I ususally don't agree with Congress, because they're generally stupid. (look at the steroid hearings) But this time they're on to something.
HR 5351 is a bill which funds a variety of renewable energy initiatives by taking away tax loopholes that were afforded to big oil companies. I
t just passed the House today, on a largely partisan vote, which means it's on it's way to the senate, and then onto the President, who would probably veto it. The Center for American Progress has a great article about it. Money quote:
One of these revenue-raising measures is eliminating the Internal Revenue Code section 199 deduction, which gives a subsidy for domestic oil and gas production. Its removal would cost Big Oil $1.4 billion annually over the next 10 years—a paltry sum considering that the big five oil companies made a combined profit of $123 billion in 2007 alone. ExxonMobil alone made a profit of over $77,000 per minute last year—more than the annual income of two-thirds of American families.
I don't know about you, but when recycling trash, I usually throw my paper, glass, plastics, etc. into the corner of the room - and when that pile gets too big to ignore, I'll take everything to the dumpster, sort and recycle. It's a pretty inefficient system, not to mention ugly. Imagine stacks and stacks of paper, or a box full of empty cans.
It's not that I want to be so unorganized, but I'm just too lazy to get anything to help me with my organizational needs. However, I came across
these bags online, which I'm thinking of purchasing. I like the fact that they allow you to sort easily, have handles for easy transport, and most importantly, are machine washable! The price isn't bad either... only $15.
How do
you sort your recyclables?
Check out this
article on China's new red river. Here are some snippets:
"Pollution has turned part of a major river system in central China red and bubbly, forcing authorities to cut water supplies to 200,000 people and close schools, a government news agency reported Wednesday.
"Tests showed the polluted waters contained elevated levels of ammonia, nitrogen, and permanganate, a chemical used in metal cleaning, tanning and bleaching, Xinhua said. The source of the pollution had not been determined, and an investigation was ongoing."
Damn.
Earth2Tech, a cool environmental investments and technology site has a handy dandy cleantech map mashup which visually places green companies on a Google map! An interesting way to learn more about what green energy / cleantech startups are in your area.
Is it me or is it too early for flowering trees to already be in bloom? Has seasonality been shifted due to global warming?
I ususally don't agree with Congress, because they're generally stupid. (look at the steroid hearings) But this time they're on to something.
HR 5351 is a bill which funds a variety of renewable energy initiatives by taking away tax loopholes that were afforded to big oil companies. It just passed the House today, on a largely partisan vote, which means it's on it's way to the senate, and then onto the President, who would probably veto it. The Center for American Progress has a great article about it. Money quote:
