Heliogenic Climate Change: You WILL cut down on your driving

"The state of North Carolina recently proposed a change in the way taxes are collected for the Department of Transportation. Instead of relying solely on the statewide gasoline tax, North Carolina wants to implement a road-use tax of one-quarter cents per mile, with the first 2,000 miles free. You, as a North Carolina resident, would be required to have your odometer read annually and taxed based on your vehicle’s usage. There has even been some talk of using GPS satellites to determine when and where you drive, and charge you accordingly, to “manage congestion”.

Now, it’s being reported that Oregon wants to do the same thing..."[More here]

Wind Watch: Wind farm simulations don’t convey beauty lost

Let’s not be afraid to acknowledge that a major reason for living on the Cape is its natural beauty. Only those who have taken the time to savor the awesome beauty of this place can comprehend the magnitude of the loss we are about to experience.

I am all for responsible alternative energy in the right place. I also think saving 25 square miles of ocean from the development of an alternative energy plant is about as ecofriendly as we can be. Is it really too late to stop this travesty from going forward? I sincerely hope not.

Wind Watch: Montana’s got wind, needs power lines

Helena, Mont. — Gov. Brian Schweitzer envisions a day when New Yorkers will be driving cars powered by the wind that howls across the Montana prairie. The Democrat recently called on the federal government to spend $15 billion to build a next-generation transmission grid to link such far-flung regions.

“You start delivering wind to cars and the [oil-nation] dictators, they get sad fast,” says Mr. Schweitzer in his Helena office-cum-classroom, where he keeps vials of biofuel feed stock and model windmills to show visitors. He has a lump of coal, too – a reminder that Montana not only has lots of wind to harness, but tons of coal to shovel.
...
“We’re going to hook some coal into it,” he says. “Fifty percent of the electricity in America comes from coal. I’m all for change, but unless you are willing to live naked in a tree and eat nuts for the next 30 years, coal’s going to be part of the portfolio.”