Monthly Archives: July 2011

Why the TVA Wants Nuclear Power

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Fort Calhoun plant in the Missouri RiverIn “Why We Still Need Nuclear,” the “op-ed” piece written in the New York Times, July 30, 2011, Tom Kilgore, the President and CEO of the Tennessee Valley Authority, seems to have made up his mind to attempt to complete the Bellefonte 1 nuclear power plant, in Hollywood, Alabama. Mr. Kilgore is in good company: the President of Iran, Mahmoud Achmadinejad, also wants to build nuclear power plants.

The TVA began work on the Bellefonte nuclear plants in 1974. Construction was suspended in 1988, after the TVA spent about $4.1 Billion on the plant. The TVA wants to spend another $5 Billion over the next six to eight years to complete the plant. It would therefore cost a total of $9.1 Billion to construct a 1.26 gigawatt plant. That’s $7.22 Billion per gigawatt, plus interest, over a period that spans 34 years, with construction in three phases: 14 years of work from ’74 to ’88, 22 years of non-work, from ’88 to 2012, and another six to eight years of work. (Times Free Press, TVA News, TVA Environment).

This suggests the real reason why the TVA wants to complete the plant. Currently Bellefonte 1 a $4.1 billion liability on the TVA’s books. If the TVA adds another $5 Billion, this $4.1 hot white elephant will be magically transformed into a cool (but heat producing) 9.1 billion asset. Continue reading →

Exxon Profits: $10,700,000,000 for the Quarter

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The Associated Press via the Sacramento Bee reported that “Exxon Mobil Corp. earned $10.7 billion … its highest quarterly profit since the third quarter of 2008…. However, Exxon officials noted that sluggish business investment, lower consumer spending and high debt would continue to weigh on the economy.”

Let’s do some math – Exxon earned $10.7 Billion this past quarter. Yet Exxon and other big oil companies receives $2 Billion to $3 Billion per year in tax subsidies. If divided equally, then Exxon would get $400 to $600 million per year, $100 to $150 Million per quarter. The subsidies amount to 0.93% to 1.4% of Exxon’s profits of $10.7 Billion this quarter, and 0.108% to 0.16$ of Exxon’s annual revenues of $370 Billion for the year ended 12/31/10 (Google Finance). This is equivalent to giving someone earning $50,000 per year a gift of $54 to $81.

A lot of people need help: American college students need help paying tuition, Americans on Medicare and Medicaid need help paying their medical bills, and Americans on Unemployment need help paying for food, people trying to design and build a renewable sustainable energy infrastructure. But we are helping oil companies.Why?

Let’s look again at the numbers. For the year ending Dec. 31, 2010, Exxon’s Gross Revenues were $383 Billion. Gross Profits were $107 Billion, and Income Before Taxes were $53 Billion. Profit was 27.9% of Gross Revenues.  Income before Taxes was 13.8% of Gross Revenues.

Exxon 12/31/10
Total Revenues $383 B
Gross Profit $107 B
Income before Taxes $53 B
Gross Profit / Revenues 27.94%
Income BT / Revenues 13.84%
Period  Income  Nominal Tax
 Year ending 12/31/2010  $53 Billion  $18.55 B
 Quarter ending 6/30/2011  10.7 Billion  $3.745 B

And according to Valeri Vasquez, at the Center for American Progress, here, Exxon’s tax rate is 17.6%. The nominal corporate rate is 35%.  With profits of $53 Billion last year, rather than receiving subsidies. Exxon should have paid $18.55 Billion in taxes last years. With profits of $10.7 Billion last quarter, Exxon should have paid $3.745 Billion.

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U.S. settles with whistleblower Bunny Greenhouse

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 Below is an excerpt from Erik Eckholm’s piece in the Times, noting the settlement of litigation between Bunnatine “Bunny” Greenhouse and DOD for retaliatory action after her objections, in 2005, to the Halliburton/KBR no-bid contract for logistical support in Iraq. Greenhouse had been the Chief Contracting Officer for the Army Corps of Engineers. She’d previously had a perfect record of performance ratings.

More here

Her primary objections:

  • the study rationalizing the sole-source KBR contract was itself outsourced – to Halliburton/KBR, which recommended itself as the sole source;
  • Even if the contract’s premise was justified for the first few months on emergency grounds, it didn’t make sense for a multiyear, potentially indefinite contract.

Which raises the question of how much work KBR/Halliburton are doing now in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere for DOD, CIA, et cet.  We note the it’s KBR’s former CEO, and later the United States Vice President, who made famous the phrase “undisclosed location.” (For readers from Brooklyn, “undisclosed location” roughly translates to “going to the mattresses.”) KBR is currently, publicly, one of two logistics contractors in Iraq – but classified contracts are, by definition, outside the scope of public review – and for practical purposes – outside the scope of Congressional review.

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Debt, Catastrophe, and Foreign Entanglements

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A young father of our country. The battle raging today between Democrats and Republicans will not solve  the nation’s debt problems, nor avert a financial catastrophe in the future. The politicians do not appear to have a handle on a comprehensive solution to our financial woes. I’m not certain that I do, either, but I feel an obligation as a citizen and a stakeholder in our nation’s present and future to present my ideas and add to the debate.

The issues, as I see them, revolve around the debt ceiling, government obligations, the economy, consumer debt and what George Washington might consider foreign entanglements of the kind he warned us against in his farewell address. The solutions must benefit the American taxpayers today and in the future. Here are the issues and some ideas toward resolution. Continue reading →

Iranian Scientist Rezai-Nejad Gunned Down at Home – NYTimes.com

Gunmen riding motorcycles fatally shot an Iranian scientist in front of his house in Tehran on Saturday, Iranian news agencies reported. It appeared to be the latest in a series of attacks that Iranian authorities have called an assassination campaign directed by Israeli, American and British intelligence agencies against the country’s nuclear program.

The scientist, Darioush Rezai-Nejad, 35, died, and his wife was wounded and taken to a hospital, the news reports said. They also gave varying descriptions of his expertise, with some describing him as an electronics specialist who worked with Iran’s Defense Ministry. It was uncertain what role, if any, he played in Iran’s nuclear program, which American experts believe is aimed at developing a weapons capacity. Iran denies that it is trying to build a nuclear bomb.

According to the semi-official ISNA news agency, Mr. Rezaeinejad was a doctoral student at Khajeh Nasroldeen Toosi University.

ISNA quoted Safarali Baratloo, political-security deputy for the Tehran’s governor’s office, as saying that whether Mr. Rezai-Nejad “is a nuclear scientist is currently under review and we are not certain.” In earlier reports, several Iranian news outlets identified him as being involved in Iran’s nuclear program but later hedged or backed away from that identification.

The shooting came amid Western concerns that Iran may be accelerating its production of nuclear materials to get closer to being able to make a weapon. The expanded effort is overseen by Fereydoon Abbasi, the nuclear physicist who runs the country’s Atomic Energy Organization.

On Nov. 29 Dr. Abbasi was driving to work when a motorcyclist approached and attached an explosive device to the door of his car. The physicist rushed away, pulling his wife with him, and they escaped with minor injuries.

But on the same day, Majid Shahriari, a colleague on the faculty of Tehran’s Shahid Beheshti University, was killed in a similar attack, and his wife and driver were injured. Iranian authorities said Professor Shahriari had managed a major nuclear project.

via Iranian Scientist Rezai-Nejad Gunned Down at Home – NYTimes.com.

Roughing It

Interior of Pilatus PC 12.  Follow LJF97 on Twitter  Tweet A s they struggle to pay their bills, forced to work, the wealthy cope as only they can. By sending their children to summer camp in private jets. In  “To Reach Simple Life of Summer Camp, Lining Up for Private Jets” Christine Haughney, in the New York Times,  July 24, 2011, wrote:

 “A turboprop Pilatus PC-12 carrying Melissa T., her daughter, her daughter’s friend and a pile of lacrosse equipment took off for their home in Connecticut, following the girls’ three-week stay at Camp All-Star in nearby Kents Hill, Me. Shortly after, a Cessna Citation Excel arrived, and a mother, a father and their 13-year-old daughter emerged carrying a pink sleeping bag and two large duffel bags, all headed to Camp Vega in Fayette. … as the economy limps along, more of the nation’s wealthier families are cutting out the car ride and chartering planes to fly to summer camps. One private jet broker, Todd Rome of Blue Star Jets, BlueStarJets.com, said his summer-camp business had jumped 30 percent over the last year.”

A quick check on the Camp All Star web site’s “Dates & Rates” page suggests that 3 weeks will cost about $4500.  Trips, horseback riding and hockey are extra. Getting there on a private jet, would add $6,318 to  $15,240 per party, $2,106 to $5,080 per camper for a camper, his or her mom, and a friend.  As I tell people, it’s the trip, not only the destination.

Tell me again, Mr. Boehner, why the wealthy can’t afford to pay taxes?

Beechcraft 350, exteriorI did some checking. Went to Blue Star‘s website, priced a charter for three (3) from Allaire Airport in Monmouth County, New Jersey to Augsta State in Maine. I was surprised at how affordable it is. Blue Star offered 5 alternatives, all turboprops:

  • A Ratheon Super King BE 350, a 9-passenger aircraft, $6,318, which is $2,106 per passenger,
  • The BE-C90, a 6 passenger turboprop, $11,270, or $3,757 per passenger,
  • The BE-100, an 8 passenger turboprop: $12,151 for the trip, $4,050 per passenger.
  • The BE 200, in a 9-passenger configuration, for $13,043, $4,348 per passenger, and
  • The BE-200 in an 8-passenger configuration: $15,240, $5,080 per passenger.

These data are summarized in the table below.

Plane Trip Per Passenger, 3 passengers Per Passenger If Full
Ratheon Super King BE 3509 Passenger Turboprop $6,318 $2,106 per person. $702 per person for 9.
BE-C90, 6 passenger Turboprop $11,270 $3,757 per person. $1,878 per person for 6.
BE-100, 8 passenger Turboprop $12,151 $4,050 per person. $1,519 per person for 8.
BE-200 9 Passenger Turboprop $13,043 $4,348 per person. $1,630 per person for 9.
BE-200 8 Passenger Turboprop $15,240 $5,080 per person. $1,905 per person for 8.

I don’t know if the airline serves food, drinks, or offers in-flight movies. But caviar is only $115 per oz (Russian Sevruga, Caviar Express, Glendale, CA).

Clean Energy, Good Jobs, and a Vibrant Economy … But

 

Earth from Space, courtesy NASA (our tax dollars at work)

courtesy NASA (our tax dollars at work)

Follow LJF97 on Twitter  Tweet  It sounds too good to be true:

*   100 gigawatts of offshore wind, $300 Billion,
*   100 gw of landbased wind, $200 Billion,
*   75 gw of solar, $300 Billion,
*   75 gw of geothermal, $200 Billion.
*   200 gigawatt equivalents of efficiency – $200 Billion.
*   100 & Clean, Renewable, Sustaianble Energy: 1.2 Trillion.
*   2.7 Million New Jobs and a Healthy Economy: Priceless!

This is happening, slowly, inexorably, by the “invisible hand of the market.” But it will happen faster if the “invisible mind of the community” acts. This means the government!

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Boing Boing

City officials in Fukushima, Japan sowed sunflower seeds Wednesday at a plaza in the city as part of efforts to remove radioactive materials from the soil following leaks and meltdowns at a nearby nuclear plant, following the March 11 earthquake and tsunami. — Xeni • Comments: 24

via Boing Boing.

Power Line Policy Passed by Energy Regulatory Commission – NYTimes.com

Once again, Matt Wald of The Times explains what’s happening with our energy infrastructure:

WASHINGTON — Federal regulators laid down principles on Thursday for planning and paying for new power lines, part of a long-term policy effort to help the nation’s electricity grid grow enough to meet the demands of renewable energy and a competitive electricity market.

The rule, which has been in the works for several years, is intended to push the organizations that manage the grid into cooperating with one another, so that developers can build power lines across several states and multiple electrical jurisdictions.

Such cross-jurisdictional transmission lines are becoming more important as states seek to reach their goals of integrating large amounts of wind and solar power,  generally available in remote deserts and mountaintops, into the energy mix.

While generators of power, including renewable energy advocates, generally praised the rule, others were wary and said it could impose big costs on people who get no benefits.

But it has long been clear to grid experts that the existing transmission lines will not allow for a free market in electricity in which generators can compete across vast distances to supply customers, or for meeting state renewable energy goals. Existing rules make it very difficult for a company seeking to build new transmission lines to establish how it will recoup its costs.

The new rule, passed unanimously on Thursday by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission, does not specify what the formula should be for allocating costs, or precisely how new lines should be planned. But it does lay out general guidelines, including the notion that the costs should be borne by those who benefit.

The commission also issued an implicit threat: if grid organizations do not enable the construction of badly needed new transmission lines, federal regulators will do it for them.

Jon Wellinghoff, the chairman of the commission, cited a prediction that until 2019, 60 percent of new generating capacity will be wind and sun, often distant from population centers.

via Power Line Policy Passed by Energy Regulatory Commission – NYTimes.com.

Link

As the BBC reports further details, the Norway attacks have taken on a particularly cold-blooded and calculated character. It appears that, after bombing the government center in Oslo, dressed as a police officer, the killer went to an island on which the Labour Party was holding a recreational event for teenagers. Posing as a police officer conducting an investigation, he asked a large number of children to gather in a crowd, and began to open fire. (Current counts seem to vary between 84 and 85 reported deaths among the teenagers on the island of  Utoeya.

From BBC: Norway youth camp attack kills 84

At least 85 people died when a gunman opened fire at an island youth camp in Norway, hours after a bombing in the capital Oslo killed seven, police say.

Police have charged a 32-year-old Norwegian man over both attacks.

The man dressed as a police officer was arrested on tiny Utoeya island after an hour-long shooting spree.

Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said many people were still looking for their children and had not so far been able to locate them.

He was speaking after meeting victims and relatives with Norway’s King Harald, Queen Sonja and Crown Prince Haakon in the town of Sundvollen near the island.

 

These images, via the BBC, may help to illustrate the sequence of events. Motive will be harder to discern; the suspect in custody is believed to have right-of-center politics.

two attacks in Norway

Via the  BBC,  Twin terror attacks shock Norway

Norway has been hit by twin attacks – a massive bomb blast in the capital and a shooting attack on young people at a governing Labour Party youth camp

At least seven people were killed in the bombing, which inflicted huge damage on government buildings in Oslo city centre.   Four more died at the camp, on an island outside Oslo, local media said.  One witness later said he had seen more than 20 bodies on the island, but police have not confirmed this.   Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg, whose Oslo offices were among those damaged by the bomb, described the situation as “very serious”.  Norwegian media reports said the shootings on the island were carried out by a man in police uniform.    Police said the suspected gunman had been arrested, and later said he was also linked with the bomb attack, reports said.

No group has said it carried out the attacks.

Hours after the bomb struck Oslo, officials said some people were still inside the damaged buildings, some of which were on fire.

 

Dutch apartments built from defunct water treatment plant

Tafline Laylin, writing at Inhabitat   – a brilliant blog whose work we should be bringing to our readers’ attention more often, describes how – instead of demolishing a water treatment plant’s structures to make space for housing – it was repurposed and made part of the  housing.  This is a multiple success – resources conserved in demolition, construction, a “dirty”  site made functional,  and  top all that, it’s beautiful. Here’s one image from Laylin’s piece, Defunct Dutch Sewage Plant Converted into Fresh Green Apartments:

Missile Warheads, stolen while under military guard, pose "no risk"

From the BBC, Missile warheads stolen from Romanian train

Romanian officials have reassured the public after the theft of more than 60 missile warheads from a train.

The warheads were taken from a railway car carrying military equipment to neighbouring Bulgaria on Saturday.

Officials said the stolen warheads could not be detonated because they were in component form without explosives.

Investigators say the missiles could have been stolen for their scrap metal value.

Romanian media said when the freight train stopped in Giurgiu, southern Romania, it was found that doors on the railway car had been forced and four boxes of 16 warheads stolen.

Officials are investigating how the theft could have happened while the consignment was being guarded by paramilitary police.

Bulgaria’s economy ministry said the warheads belonged to Grad missiles which are normally fired from multiple-rocket launchers.

In a statement it said the shipment was part of a transfer of “nonfunctional components and parts” for reprocessing at the VMZ factory – one of Bulgaria’s largest military factories – in Sopot.

Romanian officials close to the investigation told two daily newspapers that the warheads did not contain explosives.

Romanian police spokesman Florin Hulea also reassured the public, saying the warheads posed no risk.

via BBC News – Missile warheads stolen from Romanian train.

If the missiles posed no threat, why were they under heavy guard?

Do you Really Want a Balanced Budget Amendment?

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Copyright (C) 2011, Dale A. Johnson. All Rights Reserved.

The rainbow in the grey skies is magical and alluring. But take a look at history before suggesting that the USA should operate under the limitations of a balanced budget. A good place to start is by searching on milestone wars that made or saved this country. Try a search such as “US Revolutionary War debt,” “US Civil War debt,” or “US WW2 debt.”

Then try to decide if the US Constitution had such an amendment from day one would we:

  • Be a British colony?
  • Have slaves?
  • Speak German?

Would we have climbed out of the Great Depression without Roosevelt applying Keynes’ ideas on government projects?

The idea of sending America’s youth into battle without proper equipment and financial support is powerful motivator for me. I was in the Air Force during a budget battle and we literally could not fly our fighters because Congress did not approve enough money for fuel while they argued about the overdue budget! Thankfully that was peace time.

Copyright (C) 2011, Dale A. Johnson. All Rights Reserved.

Let’s take a look at the financial meltdowns this country has encountered and the effects that a Balanced Budget amendment would have had. Take a look at just two, the Great Depression and the 2008 meltdown. The government did not do all the right things to prevent or solve these problems. The solutions (i.e. the recovery) required combination of forces including government spending, Wall Street and Main Street.

Search on “US Depression debt” and read current events to see the impact of such economic events on the deficit. Thank you Uncle Sam for pitching in to take away the pain and suffering that literally millions of Americans faced during these crashes. I am glad you had a credit card to use to save us!

The metaphorical Atlas – is he the government or the taxpayers? Ours is an experiment in government of the people, by the people, for the people.” Is there a difference?

I probably should stop here but …
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