So how can we alert Congress to this situation--this viable option--
and make sure any taxpayer dollars REQUIRE GM to adapt these vehicles
for use? My son-in-law's job for GM has been to help cars from one
country be manufactured fro use in another country. I forwarded the
post to him.
There was a long story on NPR this morning about battery limitations.
Another thing that bothers me about electric cars is that the
electricity in plug-ins comes--even if you pay for off-sets--from COAL.
Re: wind power purchased from NYSEG, and other corporations, either
marketed as off-sets or as providers:
Until we reduce electric use to the point where they start closing
coal plants, almost all your electricity comes from coal, even if you
are capitalizing ADDITIONAL generating capacity from wind. Great
scheme the electric companies have: we pay for their constructions
costs for wind, and they can INCREASE their (on-going) profits without
having had to invest as much: we are funding without being share-
holders with a say in what the companies do. But we get to feel good
about the windmills [we think are ] producing our electricity.
Conservation is the only way we are going to close coal plants. My 2ยข
worth.
Margaret
On Nov 20, 2008, at 9:22 AM, George Frantz wrote:
> See article below.
> Last month I was at a conference where two General Motors engineers
> made a presentation on their fuel cell vehicle. My jaw seem to be
> the only one in the room to drop when one of the GM engineers
> nonchalantly mentioned that their European subsidiaries produce and
> sell diesel autos that get 50-plus mpg.
> So here we are with GM execs arguing that they need billions in
> taxpayer funding to save themselves, and the nation too. Meanwhile
> they have consciously refused to follow the lead of Volkswagen and
> other foreign carmakers and invest a relatively small amount of
> capital to upgrade their Europoean diesel engine technology to meet
> California air quality standards so we can take advantage of the
> same fuel efficient vehicles available in Europe.
> Meanwhile Erie, PA is exporting 80 percent of its biodiesel
> production to Europe in order to survive due to lack of market here.
> I say let them all (or the ****s if you like) go bankrupt and
> liquidate their assets to the world's carmakers who can build the
> cars we need. We will be better off as a nation without the Big
> Three.
> George Frantz
> *****
> Erie Times News
> Film crew on hand as biofuels plant readies large shipment
> BY JIM CARROLL
> [EMAIL PROTECTED] [more details]
> Published: November 19. 2008 12:01AM
> Lake Erie Biofuels is ready to ship another 600,000 gallons of
> biodiesel overseas from the Port of Erie this week, and the local
> company also is getting some new attention.
>
>
> The biodiesel plant at 1670 East Lake Road made history earlier this
> month when a jet used its fuel to complete the first biodiesel-
> powered flight across the U.S.
>
> This week, film crews from the National Broadcast Group are visiting
> the plant to get material for Shades of Green, a documentary that is
> to be shown on the Discovery Channel in February.
>
> "They chose us because of the unique facility we have here," said
> Lake Erie Biofuels laboratory manager Glenn Green.
>
> The local plant has the ability to use not only soybean oil to make
> biodiesel, but also other vegetable oils, discarded restaurant
> grease, chicken fat, beef tallow and other materials, and get
> consistent quality results.
>
> The biodiesel to be loaded in a freighter bound for Europe this
> week, for example, was made from canola oil, said company Chief
> Financial Officer Chris Peterson.
>
> The company doesn't often use canola oil because it is more
> expensive than soybean oil and is in more direct competition with
> uses for human food products. But it has better properties for
> winter biodiesel use.
>
> Its usual feed stock -- soybean oil -- on the other hand, is a
> byproduct of crushing soybeans for the soymeal that goes into human
> and animal food products, Peterson said. "Until the biodiesel
> industry came about, it was a waste product for them to a certain
> extent."
>
> Lake Erie Biofuels has a capacity to produce 45 million gallons of
> biodiesel a year. It has been operating at 60 to 70 percent after
> running at 90 percent for most of the summer, Peterson said.
>
> Nationwide, the biodiesel industry operated at about 20 percent
> capacity in 2007, Peterson said.
>
> European exports have pumped up the local plant's production, taking
> about 80 percent of the biodiesel it produces. But local officials
> hope that will change.
>
> Federal requirements for petroleum companies to mix at least 500
> million gallons of renewable fuels into their diesel and heating oil
> are expected to increase demand for biodiesel in 2009. Plus states,
> such as Pennsylvania, will require a 2 percent blend of biodiesel
> into heating oil and diesel fuel once infrastructure for the new
> fuel is in place.
>
> Peterson said the goal of Lake Erie Biofuels has always been to
> supply biodiesel for heating oil and diesel fuel for the Northeast
> part of the country..
>
> "That was our intended market from day one," he said.
>
> "What we hope to do is wean off the European exports in the next 12
> to 18 months. We project instead of exporting 80 percent, to maybe
> get that down to 50 percent over the next 12 to 18 months."
>
>
>
> JIM CARROLL can be reached at (814) 724-1716, 870-1727 or by e-mail.
>
>
>
>
>
>
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