Update: Seattle Tackles Greenhouse Gases
Note: This article was originally published in the April 2002 issue of Democratic Energy.
Note: This article was originally published in the April 2002 issue of Democratic Energy.
Note: The article below was first published in Democratic Energy in October 2002.
In January 2004, we published this report by David Morris describing a promising domestic energy strategy that relies on biofuels and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) as a solution moving the U.S. towards energy independence.The idea of a hydrogen economy has burst like a supernova over the energy policy landscape, mesmerizing us with its possibilities while blinding us to its weaknesses. Such a fierce spotlight on hydrogen is pushing more promising strategies into the shadows.
It Won’t Cost Much to Reduce a Major Source of Nuclear Waste By John Bailey Originally Published in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, February 12, 2003 For less than $6 a year per household, Xcel Energy can shut down the twin nuclear reactors at Prairie Island and eliminate two-thirds of the state’s nuclear waste production. That is … Read More
This October 2001 paper by David Morris looks at how plant matter must be an important element in a sustainable economy because it is the only renewable resource from which we can fashion physical products. In the next few months and years we will be making decisions at the local, state, national and international level that will channel tens, perhaps hundreds of billions of dollars of money into certain areas and markets. We are changing the rules.
New Book Provides Concrete Examples of How to Regain Control and Reliability. Few Americans feel they understand, let alone have any say over, the intricate forces that determine whether their lights go on. In today’s energy system, we have become utterly dependent on distant power plants, long-haul transmission lines, and unaccountable decision-makers. Toregain reliability and peace of mind, according to a new book published by the Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR), citizens must take charge of their electrons.
Themedia simply report on California’s shortfall of thousands of megawatts and limit the discussion to President Bush’s energy plan and Gov. Gray Davis’ plea for wholesale rate caps. They’re missing the real story. California may need thousands of megawatts of generating capacity in the long run, but the rolling blackouts hit only a few blocks at a time. This summers’ electricity crisis, therefore, isn’t going to be dealt with in Washington or even Sacramento, but at the local and neighborhood level.
Wedo need new energy supplies, although aggressive efficiency improvements could reduce the amount needed by half or more. What we don’t need is the kind of energy future championed by the Bush Administration. For theirs is a top down, centralized, undemocratic vision, one in which we would become even more dependent on remote energy sources and remote energy decision makers.… Read More
Interview of David Morris on KPFK Radio on Energy Policy [12 minutes]… Read More