Presidential Debates and Energy Efficiency

During the Presidential debates ENERGY was briefly mentioned. Kate Galbraith expanded the subject in the NYT --

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“Each and every one of us can start thinking about how can we save energy in our homes, in our buildings,” Mr. Obama said. His administration, he said, would incentivize Detroit to make more fuel-efficient cars, and would also be “making sure that you are able to weatherize your home or make your business more fuel efficient”.

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Mr. Obama was responding to a question about what sacrifices his administration would ask American to make during tough economic times. It is a clever answer, because the trick to energy efficiency, of course, is that it is not actually a sacrifice. Unlike more expensive green investments like a Prius or solar panels, adding insulation to your house or sealing leaky windows can actually save money in the near term.

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In Single Sentences, I comment on

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Mohler-Faria noted that
conservation efforts at Bridgewater State College
have reduced the school’s energy consumption by
28 percent —
proving that green environmental initiatives, are “also a
major economic engine for the state of Massachusetts.”

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Potentially, that's 30% IN YOUR POCKET. That's like a tax cut, if you just reduce your energy expenses.

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Unfortunately, Ms. Galbraith links to an article promoting NUCLEAR energy which destroys her credibility on the topic and clearly indicates her lack of research.

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It might also be suggested that the NYT consider some of the current reports about the industry.

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I'm wondering how the radioactive shipment from Pilgrim in Plymouth to Yankee in Vermont magically increased in radioactivity. Is this the fishes and loaves again or just that Entergy owns both plants?

Are we sheep?

Greenwashing Nuclear Power #2

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Federal nuclear inspectors are looking into why a shipment of lead shielding from the Pilgrim nuclear station in Plymouth to the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant had higher than allowed radiation levels.

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The lead shielding is used to protect workers during refueling outages. Both Pilgrim and Yankee are owned by Entergy.

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“(Workers) checked it thoroughly before it left Pilgrim,” said Neil Sheehan, spokesman for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. In Plymouth, radiation levels were below federal limits, he said.

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It can only be suggested that she read Forget Nuclear or Nuclear Illusion.

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Clearly, the issue deserves more than sound bytes, but CONSERVATION and ENERGY EFFICIENCY are dirty words to Republicans and the right wing media who poo pooed their efficacy.

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If energy costs were removed from your household budget, isn't that like a raise in pay or a tax cut?

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It can only be suggested that RMI (Rocky Mountain Institute) has long been promoting the concept and includes a wealth of information.

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Energy efficiency has often been seen as the ugly sister to renewable energy, but there is nothing ugly or unglamorous about saving money, reducing energy costs and lowering emissions. While the market tends to focus on investment in renewables as a means of cutting carbon, there is growing evidence that investing in ‘negawatts’, a term coined to describe a megawatt of power avoided or saved from use on the energy grid, will provide a better return.

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The opportunity for energy efficiency investment is immense - the International Energy Agency calls it the ‘fifth fuel’ after oil, coal, gas and nuclear. Energy Efficiency News

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As a footnote: the energy issue ranks so far down the list of important issues, that the Middleboro Bored of Selectmen couldn't include a Green Committee on the Warrant for the Special Town Meeting scheduled for October 20th. They did manage to include sick leave buy back for a deceased employee that was voted at the ATM. So much for leadership, transparency and competence. Just leave it all to a new town manager.