The attack on Big TEXAS!

First Houston, next Dallas?

   The Clean Air Act is a law enacted by Congress, which is responsible for improving, and maintaining the sustainability of our current air quality. There has been major changes in the law to help improve it's efficiency and impact on our environment, personal health, along with the stratospheric ozone layer. The Clean Air Act Amendments intend to be responsible for helping prevent over 230,000 deaths which are caused by poor air quality, due to pollutants.



+Think Progress 

 

The Texas Clean Air Project, has constantly been an ongoing debate within Texas, concerning its current mandates. 

 

The largest Refinery Plant in the Nation

Recently ExxonMobile has violated the Clean Air Act more than a thousand times in the past five years alone. State agencies have lacked to make a significant stand against big business, but reluctantly Environment Texas is taking a stand against ExxonMobile by filing a lawsuit to the federal court.  

   The failure of Exxon to uphold the Texas Clean Air mandates, have contributed the extreme amounts of air pollution, endangering the thousands of residents near the Baytown refinery, outside of the Houston area. The same legal action which is being implemented against ExxonMobile currently was previously filed in 2009, against Shell oil who also was also a major contributor to pollutants, and rising CO2 emissions into the atmosphere.

   Progressive steps towards advancing to a solution has surfaced due to a denied motion by ExxonMobile to dismiss a lawsuit, by Environment Texas, and the Sierra Club. Exxon is facing thousands of violations of the Federal Clean Air Act. District Judge David Hittner is over the case, and is responsible for denying the motion of the Baytown Refinery.

The Gruesome Truth

   Documented results of air pollution not authorized by the Federal Clean Air Act, has accounted for 57 tons of sulfur dioxide in the atmosphere, along with other harmful pollutants. Many occurrences  documented as "accidents" or formally termed "tripped" which happens when a malfunction occurs with a compressor.

@brecorder.com/business

ExxonMobile has contributed:

• 1,246lbs of Hydrogen Sulfide
• Around 6,500lbs of nitrogen oxides
• 1 ton of Human Carcinogens Benzene
• Around 206,000lbs of Sulfur Dioxide
• 38,000lbs of VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds)
• 206,000lbs of sulfur dioxide

Course of Action

   According to the EPA about 72,000 Houston area residents are affected by the pollution of ExxonMobile's Baytown refinery.

   As of today a petition is being signed (besides the current trial) asking for Texans suffering from this air pollution, to come together with the help of the Texas Commission on Environment Quality, and the Environmental Protection Agency, to help compel Texas to agree with their plea through the form of a Federal Implementation Plan.

   A safer cleaner environment is all the residents are asking for. This is a right all Americans have, and should always remember to exercise.

Remember live clean and think "green"

 

 

 

"Texas Clean Air Project | Environment Texas." Environment Texas. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2013. <http://www.environmenttexas.org/programs/txe/texas-clean-air-project>.

Metzger, Luke. "Texas Clean Air Project | Environment Texas." Environment Texas. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2013. <http://www.environmenttexas.org/programs/txe/texas-clean-air-project>.

"Environment | Texas Impact." Texas Impact | people of faith working for justice. N.p., n.d. Web. 13 May 2013. <http://texasimpact.org/environment>.



Defining a Renewable Energy Certificate (REC)

What exactly is a REC?

     A renewable energy certificate, better known as (REC) is a form of energy representation, authorizing that the electricity your receiving comes from a renewable energy source. For possessing a REC, your entitled to 1000 kilowatt hours (1 Megawatt) of clean renewable energy, that guarantees 1 MW of the energy your entitled too does come from a renewable source. Now we can't track whether or not each individual electron that flows through the grid all comes from renewable energy sources (since all electrons are identical). What we can keep track of is the REC the buyer purchased. This tracking system is authorized to ensure the identities of buyers are secured, and protected to avoid duplication of certificates.

     At the point of generation RECs represent the same attributes from the beginning point of generation, to the end point of the energy use (meaning no emissions). In a nut shell this is what it consists of:

• REC holders claim all attributes and benefits of renewable energy
• Property rights to all social, environmental, and other qualities of renewable energy generation
• Eligibility for certification of RPS (Renewable Portfolio Standard) 
• Price Stability*

 

Why should I even care?

     The power of a renewable energy certificate has the equivalent affect of obtaining, your drivers license, passport, home ownership title, marriage license, and college diploma. Meaning instant gratification of a positive impact to not only yourself, but the environment.

@scoopweb.com

     One may disagree, but understanding the ramification of the individual impact a person can make by switching to a renewable energy source, is a detrimental blow to the toxins, and green house gases that pollute our air. Wouldn't you want proof of your investment helping to contribute to cleaner air quality, destroying harmful toxins and chemicals that cause many of our major dieses.

Fact is this:

• RECs help reduce CO2 emissions by over 2x the current amount
• Switching to a renewable source helps the fight against lung cancer (as well as other forms) by ceasing the ongoing reliance of fossil fuel industries to power our energy needs.
• Enables customers to focus their dollars on supporting renewable sources instead of harmful fossil fuel services
• Allows customers to have up to 1000 kilowatts of guaranteed clean renewable energy with ZERO emissions.
• RECs can be distributed over large geographical areas (reaching anyone) even if their electricity supplier doesn't offer a green power option
• Significantly helping reduce transmission costs.

     Everything that is done through the renewable energy certificate can be tracked. Don't believe me? Ask Environmental Tracking of North America (ETNNA).

Remember stay clean and think "green".

  

Environmental Protection Agency. "Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) | Green Power Partnership | US EPA." US Environmental Protection Agency. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2013. <http://www.epa.gov/greenpower/gpmarket

Environmental Tracking Network of North America. "Welcome to ETNNA ::: Environmental Tracking Network of North America." Welcome to ETNNA ::: Environmental Tracking Network of North America. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 May 2013. <http://www.etnna.org/about.html>.  

We are under ATTACK

It's not bomb, or a plane, it's a Grid Attack!

    In recent events, with the Boston Bombing and the 911 attack on the twin towers, the focus of the next potential attack goes forth towards our main power source; The Grid.

Former CIA Director James Woosley recently spoke in Chicago on the current strain the grid is facing from terrorists attacks from multiple sources. Woosley announces America needs to work on producing capacity storage batteries which store electric energy, in the emergency of a "blackout" of the grid.


Former CIA Director James Woosely
image credit: Getty Images via @daylife

"We have 18 critical infrastructures in the United States: water, food, electricity and so forth. All 17 of the others depend on electricity, everything depends on the electric grid." Reported by Woosley.
 
James Woosley  the co-founder of the U.S. Energy Security Council stated the grid is under attack through the world wide web, strictly because the whole system is run off the internet. Tactical, brilliant, and vigilant attacks have already been reaching the forefront of our current systems by the Herzobollah, Wahhabism leaders and other organizations partnered with Al-Qaeda.


The primary reason for this recent urge to generate and store our own electricity is to halt our dependency on OPEC. Which critics have stated it has turned into cartel, breaking the financial back of America's budget for buying oil-barrel gas for over $100 a barrel. The former CIA Director is calling on automakers to provide all fleet cars with the fuel-flex option, allowing auto owners the choice of picking traditional gasoline or methane at the pump.

This switch for gas stations to add methanol gas would be the equivalent of when leaded to unleaded was provided by the stations. This new idea correlates with the previous coauthored release by James Woosley and Sen. Richard Lugar, advocating cellulosic ethanol entitled "The New Petroleum", which states the position of how ethanol has evolved and will be a successful boom to not only the economy but also to lessen our dependence on OPEC.

Fact of the matter is America needs to stop being so desperately dependent on OPEC, and the use of natural gas gasoline. Methanol and ethanol is not the final answer to the solution let alone should be the main focus. Homes should however install solar panel rooftops, and add as many battery generators as possible in the event of the grid shutting down to 10 percent or complete downtime. With new innovations surfacing and growing threats, America has to take a stand and finally become energy independent.

 

 Remember to live clean and think "green".

 




McMahon, Jeff. "Former CIA Director: The Grid Is Vulnerable To Attack - Forbes." Information for the World's Business Leaders - Forbes.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 May 2013. <http://www.forbes.com/sites/jeffmcmahon/2013/04/26/former-cia-director-the-grid-is-vulnerable/2/>.