Hi James, Here is a way to help and give tools to all of us for getting more RE projects started. I have been pushing for the sell of US Treasury "Energy Independence Savings Bonds". Savings bonds are normally purchased in $25 increments. This gives a way for just about any American to tighten their belts just a bit by skipping a meal at McDonalds or Pizza Hut and buying a RE savings bond to support a project. I need help pushing this project, I've faxed and emailed many in Congress/Senate already. My email is ke6cvh@yahoo.com. Here is a copy of a fax sent to Nancy Pelosi yesterday:
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:
No, Sir, I haven’t even tried to sell it, yet.
I have far too many irons in the fire, now.
But, to clarify, I do not propose to make salt concrete, which would be so weak as to be useless, but to mold blocks and bricks, and extrude or pressure slip-form profiles out of pure salt. No cement would be used.
In very low humidity climatic conditions, it would also be quite easy to build symmetrical structures, like towers, by an automatic cyclical spraying of multiple coats of a salt slurry, or even brine, to create walls and floors, and with CNC controls would even be possible to produce intricate non-symmetrical shapes.
Personally, I was just going to start out with solid salt blocks with standard laid dimensions of 8 inches by 8 inches by 16 inches, weighing 50 pounds, and market them as livestock mineral supplement blocks, until such time as I could effect some significant market acceptance of them as a building material.
Current retail pricing for a 50 lbs. livestock salt block is $7.
James,
Please take a look at my latest blog posting on towers - http://www.push.pickensplan.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2187034%3ABlogPost%3A1756462
I invite your comments, and hope you enjoy the discussion of the potential.
I read your admirable treatise on multiple uses for solar canopy/towers, which was fantastic.
I have been working on such concepts for a couple of years.
I would like to submit one proposal for your consideration - the salt side of the equation would yield better economics as a carbon neutral replacement for concrete as a building material in brick and block constructions, such as pavements, canopy support arches, terrace retaining walls, and even in slip-forming saltwater aquaculture raceways and additional towers.
A few years back, I designed a mortar-free building block that can be made out of adobe, concrete or any number of earth salts, and manufactured by any standard block forming machinery
In sun-drenched arid zones where the ground water is often saline, marine aquaculture would be the most economical and salt production cheap compared to cement manufacture, even setting aside the carbon emissions savings.
I would love to see you run the numbers on this.
I think we would all be surprised.
At 12:52pm on September 10, 2008, James Bowery said…
I was a member of the L5 Society from shortly after the Challenger blew up till around 1990. Prior to that I had been involved in space resource utilization ideas since about 1974.
Are you a member of the L-5 Society, or just another engineer like me?
At 7:45pm on September 9, 2008, Kim Anderson said…
Hi James
CALLING ALL LEADERS!
We have petitions! "THE PLEDGE" is on the main page.
I think this is the very best tool we could ask for. It is so much easier to get someone to sign a petition than to go online and join the plan as a member.
I have been test driving it for a few days and got 200 signatures rather eaasily. Most folks had seen the ads or seen Boone on the news. Most were eager to sign it and strongly support it. A few wanted to get more info- I handed them a business card with the website. Very few said no (2 or 3).
I hope you can ask all your "friends" to download a bunch of PLEDGES and fax them back to the office ASAP. THIS IS HOW WE BUILD AN ARMY much faster. Millions of signatures.
Thank you for all your efforts. We have a very strong team. Many ants can take the Hill!
Hi James! Just wanted to welcome you to Pickens Plan! I'm writing to you because the discussion and sharing of ideas is a very important part of any social site! Please feel free to stay in touch with your ideas and feeling about the need for change in energy policy. Thanks!
Welcome and THANK YOU for joining Pickens Plan. We need your help.
There is a perfect storm of events happening right now that create the possibility of a paradigm shift that is urgently needed. We have an angry citizenry due to pain at the pump, a presidential election on the horizon, and a man with a plan to dramatically and imminently reduce our dependance on foreign oil, and provide a bridge to future solutions, who has the resources, contacts, knowledge, wealth and "will" to get it done.
Please share this plan with your circle of friends, family and associates. Urge them to JOIN. As you know, it is simply like signing a petition. With large numbers of supporters, we can put pressure to bear on Congress to incentivize alternative and renewable energies, and insure that our future president will be a leader that will push for domestic energy solutions. JFK once said. "in the next 10 years we will put a man on the moon". He got it done. We need that kind of leadership on energy.
Time is of the essence. If gas prices retreat the public will forget the pain, and our moment may be lost. How frightening to be looking back and apologizing to our children that we could not get this done when we had the chance.
For more information:
Check out an informative video "Topeka, Kansas Town Hall Meeting": http://www.pickensplan.com/news/2008/08/04/video-of-the-topeka-town-hall
Please friend me if you like.
If you know someone in the press- get them to cover this.
If you know someone who blogs- get them to cover this.
If you can write to a Congressman/woman- get them to understand this. You can call them at (202)225-3121. Ask them if they support 100% clean electricity in the next 10 years.
If you know someone who is in the public eye- ask them to support this.
If you can write a letter to the editor of your local paper- please do.
If you want to print downloadable flyers and put them in your car and/or business window- please do.
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TODAY to ask 5 people to join this historical effort.
Best,
Kim
We get 45 million to vote for American Idol, why can't we get 10 million to join Pickens Plan?!
Welcome to the Pickens plan. We all share the same goal; to rid ourselves of foreign oil and clean up our environment for our children and grandchildren. Some of us just have a broader vision of what we need to do. Check out our group "Live Carbon Free" and see how we are promoting conservation and environmental stewardship as the bridge to future energy developments. Regardles of what we do, it will take some time to implement on a significant scale. For immediate results we can make a huge difference by conserving what we have. We would like for you to join our group and value your input. Feel free to add me as a friend.
James Bowery's Comments
Comment Wall (12 comments)
You need to be a member of PickensPlan to add comments!
Join this Ning Network
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
I have far too many irons in the fire, now.
But, to clarify, I do not propose to make salt concrete, which would be so weak as to be useless, but to mold blocks and bricks, and extrude or pressure slip-form profiles out of pure salt. No cement would be used.
In very low humidity climatic conditions, it would also be quite easy to build symmetrical structures, like towers, by an automatic cyclical spraying of multiple coats of a salt slurry, or even brine, to create walls and floors, and with CNC controls would even be possible to produce intricate non-symmetrical shapes.
Personally, I was just going to start out with solid salt blocks with standard laid dimensions of 8 inches by 8 inches by 16 inches, weighing 50 pounds, and market them as livestock mineral supplement blocks, until such time as I could effect some significant market acceptance of them as a building material.
Current retail pricing for a 50 lbs. livestock salt block is $7.
Please take a look at my latest blog posting on towers - http://www.push.pickensplan.com/profiles/blog/show?id=2187034%3ABlogPost%3A1756462
I invite your comments, and hope you enjoy the discussion of the potential.
I read your admirable treatise on multiple uses for solar canopy/towers, which was fantastic.
I have been working on such concepts for a couple of years.
I would like to submit one proposal for your consideration - the salt side of the equation would yield better economics as a carbon neutral replacement for concrete as a building material in brick and block constructions, such as pavements, canopy support arches, terrace retaining walls, and even in slip-forming saltwater aquaculture raceways and additional towers.
A few years back, I designed a mortar-free building block that can be made out of adobe, concrete or any number of earth salts, and manufactured by any standard block forming machinery
In sun-drenched arid zones where the ground water is often saline, marine aquaculture would be the most economical and salt production cheap compared to cement manufacture, even setting aside the carbon emissions savings.
I would love to see you run the numbers on this.
I think we would all be surprised.
I sent a request to be my PICKEN's Friend
& join our PA Group
Please respond
YEA OR NEA
Peace MR MIKE
I posted you X Prize video here http://informaticsworks.com/index.php?topic=140.msg165#msg165 and also on the Biofuel board at www.LibertyIsGreen.com. Good luck!
Rick
CALLING ALL LEADERS!
We have petitions! "THE PLEDGE" is on the main page.
I think this is the very best tool we could ask for. It is so much easier to get someone to sign a petition than to go online and join the plan as a member.
I have been test driving it for a few days and got 200 signatures rather eaasily. Most folks had seen the ads or seen Boone on the news. Most were eager to sign it and strongly support it. A few wanted to get more info- I handed them a business card with the website. Very few said no (2 or 3).
I hope you can ask all your "friends" to download a bunch of PLEDGES and fax them back to the office ASAP. THIS IS HOW WE BUILD AN ARMY much faster. Millions of signatures.
Thank you for all your efforts. We have a very strong team. Many ants can take the Hill!
Best
Kim
What do you think of the idea of issuing bonds similar to the War Bonds of WWII?
-Anthony
There is a perfect storm of events happening right now that create the possibility of a paradigm shift that is urgently needed. We have an angry citizenry due to pain at the pump, a presidential election on the horizon, and a man with a plan to dramatically and imminently reduce our dependance on foreign oil, and provide a bridge to future solutions, who has the resources, contacts, knowledge, wealth and "will" to get it done.
Please share this plan with your circle of friends, family and associates. Urge them to JOIN. As you know, it is simply like signing a petition. With large numbers of supporters, we can put pressure to bear on Congress to incentivize alternative and renewable energies, and insure that our future president will be a leader that will push for domestic energy solutions. JFK once said. "in the next 10 years we will put a man on the moon". He got it done. We need that kind of leadership on energy.
Time is of the essence. If gas prices retreat the public will forget the pain, and our moment may be lost. How frightening to be looking back and apologizing to our children that we could not get this done when we had the chance.
For more information:
Check out an informative video "Topeka, Kansas Town Hall Meeting": http://www.pickensplan.com/news/2008/08/04/video-of-the-topeka-town-hall
Please friend me if you like.
If you know someone in the press- get them to cover this.
If you know someone who blogs- get them to cover this.
If you can write to a Congressman/woman- get them to understand this. You can call them at (202)225-3121. Ask them if they support 100% clean electricity in the next 10 years.
If you know someone who is in the public eye- ask them to support this.
If you can write a letter to the editor of your local paper- please do.
If you want to print downloadable flyers and put them in your car and/or business window- please do.
PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TODAY to ask 5 people to join this historical effort.
Best,
Kim
We get 45 million to vote for American Idol, why can't we get 10 million to join Pickens Plan?!
Welcome to the Pickens plan. We all share the same goal; to rid ourselves of foreign oil and clean up our environment for our children and grandchildren. Some of us just have a broader vision of what we need to do. Check out our group "Live Carbon Free" and see how we are promoting conservation and environmental stewardship as the bridge to future energy developments. Regardles of what we do, it will take some time to implement on a significant scale. For immediate results we can make a huge difference by conserving what we have. We would like for you to join our group and value your input. Feel free to add me as a friend.
Wayne Alderman
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