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Road-Runner Champion Author Denver Posts:7,046 Points:1,905,165 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 1:01:33 PM Ignore Road-Runner Report Abuse The French philosopher Voltaire in the 1700s warned against letting the better, or perfect, be the enemy of the good. That advice would seem to apply to an attempt by environmental groups in Colorado to block a market mechanism that could yield immediate reductions in emissions of a powerful greenhouse gas. The proposal going before the Colorado Senate this week is whether to expand the state's renewable portfolio standard to include electricity generated by burning methane emissions being vented from coal mines, both active and abandoned. The current legislation already allows electricity produced by burning methane emitted by landfills. Visit The Denver Post for full article

Road-Runner

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Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 1:01:33 PM

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The French philosopher Voltaire in the 1700s warned against letting the better, or perfect, be the enemy of the good. That advice would seem to apply to an attempt by environmental groups in Colorado to block a market mechanism that could yield immediate reductions in emissions of a powerful greenhouse gas.

The proposal going before the Colorado Senate this week is whether to expand the state's renewable portfolio standard to include electricity generated by burning methane emissions being vented from coal mines, both active and abandoned. The current legislation already allows electricity produced by burning methane emitted by landfills.

Visit The Denver Post for full article

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Road-Runner Champion Author Denver Posts:7,046 Points:1,905,165 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2012 11:52:50 PM Ignore Road-Runner Report Abuse Waste not, Want not...as the wise old saying goes! Mining was the reason that Colorado was settled in the first place, and the state is literally honeycombed with old mines, a great many of them being coal mines.
SammyAdams Champion Author Tallahassee Posts:3,042 Points:789,880 Joined:Nov 2010	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2012 10:06:38 PM Ignore SammyAdams Report Abuse Perhaps this story was worth resurrecting 89 years later, doeslayersr.
KAR120CSII Champion Author Oregon Posts:3,167 Points:617,895 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2012 7:23:05 PM Ignore KAR120CSII Report Abuse Bye, bye NukeAt... off into the ether zone -- you don't seem to be adding anything to the dialogue. The ignore button please --
doeslayersr Champion Author Illinois Posts:9,093 Points:869,080 Joined:Dec 2010	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2012 7:08:06 PM Ignore doeslayersr Report Abuse The Arctic Ocean is warming up, icebergs are growing scarcer and in some places the seals are finding the water too hot, according to a report to the Commerce Department yesterday from Consulafft, at Bergen , Norway .. Reports from fishermen, seal hunters, and explorers all point to a radical change in climate conditions and hitherto unheard-of temperatures in the Arctic zone. Exploration expeditions report that scarcely any ice has been met as far north as 81 degrees 29 minutes. Soundings to a depth of 3,100 meters showed the gulf stream still very warm. Great masses of ice have been replaced by moraines of earth and stones, the report continued, while at many points well known glaciers have entirely disappeared. Very few seals and no white fish are found in the eastern Arctic, while vast shoals of herring and smelts which have never before ventured so far north, are being encountered in the old seal fishing grounds. Within a few years it is predicted that due to the ice melt the sea will rise and make most coastal cities uninhabitable. * * * * * * * * * I apologize, I neglected to mention that this report was from November 2, 1922,as reported by the AP and published in The Washington Post - 89 years ago. [Edited by: doeslayersr at 3/19/2012 8:08:36 PM EST]
DanMtz Champion Author Oakland Posts:3,340 Points:1,240,400 Joined:Oct 2009	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2012 7:07:57 PM Ignore DanMtz Report Abuse What else are they doing with the methane? Of course you generate electricity with it.
NukeAtComEd All-Star Author Milwaukee Posts:725 Points:338,520 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2012 8:01:44 AM Ignore NukeAtComEd Report Abuse burning anything except electricity from wind and solar is the most evil thing according to barryO and the enviro-nuts!! [Edited by: NukeAtComEd at 3/19/2012 9:02:23 AM EST]
dsaine Champion Author North Carolina Posts:2,982 Points:629,570 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Mar 19, 2012 8:00:07 AM Ignore dsaine Report Abuse Interesting.
1momsunshine Champion Author Ottawa Posts:5,475 Points:997,555 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 11:02:30 PM Ignore 1momsunshine Report Abuse OK
johnd900 Veteran Author Massachusetts Posts:475 Points:192,305 Joined:Jan 2012	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 10:30:20 PM Ignore johnd900 Report Abuse All waste-methane producing facilities should be burning the wate and producing electricity. This is a win-win.
KAR120CSII Champion Author Oregon Posts:3,167 Points:617,895 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 9:18:54 PM Ignore KAR120CSII Report Abuse Colorado -- how about looking at the methane wasted next to I-70 in Golden.
lesndave Champion Author Texas Posts:3,022 Points:698,130 Joined:May 2011	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 9:05:19 PM Ignore lesndave Report Abuse Interesting. Hope it works for them.
schatzila Champion Author Los Angeles Posts:4,934 Points:1,013,695 Joined:Jun 2010	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 8:46:16 PM Ignore schatzila Report Abuse over my head.
orphancarguyPE Champion Author PEI Posts:3,832 Points:731,965 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 8:11:18 PM Ignore orphancarguyPE Report Abuse Politics as usual. It makes perfect sense that methane (essentially, natural gas) leaks be harvested and burned for some energy, and in the process change an extremely potent greenhouse gas into other much more benign greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide. The Republicans are playing extreme politics as well, trying to get this classified under "renewable" legislation, and as has been pointed out, its perhaps the nose of the camel in the tent to get all sorts of methane from oil and gas projects classed as renewables as well. If it is such a good idea (and yes, it is) then satisfy all the norms and all the people, and just make a sub-clause in the legislation saying that methane leaks from abandoned mines will get the same favourable tax treatment as the existing "methane from landfills" section, without classifying it a "renewable" which strictly speaking, it isn't. There, everyone satisfied. Geez, when will politicians just grow up and stop holding everyone hostage in their never-ending ideological purity cultural wars?
Rappcommuter Veteran Author Virginia Posts:468 Points:553,350 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 8:01:41 PM Ignore Rappcommuter Report Abuse Interesting dilemma. The methane gas really isn't a renewable energy source, but it would be good to encourage this detrimental gas and use it to produce energy.
ToolinIt Champion Author Colorado Posts:1,803 Points:884,570 Joined:May 2010	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 7:43:26 PM Ignore ToolinIt Report Abuse As a Coloradan I approve of this proposal. I'm sure that the people of Boulder will disapprove of it though. Boulder is a 15 square mile community surrounded by sanity. Boulder is an eastern campus of Bezerkly (Berkley, CA). If Obama loses his presidential re-election bid - I'm certain that Boulder would love to have him as a community organizer for their Marxist goals. [Edited by: ToolinIt at 3/18/2012 8:51:48 PM EST]
drpepperTX Champion Author Texas Posts:8,929 Points:750,035 Joined:Apr 2011	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 7:36:50 PM Ignore drpepperTX Report Abuse They need to bottle cow farts as well! :=}
Meowmy Champion Author Florida Posts:1,293 Points:348,105 Joined:Jan 2011	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 7:31:47 PM Ignore Meowmy Report Abuse So do it.
Tigercat88 Champion Author North Carolina Posts:3,182 Points:613,940 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 7:25:35 PM Ignore Tigercat88 Report Abuse Go for it. Stop the Enviro-Nuts now.
esq262 Champion Author Asheville Posts:2,887 Points:645,565 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 5:29:19 PM Ignore esq262 Report Abuse Interesting concept. Hope it works.
Track79 All-Star Author Maine Posts:802 Points:599,265 Joined:Mar 2010	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 5:01:03 PM Ignore Track79 Report Abuse OK
kag2010 Champion Author Winnipeg Posts:5,244 Points:1,017,810 Joined:Apr 2010	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 4:38:46 PM Ignore kag2010 Report Abuse Great article.
djwhit Champion Author Ohio Posts:2,997 Points:1,205,530 Joined:Jul 2009	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 3:21:26 PM Ignore djwhit Report Abuse THATS GREAT........
Cakes77 Champion Author Harrisburg Posts:5,145 Points:1,649,720 Joined:Aug 2006	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 3:18:35 PM Ignore Cakes77 Report Abuse Great article. Thanks for posting this.
hoosierva Champion Author Indianapolis Posts:1,036 Points:483,395 Joined:Jul 2011	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 2:44:34 PM Ignore hoosierva Report Abuse will the lunacy ever end. ?????
db60 All-Star Author Indiana Posts:982 Points:211,255 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 2:17:51 PM Ignore db60 Report Abuse Or you could just pull my finger.
fjkcpa Champion Author Houston Posts:4,484 Points:599,285 Joined:Nov 2005	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 2:11:48 PM Ignore fjkcpa Report Abuse Interesting...
db60 All-Star Author Indiana Posts:982 Points:211,255 Joined:Oct 2011	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 2:11:38 PM Ignore db60 Report Abuse Good post.
OHMS Champion Author Orange County Posts:13,701 Points:1,688,855 Joined:May 2005	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 1:37:35 PM Ignore OHMS Report Abuse But there's another possibility that seems to bother Western Resource Advocates and other groups. If coal-mine emissions can be considered as renewable, he says, then does that mean that fugitive emissions of methane from natural gas drilling and pipeline transport can similarly be tapped someday to produce electricity under renewable portfolio standards?
fishnhuntWV Sophomore Author West Virginia Posts:231 Points:65,870 Joined:Aug 2011	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 1:33:30 PM Ignore fishnhuntWV Report Abuse It will save energy, good idea producing energy off something that will otherwise escape into the atmosphere
BUSMAN1105 Champion Author Atlanta Posts:2,148 Points:1,168,115 Joined:Aug 2008	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 1:26:13 PM Ignore BUSMAN1105 Report Abuse Why stop something that will help the emissions problem!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
chemist74 Champion Author Cleveland Posts:13,510 Points:2,395,980 Joined:Apr 2005	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 1:10:54 PM Ignore chemist74 Report Abuse If methane recovered from landfills is included, there is no logical reason not to include methane recovered from mines. Of course no one claims politicians are logical or rational.
Road-Runner Champion Author Denver Posts:7,046 Points:1,905,165 Joined:May 2004	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 1:05:57 PM Ignore Road-Runner Report Abuse Common sense means that we should use resources rather than wasting them, and doing so in the most economic means possible. Yet some of these extremist environmentalists don't seem to want to eliminate pollution unless the cost to the consumer is just about the most expensive option imaginable. Quote: "Can we someday wean ourselves entirely off fossil fuels? Perhaps, but we're going to have to live with coal for a few more decades, possibly longer. The current pushback by environmental groups and their Democratic allies smells of a litmus test of ideological purity. It confuses battles with the war." [Edited by: Road-Runner at 3/18/2012 2:09:04 PM EST]
doggod Champion Author Anchorage Posts:2,833 Points:738,435 Joined:May 2009	Message Posted: Mar 18, 2012 1:04:29 PM Ignore doggod Report Abuse Wouldn't be the first time the enviros have sabotages real environmental gains at the altar of their real political agenda ... to grow their organizations' influence and power.