Barry Mead's Page
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- Are you interested in becoming an organizer in your area?
- No
- Tell us about your experience with alternative energy:
- I looked into converting my 2000 Blazer to natural gas. The EPA approved kit would cost more than I paid for the car brand new! If I try to convert my car to natural gas without an approved kit, I could be subjected to a $5000.00 per day fine until I restore the car to the factory pristine condition! These policies by the EPA seem way too punitive, and seem to strongly discourage adoption of, and experimentation with, clean fuel technologies.
- What excites you about this campaign?
- I like cheaper energy costs, and I don't like having the U.S. funding both sides of the war on terror as we are currently doing. Our gasoline dollars are being sent overseas to countries who don't like us and some of that money is being used to buy weapons for the opposite side of the war. This is unwise!
- What do you want to do to help?
- I want to find a way to drive my car without sending money to our enemies.
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27FEB09
Honorable Speaker of the House Congresswoman Pelosi,
I am an Electronic Technician Chief in the US Navy with 27 years service stationed overseas. I’m outlying an idea to assist and work with current plans for achieving energy independence. I urge you, as speaker of the house and the driving force to form the select committee on energy independence and global warming, consider for discussion and introduction into the house US Treasury Savings Bonds for Energy Independance.
In WWII America sold war bonds supporting the war effort. When young, my mother told me her primary school raised enough money through bonds to build a tank to support troops. I am impressed with the patriotism and purpose of our greatest generation that accomplished so much.
Selling energy bonds for RE (Renewable Energy) development would lower foreign oil imports and assist with the complex problem of funding. Bonds sold as “Energy S” could support new solar trough plants, “Energy W” to support wind farms, Energy “H” to support hydroelectric plants, Energy “T” to support RE transportation such as electric bullet train routes powered by RE, Energy "C" COOPS for small communities only needing a small quantity of turbines, and Energy “I” for needed infrastructure high voltage power lines to the RE site. Bonds will have the project name and include an artist’s perspective of the project and an American flag. President Obama had great success with the internet during his campaign. In a similar manner, using the internet, energy bonds could have a website listing current projects and an “electronic checkout” could purchase a bond $25 or higher. Simpler methods of payment such as “PAYPAL” and credit cards would be available and after an electronic purchase is complete a color print out of the bond is available with a follow up of the bond in the mail. The website would limit quantity of projects for each category until funding is complete. After a project becomes funded, a new project will be available. A tab on the site will show history and status of previous projects. Purchasers may take great pride in “collecting” and displaying bonds of various RE projects and participating at different levels of financial support. Solar trough plants in the multi-hundred MW size capacity with molten salt energy storage in California, Arizona, and West Texas can provide a major portion of electric needs. North Dakota has potential to support 1/3 of our nations electric needs in it’s class 4 wind zone areas. There are plenty of suitable proposed wind turbine farms now around the nation to significantly increase our RE if funded. Mid sized hydro-electric has not been used in America to it’s full potential. Following the example of our neighbor, Canada, it would provide a significant increase in percentage of electric production. Developing all three we could provide the majority of our electric and heating needs through renewable energy in a "New New Deal" fashion allowing natural gas for transportation as T. Boone Pickens is working for. Bullet train routes have proven a viable alternative to commercial domestic air service and when powered by electricity provided by RE suppliers America would be in the forefront of world technology. Example, I heard of discussion for a commuter train from Denver to Colorado Springs. Such a route built as a renewable energy project with charter requirement legally requiring to only purchase electricity from available renewable energy sources would be a model example. There are many train routes, city bus systems, and government vehicles that can be converted to run from alternative energy sources and fuels. Jobs created would bolster the economy, lower trade deficit, and strengthen national security. I would take great pride in print outs of bonds with graphics of each project I supported and many other Americans would also. The energy bonds could have tax breaks. BLM lands may be a viable place to start for some projects.
I contacted the US treasury department and was told that the marketing department for savings bonds closed several years ago. I was told there would be problems because savings bonds are at the federal level while the projects will be at the state and local level. I disagree and believe that these can easily be figured out in the way of grants to the state and local level using money from the bonds for those specific projects. I was told to check out auctions on the www.treasurydirect.gov website and found them to not apply to citizens wanting to buy savings bonds to support a cause such as energy independance. I was told by the treasury department to look into CREB (Clean Renewable Energy Bonds). I found CREB to be large scale funding that a citizen would not be able to participate in as a US Treasury Energy Independance Bond would provide. If given the tools to participate directly, the power of the citizens of the United States to help achieve energy independance could not be denied. Americans mean well and the Energy Independance Savings bond program will give citizens the power at their level to make it happen. If marketed through a web page, commercials, and to federal employees the word would get out and participation would spread like wildfire.
Mr. Paul Gipe, a resident of Bakersfield CA, an author of several books about wind energy, and recipient of multiple awards as a pioneer in the industry since the 1970's has put a letter I wrote to Senator Dorgan on this subject as well as an older letter I wrote on wind COOP in JAN07. These websites are:
http://www.wind-works.org/coopwind/RenewableEnergyBondsforEnergyIndependence.html
and
http://www.wind-works.org/articles/AmericanEnergyIndependencethroughCooperativeInvestmentinWindEnergy.html
Sincerely and very respectfully,
ETC(SW/AW) Mike Kendall USN
Mailing address: PSC 476, Box 879, FPO AP, 96322 USA
Telephone (803) 265-4756, Email: ke6cvh@yahoo.com
Let’s get moving!
Our local leaders in Washington need to hear from us.
The inauguration is just about here!
We need more Pickens Plan members.
Everything you need is under “Take Action” on the website.
Click on the “Take Action” tab at the top of the page, there are
4 easy things you can do with your computer right from your key board-
1. Join your District
2. Contact Congress
3. Email Obama
4. Tell a Friend
Thank you for your support!
Dave Clement
District Leader AZ06 Pickens Plan
Wind and Solar for Energy, Natural Gas for Vehicles
Independence from Foreign Oil
Economic and Energy Independence for America
Strengthen Our Economy And Our Employment Base In Arizona!
Please call me monday (734) 660-0164 I will be avilable anytime on monday.
Daniel
Please join us at http://push.pickensplan.com/group/cngconversionkitsandtheirvehicles. Your input will be of great help!
Also, join our discussion at http://push.pickensplan.com/group/cngconversionkitsandtheirvehicles/forum/topic/show?id=2187034%3ATopic%3A935206. Help us produce a letter we can all use to inundate the new president elect (and all our legislators) with for affordable, accessible, and reliable CNG conversion kits for all our vehicles.
Dave
Did you see my posting about an August 2008 announcement that Spanish researchers and American physicists have discovered a material for Hydrogen fuel cell membranes that is 10^8 (yes, 100million) times more efficient than current fuel Cell membrane technology. The Oak Ridge National Laboratory has confirmed the efficiency of this membrane. While the world gasps at the magnitude of this discovery they went on to explain the structure of this new material. The materials are common and inexpensive. It's made out of ZrO2:Y2O3/SrTiO3. All abundant materials.
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080731173133.htm
Oak Ridge Nation Laboratories – You can’t get stronger credentials. I wrote my congressman to as him to please make sure that these breakthrough technologies make it out of the laboratory and into the marketplace…SOON… or Big Oil and big Electric Utility money will bury the best hope for the human race. Unlimited power.
Can you see a fuel cell that is 100 million times more efficient producing enough hydrogen to drive down the road. Well, yeah.
Your ideas sound very interesting. I have just started doing research in the area of conversions and such
I would enjoy discussing this subject with you in further detail.
The onshore and offshore installation of wind turbines in Denmark and Germany are producing 20% of all their electrical needs; in Spain, as much as 38% (please see examples in the photos on my page). We are 10 years behind in implementation compared to these countries!
I mention these examples to give us a direction for inspiration and point to where we could be heading with the Pickens Plan. The technology is already there and we do not have to reinvent the wheel. These are a few of the websites I would suggest you visit to see what others around the world have done and are doing:
1) The Solar Village – Freiburg, Germany. See: http://www.thesolarvillage.com/
Watch the video in the upper left corner of the page. It tells a great story.
2) The Folkecenter for Renewable Energy – Denmark.
See: http://www.folkecenter.net/gb/overview/publications/
Under VARIOUS, read: The transition from Fossil Fuels to the Renewable Energies
The whole website is excellent and you could spend hours there.
3) Google: Samso, Denmark. This is an island off the coast of Denmark that is completely self-sustaining. http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2008/07/07/080707fa_fact_kolbert
4) Read the article written by Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. titled: “Global Warming: A Real Solution”
Here are a few great videos to see: “Saved by the Sun” a PBS NOVA video, and “A Crude Awakening” by Basil Gemlpke, et al. Americans need to mobilize and pressure our government representatives both on the state and national level. The Pickens Plan is a good place to foster discussion and share ideas and PUSH this plan! We can all share in this vital common cause. Good luck in your quest for a better more secure America….. Please ask 5 of your friends to join the “PLAN”……> Lee Ewald