The Biofuel Boondoggle

By Riley Ruse

Ethanol, supposed green energy, may be a total bust. This realization that it is practically pointless comes with trouble; citizens and companies across the nation have invested millions in this alternative energy source. Even if studies show it is a pollutant, ethanol producers will not forfeit their career easily. This is where understanding both sides comes roling in. But, who's going to fix this? The government needs to step in and do something, period. That though poses another problem.




Who in the government is willing to spend time and money to correct this problem? Who has the answers to these questions?

Denver goes solar...

by Vinny

Denver, Colorado, the mile high city. Who would have guessed it, but they are actually going to build a solar plant! Xcel Energy will be the provider, making enough energy to be able to power around 1000 homes! Hopefully, they can get the plant up and running soon, and can start cleaning up the earth.

DOW still hopes to halt drilling in wildlife habitat

By Landon

New Castle, Colorado-A Colorado Division of Wildlife protest placed against the sale of federal mineral lease parcels underneath the Garfield Creek State Wildlife Area near New Castle may take up to six months to resolve.

Jamie Gardner, a spokesperson for the BLM(Bureau of land management), said that the agency will conduct a full "review and analysis" of the DOW protest. "We will look back-through our documentation to make sure we didn't miss anything."

The DOW, in late January, sent a letter to the BLM asking that they would delay the sale of mineral parcel underneath the habitat because it was a crucial winter range for the animals. The agency has taken the DOW's interests into heart. they have planned to drill directionally in order to extract the gas with a minimum amount of surface damage to the wildlife's habitat. However, the DOW has to accept a lease for this to go into action.

Ethanol production causing world hunger

Posted by Garrett

Written by: Jay Ambrose

Americans who can afford food are paying more for it these days. People who are poor cannot afford it around the world and some are resorting to mud cookies in Haiti. Ethanol is to blame for this growing world hunger, as it is made by converting corn into a biofuel. When the farmers use ethanol, which most corn farmers have started to do, then corn products start to get more expensive. Many livestock are in need of corn to feed from, so dairy and beef prices have also soared. The ethanol rage has caused a reverse of a steady food-price drop of about seventy-five percent over the past thirty years.

Meeker Pipeline

A 153 mile pipeline has been proposed for Meeker, Colorado. The
Feds are seeking comments on the pipeline, considering natural gas is not the most efficient. The pipeline will stretch from Meeker to Wyoming, as a transport for natural gas liquids. Overland Pass Pipeline Co. wants to build a fourteen inch diameter pipeline from the Wiilow Springs natural gas processing plant twenty miles southwest of Meeker, to Echo Springs Pump Station near Wamsutter, Wyoming. All but 15-20 miles of the conduit would follow existing pipeline rights-of-way, and eighty-four miles would cross federal or state land, with the rest being built on private land. The pipeline would transport about one-hundred-thousand barrels per day. Construction of the pipeline could start as early as September 2008.

Solar Boom in Near Future?

by Vinny

On June 21st, Nanosolar announced that they were going to build a factory and start printing off solar cells as soon as possible. The cells will be thin, and probably, cheap due to more of them coming out than normal, it should output around 200 million cells per year! Hopefully, this can make solar much more affordable, and more popular to buy. For more information, go here.

Eleventh Refinery Explosion Fatality

Posted by Garrett

An eleventh person has died from a refinery blast in Port Wentworth. The sugar refinery explosion was fueled by sugar dust. Investigators have not yet found what caused the explosion. Twelve other patients are still in critical condition, with two being in serious condition. The eleventh fatality was due to severe burns.

Oli boom's sights redirected

By Landon
De Beque- This desolate Colorado cattle town is in line to become the next Westerm Slope oil-and-gas boomtown.With Chevron to the north and EnCana to the east, town officials are getting ready for a development rush seen by the likes of Battlement Mesa and Parachute.Some are welcoming this boost, but others feel that the town will lose its historic character. The surge of activity has already pulverized a bridge crossing the Colorado River which will require a 1.6 million dollar upgrade.They are already planning the installation of more gas stations and restaurants. Schlumberger, the world's largest oil-field-services company, said last week that it will be acquiring avout 375 acres across the interstate for a center of operation. The town will face a tough battle. the development of this boom will decrease the area for building homes and the real-estate business will have to cram homes together for the same profit. This town's community only consists of a small convenience store with one gas pump, a bar and liquor store, and a hair salon. The people just don't know if they are ready.

Everyone! Eat Bugs

By Landon
We Americans don't like bugs. We don't like to touch them, let alone eat them. There are people around the country who think eating bugs will save the planet. Their theory is that bugs don't waste energy to raise. Cows, however, have a lot of energy put into them that causes greenhouse gasses, and it is said that a cow's burp can damage the ozone layer. Bugs can just live off of the plants we grow around town. Also, bugs are said to be rich in protien and other helpful minerals. Hamburgers don't carry such ingredients. The only downside to this, though, is that bugs can cost up to 100 dollars a pound. Wow!

Interesting Pie Graph

This Pie Graph is a cool way to show the renewable energy we used. It's from '05, but I bet that a lot of it stays about the same.

Green City?

Albuquerque, New Mexico. Back to the older days, before subdivisions were houses 3 feet apart for miles. Before Mega-Marts and McEverything. The "Mesa Del Sol" city will serve as a multi-use, multi-purpose space, so residents don’t have to rely on their cars to get around. This is a great way to help the environment, and help you. Why drive for an hour to get to work when you can just step outside and walk ten minutes to your job. Why not be healthy while you are helping the environment?
Here is what the architects behind Mesa del Sol have to say:
First, everything is more convenient. You don’t have to spend as much time in the car getting to and from school, work, the park, the grocery store. In fact, you may find yourself walking to many of these places instead of driving. Which makes it more sustainable, conserving gasoline and reducing carbon emissions. And when you have more people out walking in the neighborhood, you tend to get to know more people — and more kinds of people — interacting with each other. The whole place feels friendlier.”

Wouldn't it be nice if your town was like this?

More Energy Money Could be on its Way for Mesa County

By Chris

In the future, more money should be headed to Mesa County to deal with with the energy industry. A recent letter from Colorado Department of Local Affairs Executive Director Susan Kirkpatrick to the the Mesa County Commision ends, "minerals are a state asset. However, priority in funding will be given to jurisdictions of origin for grant awards." This and the fact that the maximum amount of and energy and mineral impact assistance grant may be raised $9.5 million has local officials excited. The department, which is the state agency that distributes tax and federal lease revenues from energy companies in the form of grants to local government, is proposing many changes, including boosting the current maximum grant from $500,000 to $2 million. The department also wants to catergorize grants into small (up to $200,000), medium ($200,000 to $2 million), and large ($2 million to $10 million). Its final plans are to designate the amount of the total dollars available through the program by grant size and use, and clarify local match requirements. Josh Penry said that "These policy changes came as a result of the task force and the interim committee that met last year."

The Missing Buzz

Riley Ruse
Scientists around the world are finding extremely low numbers of honey bees. Why? Many people first thought that something in the pesticides were killing them but new information says otherwise. The little rise in global temperatures is the new suspect. Bees, like many other animals can't tolorate extreme heat. For this reason bees across the world are rapidly dying from this supposed killer. Is this just a hoax or are real problem. Remember one thing, every fruit is pollinated by bees.

Scooters for cops

by Vinny

Vectrix, a Poland based company, has made quiet, electric scooters for policemen. These scooters can go up to 60 mph, and travel 40-60 miles per charge. It takes just two hours to completely charge the battery, and it will be more energy efficient. Also, it hardly makes any sound, allowing the cops to sneak up on their targets. The NYPD will be testing these new vehicles, to see if they really do walk the walk.