya, you get those two going and it is comedy gold.
16
I'm a bit more parochial. I don't really give a shit about coal mining in Wyoming or coal burning in China. What I care about is three hours of coal trains stopping all movement across the city every goddamn day. They would have Seattle bear by far the worst of the costs while gaining zero percent of the benefits. Fuck that. Fuck it hard. Fuck it forever.
15
@12 - SRotU is an idiot and can safely be ignored. It doesn't matter how many times his hydrogen bullshit is debunked, he keeps bringing it up.
13
4, If you can demonstrate that Greenpeace's budget is in any way comparable to the coal industry's, you might have a valid argument. Don't bother, because you can't. The gross imbalance of discretionary funds between environmental groups and fossil fuel companies is such that you're trying to scare us w/ tales of a mosquito while an army is busy burning your village and killing everyone you know.
12
@7: Hydrogen fuel cells just means you burn a lot of something at a power plant to make that hydrogen for the fuel cell. If the power plant is green, okay, but if it's not, then you're displacing the emissions to the power plant. This is usually cleaner than having individual cars do the burning, but not "free" by any means.
11
@9 or, if we stopped providing military land, air, and naval support for coal shipments to China, and their active mining, would this also drive up the costs, and reduce ours, causing, as a recent Chinese scientific paper on Energy Policy stated, a faster shift to more use of wind, hydro, tidal, geothermal, and other energy sources.
But, hey, that's just what the Chinese scientists say. Let's trust the people who want to increase H1-B visas four-fold to 300,000 when lots of Americans don't have jobs, right?
But, hey, that's just what the Chinese scientists say. Let's trust the people who want to increase H1-B visas four-fold to 300,000 when lots of Americans don't have jobs, right?
9
@5, that's why it's so interesting. The question most needing to be settled is whether a U.S. refusal to be an export hub really would stand a chance of making any dent whatever in China's rate of coal consumption. Cavanaugh (and many other serious people) believe it would, but Wolak's skepticism about that seems well founded.
8
The Converse All-Stars are kinda hot, but I'll take them on a scruffy bespectacled nerdpuppy, please.
7
Meanwhile, in the 21st century...
Batteries are expensive. Additionally, batteries add heft and mass, which lowers the mileage. The weight of the battery pack of some of the early Tesla Roadsters came to 1,000 pounds. While chemical and electrical engineers continue to improve them, progress comes slowly. J.B. Straubel, the CTO of Tesla Motors, has said that batteries roughly double in performance every ten years, or about five times slower than Moore’s Law.
Enter hydrogen. In a hydrogen fuel cell car, hydrogen gets drawn through a catalytic membrane: an electron gets stripped from the hydrogen to power the car. The waste product—water—goes out the tailpipe. The crucial component is a thin membrane laced with expensive elements that helps conduct the chemical reaction. The fuel cell stack, in theory, can weigh less than batteries. Filling fuel cell cars—assuming a refueling station is nearby—takes minutes, not the hours needed for a typical EV.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/michaelkanel…
5
@3 So the first premise is that when US companies have to pay more for coal, more of them will switch to energy sources that release less CO2.
What about the CO2 from China's increased consumption? The article notes others asking the same question.
What about the CO2 from China's increased consumption? The article notes others asking the same question.
4
The Sierra Club/Green-piece agitprop has reached maximum saturation and will begin diminishing returns. Prominent posting on Slog is the proof.
3
Good Gob, Maeby! Interestingly (to me as a Greenpeace monthly donor, at least) is an interesting counterargument by the director of Stanford's Program on Energy and Sustainable Development: http://news.stanford.edu/news/2013/janua…
Advertisement
Most Commented on Slog
-
All You Motherfuckers Complaining That aPodments Are Too Small at 200 Square Feet by Dominic Holden
-
SL Letter of the Day: Did You Think I Was Going To Tell You Not To Come Out? (PLUS: Help Free Kate!) by Dan Savage
-
It's Spring! Who's Ready for Street Harassment? by Cienna Madrid
-
America's Epidemic of Toddler-on-Toddler Gun Violence Continues by Goldy
-
Dutch Artist Turns Dead Cat into Remote-Controlled Helicopter by Bethany Jean Clement
-
Slog Overnight by Dan Savage
-
Saint Genet Re-Creates "Shoot" by Brendan Kiley
-
New Gun Enthusiast... by Dan Savage
-
Slog Bible Study: Revelation 1:9 by Goldy
-
The City of Portland, Oregon Should Run for Washington Lieutenant Governor by Goldy
Stranger Personals
The Stranger
RSSSeattle Art & Performance Quarterly
A complete guide to Seattle's current art, film, dance, and theater season.
Facebook
Twitter
Comments (21) RSS