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Monday, April 19, 2010
018 - Wyoming coal seems to always be in hot water
This story is almost impossible to imagine to those of us here in Wyoming. After all, we are sitting on a 300-year cheap supply of reliable and robust energy in the form of coal – but the good times are over concerning this fuel.
And although the coal industry is in hot water, perhaps Wyoming should consider hot water as another of its primary energy sources? More on that later.
As for coal, it only takes a look to the far west to read about what is happening.
If California were a country, it would have the eighth largest economy in the world.
And this huge state of 38 million people consumes an awful lot of energy. Some 16 percent of that energy comes from coal-fired power plants. And Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger intends to eliminate all of that power generation.
This is just one example of what is happening across the country. It is important to Wyoming because we produce more coal here than any other state.
In Colorado, Xcel Energy just received approval to shut down two coal-fired power plants and replace them with natural gas fired ones. Those plants have been using Wyoming coal.
A big new coal-fired power plant in Mesquite, Nevada, has been cancelled. The utility there will use natural gas and solar.
I have long felt that this rush across the country to make coal a pariah energy source could be curtailed with the advent of clean coal projects. The work being done at the University of Wyoming’s energy center could be crucial to achieving that goal.
Plus, it would seem that coal would not seem to be such a bogeyman with the arrival of unpleasant electrical blackouts and brownouts in our more populated places.
So far, neither of these two events has occurred, and coal is losing the public relations battle across the country.
It is dumbfounding that this abundant and cheap energy source is being treated so poorly. But Gov. Schwarzenegger’s example is not the exception, but the rule these days.
It reminds me a lot of what happened to nuclear power back in 1979 when the incident at Three Mile Island (combined with the movie, The China Syndrome) scared the bejesus out of the American people.
No nuclear plants have been built in this country for 31 years as a result. Is this the future for coal?
Luckily, Wyoming is not a one trick pony when it comes to energy:
• We are the second largest state in producing natural gas.
• Wyoming is known as the “windiest” state, when it comes to that wonderful source of alternative energy.
• The Cowboy State is also the largest exporter of any state when it comes to uranium mined.
• Our state is also a sunny place.
But the one source of energy in which we lead the entire world has barely been developed.
Geothermal.
With Yellowstone National Park’s unbelievably huge geyser fields plus the world’s largest hot spring in Thermopolis, you might think Wyoming would be a leader in geothermal. But not so.
There are also natural hot springs near Lander, Dubois, Jackson and Saratoga.
Why are folks here so leery of developing this resource?
I think there is a pretty good reason not to in that folks here are probably scared to death they might upset the natural features that are found in Yellowstone and the 200-mile circle around it.
Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Idaho rank as the top four states in the country for development of geothermal energy sources.
Seems odd that these states so close to Wyoming have jumped into this very clean alternative energy, while our state has seen very little activity.
Perhaps if anyone had the guts to try to develop here, they would be scared off by the recent volcanic activity in Iceland, a country whose geothermal features are second only to Wyoming.
Lots of my friends and relatives around the country have told me they are rushing out to Yellowstone this year “before it blows up.” Huh?
It has been daunting to see all the natural catastrophes, which have occurred around the world in 2010. Why not Yellowstone, too?
This discussion reminds me of the skit on Saturday Night Live where a commentator was talking about the eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland.
He said:
“There has been a huge incident in Iceland that has disrupted air traffic in Europe. Not sure I can pronounce the name, but let me give it a try.
“Here goes: VOL- KAY-NO.”
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Thursday, April 15, 2010
017 - Wyoming is jam=packed full of interesting stories
Wyoming is not always like the other 49 states.
Seems like I have been seeing these unusual stories recently. For example:
• Gillette and Wyoming were praised in a letter on the Internet from a police officer who happened to be in Gillette when that city was honoring a young soldier killed in Afghanistan. His letter:
“To the people of Wyoming (especially Campbell County): I am a police officer in Connecticut with over 30 years on the job, a sergeant with a department in the Hartford area.
“Recently my daughter and I were driving cross-country from Connecticut to Seattle.
“On March 31, we pulled off the highway to gas up and get something to eat. We were in Gillette. As we were leaving the restaurant we saw the street lined with people holding flags, their hands over their hearts or saluting.
“One of the waitresses watching from the door explained that a young soldier killed in Afghanistan was coming from the airport en route to the funeral home. We saw the tail end of the procession and followed it as we made our way back onto the highway.
“All these people stopping what they were doing to honor this soldier and show their respect was so moving. I’ve never seen such a display of respect and gratitude where I work. I would venture to say some of the residents back home would be breaking into the cars while the owners lined the streets.
“Your shining example will forever be remembered by my daughter and I. We have been sharing this with our friends and family as a highlight of our trip.”
Sgt. Dan “Zeke” Mathena, Harwinton, Conn.
• And then there was this gem from Worland which is getting a lot of traction on the Internet:
To the editor: I object and take exception to everyone saying that Obama and Congress are spending money like a drunken sailor. As a former drunken sailor, I quit when I ran out of money.
Bruce L. Hargraves, USN retired
Worland
• Former Wyoming House Speaker Rick Tempest sent me a correction about something in a previous column concerning his dog named “Senator.” I had quoted former House Speaker Fred Parady’s line about Tempest and his dog, which apparently wasn’t accurate. Tempest says:
“Regarding Senator, my basset hound, what I actually said
(even on the House Floor) was:
"My dog is named Senator, I feel everyone should own their
own Senator and I own mine.
“Regarding Fred`s quote, I have never been under the misconception that when you call a Senator they would come. Actually they would just stay and sleep.”
Funny comments from the Casper man, whose personal name (Rick Tempest) should be copyrighted, in the chance that some future superhero should end up with it.
• How many funerals have you been to recently which featured a Methodist church, a Catholic Deacon and a Mormon bishop?
George Douglas, 67, died earlier this month and his funeral was one of the more unique celebrations of life that I have attended.
He was a man for all seasons. George was a former football, baseball, gymnastics and swimming coach, plus a former teacher, principal, superintendent, college coach and heavy equipment operator . . . he was a jack of all trades and master of most of them.
He was born in Upton and died in Lander. In-between, he worked in Jeffrey City, Sheridan, Laramie, Mountain View plus towns in Nebraska and Colorado.
Catholic Deacon John Deti of Laramie coached with Douglas in Sheridan and talked about how his friend coached from astride a horse in the Bighorn Mountains, when their team held a summer camp.
Mormon Bishop Vince Irene of Lander described what rides to football games where Vince’s kids played and George’s grandson played were like.
Lander Pastor Joe Hearne described a wild trip to Rock Springs where George showed him the “best burritos in Wyoming” in the back of a nondescript deserted service station and then made him drive home through the Red Desert, dodging ruts a foot deep.
I knew George through his son-in-law, Alan Dubberley, the deputy state tourism director, and George’s wife of 49 years, Mickey, who works at the Central Wyoming College Lander center.
In my advancing age, I seem to be attending more funerals these days than I would prefer, but rarely do you attend one that truly was a “celebration” of a person’s life like this one.
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Saturday, April 10, 2010
016 - Wyoming`s future looks bright to this futures expert
From a distance, Wyoming looks pretty good.
That is the assessment made by many people around the country when they size up the economic health of different states.
This latest conclusion came from a guy who lives in the same neighborhood as my daughter’s family in a Dallas, Texas suburb.
What is unique about his observations is that he is the only person I know whose job is “futurist.” And he is not the futurist for just any company, but for Hewlett-Packard, a company with 320,000 employees.
I have written about Jeff Wacker before. We talked about a lot of things, including Wyoming’s immediate economic future and energy. I also wanted to talk about the future of work.
He wanted to talk about high-tech sensors, which could have a huge impact on Wyoming energy development.
So, what about Wyoming during this odd national economy?
Because our state lives on energy prices and consumption, he thinks our state’s economy will chug along just fine.
“The energy states will do well as they lead the country out of recession, which is what is being attempted right now,” he says. “The problem is that Wall Street investors, with no other haven for their investments, are pouring money into oil futures at the first sign of recovery. This raises energy prices, which (helps Wyoming) but puts a damper on the national recovery.
“As for the long-term outlook, resource- based states (coal, oil, natural gas, minerals, etc.) are going to come out well as the global economy continues to consume these ever-scarcer products.
“As for education, I believe strongly that education, especially STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) will be critical. What is needed is a K-Career curriculum that not only contemplates education but the jobs that will enable the students to stay in Wyoming.
“Wyoming needs to take advantage of their ‘gray’ assets – the aging population – who require re-education for the new economy jobs rather than struggling to get by on what’s been done for the last 30 years.
“The bad news is these folks may not be able to afford to retire. But there is some good news. If they want to and can work beyond the retirement age of past generations combined with their natural desire to stay in Wyoming plus the right adult re-education could be a boon to the Wyoming economy.”
On the national level, he says the current recession is absolutely unique in that it is the first time ever when “the economy went down and productivity went up.”
He says those five percent of people who lost their jobs will probably never get them back. “This was a time of re-set, a time when businesses throttled back and became a lot more productive,” he says. This will be the key to the national recovery but it does not bode well for those out of work folks.
He also said that the real number of unemployed and “underemployed” is nearly 20 percent. Those underemployed are people who used to work for $80,000 per year but now work 2-3 jobs to make $35,000 a year.
“Worst of all, we are now seeing record numbers of people who have been unable to find work for six months or longer. That is a magic number with many people giving up on finding gainful employment and joining the ranks of unemployable,” he concludes.
He studies trends and says there are five generations living in the USA right now:
The Traditionals, folks 65 and over.
The Baby Boomers
Generation X (Boomer children)
Generation Y
The Millennials.
Wacker is impressed by the capability of the Millennials – kids born around the time of the Millennium.
“They are the ultimate multi-taskers. They are doing 10.4 hours of electronics work in just 7.5 hours of an average day. In the entire history of mankind, there have never been people like this.”
A year ago, I published a column where Wacker predicted various economic crises’ arriving in the USA. He thinks the two biggest crises still looming involve commercial real estate and unfunded pensions.
Driving around north Dallas, it was amazing to see all the huge empty office buildings. “See what I mean,” Wacker says.
He is not a big fan of current national administration and feels we are turning into Europe. “For the first time, more people in the USA work for governments than private industry,” he says.
Oh yeah, and those new-fangled sensors he is so excited about? Sorry that information is still classified.
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Thursday, April 01, 2010
015 - Three perfect days in a paradise called Belize
How can I write about an ocean paradise and connect it with Wyoming?
Well, both Belize and Wyoming have small populations, about half million or less. Both are English-speaking and use English common law for land transactions, for starters.
But there is a lot more than that . . .
If you fly on United Airlines and read its Hemispheres Magazine, the most popular feature is called “Three Perfect Days,” in which writers condense trips to exotic locales into just 72 hours of fun.
Well, that is exactly what I did from March 30 to April 2, when visiting my brother Ron and his wife Tamara on an island called Ambergris Caye in the Caribbean.
Ron is communications director for the Wyoming Education Association in Cheyenne. Tamara used to be the director for the Wyoming’s Children’s Museum in Laramie before going native in paradise.
What probably made that trip the most perfect was something that occurred about 3,000 miles north. My hometown of Lander suffered a 10-inch snowfall and the subsequent cold spell that can turn Spring into mid-Winter over night.
But me? No problem. I was enjoying 87-degree temperatures and touring one of the most sun-drenched countries in Central America.
Called Belize, this country is a unique and special place, especially for Americans for three big reasons:
First, they accept American dollars for currency.
Second, they speak English.
Third, it has Mexico’s beaches without the drug violence.
My head was stuffed with a bad cold when Nancy and I flew down to Dallas to spend Easter with family. It was my idea to sneak off to Belize for three quick days.
It became obvious this would be an unusual trip when my seatmates on the flight to Belize City turned out to also be from Lander. From Lander, Wyoming!
Ear, Nose and Throat specialist Dr. Davis Merrit and his son Nick were headed to Belize for some diving and fishing. How small can the world get?
What made it more special, he was able to help me cure my painful swollen ears.
You plug your nose and blow out plus jut your jaw forward. If that doe not do the trick, buy some Afrin nasal spray.
Amazing coincidence. Not sure what that was all about, but it added an odd but very nice wrinkle to my trip.
While on Ambergris Caye, I visited two wonderful resorts that had Wyoming connections.
Captain Morgan’s Resort is owned by Karen Riley and Ernie Olmstead. She is the daughter of Victor Riley of Cody. It is a spectacular place. Find out more at www.captainmorgans.com. In the US, you can contact Captain Morgan`s Retreat, Ltd. 1145 Sheridan Avenue Suite 8, Cody, WY 82414, (307) 587-8914.
Just south of them is one of the world’s premier fly-fishing resorts, called El Pescador. Their new fly fishing guide, Lori-Ann Murphy, is a friend of Cody’s Tim Wade, Lander’s Jim Mitchell and Jackson’s Jack Dennis. Small world. You can find out more at www.elpescador.com .
We spent one day snorkeling at Hol Chan Marine Reserve. I have snorkeled all over Hawaii and this was as good as I have experienced. We also snorkeled in an area where sharks and rays congregate, which was educational.
We were based on San Pedro Town, where my brother and his wife own the local newspaper, the San Pedro Sun.
They were great tour guides as we traveled the 22-mile long island in a modified golf cart. Few cars are permitted on the island.
My brother was putting photos of my exploits daily on Facebook and Wyoming people responded by hoping I got sunburned (Debbie Hammons) or got sand in my swim trunks (Jared Kail).
Ron and Tamara have a nice home in San Pedro and live next to a canal that leads to the Caribbean. Just off their dock is an occasional visitor, a six-foot long crocodile. They call him “Steve,” after the late Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter.
My last night there we were motoring along a busy street when a voice shouted “Ron!” A very sunburned man drove over to us.
He was Michael Walden Newman of Cheyenne and his wife Jane. They were on the last day of their trip. Amazing that he spotted us among the 10,000 or so visitors puttering over the island.
If you think Newman’s face is sunburned, ask him to show you his stomach. Like a tomato.
Ambergris Caye is like the Jackson Hole of Belize. It is an ideal winter vacation destination. Check out www.sanpedrosun.net for more information.
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