Town Hall
From 2005 to 2008, John Hofmeister ran the U.S. operations for Royal Dutch Shell. Then he turned 60. The Dutch have a cultural thing about 60. John said it roots back to post-WWII, when too many “older” folk were clinging to their jobs, so the unemployment rate among the youth was unacceptably high. So, many companies mandate retirement at 60. Fortunately, John didn’t drift off-stage. In fact, he’s more visible and viable now than ever. Frequently on CNBC, CNN, Fox and many others, he stopped by our Dallas studios to join Chris Faulkner of Breitling Energy and me for Powering America this week. (It’s the October 6 broadcast here).
Image courtesy of TownHall.com
Report: New battery charges quickly, has a long life span
/in What's The Buzz /by Fuel Freedom StaffResearchers at Nanyang Technological University in Singapore have developed a lithium ion battery than can charge to 70 percent in 2 minutes, and which has a life span of more than 20 years. Check out the story in Science Daily.
Growth Energy: Report proves food vs. fuel myth ‘completely unfounded’
/in What's The Buzz /by Fuel Freedom StaffEthanol Producer magazine has an explanatory post on the USDA report released last week. Growth Energy, which represents ethanol producers, says the report is further evidence that the “food vs. fuel” debate used to undermine ethanol is flawed. Tom Buis, CEO of Growth Energy, told the magazine: “In report after report, we see that the American farmer can produce an abundant amount of food and fuel. … It is clear that the food and fuel myth is completely unfounded and does a great disservice to the hardworking men and women that help feed the world and fuel our nation.”
Israel hopes to use natural-gas reserves to improve Mideast relations
/in Featured, National Security, What's The Buzz /by Fuel Freedom StaffBloomberg has an interesting story about one way Israel intends to improve relations with its critics in the Middle East: Enter into deals to sell some of its vast stores of natural gas to neighboring countries.
OPEC rift could lead to price war in coming months
/in Economy, Featured, What's The Buzz /by Fuel Freedom StaffAs The New York Times reports, the plummeting price of crude oil has brought disagreements among OPEC member nations about how to stop the slide. Iran has called for production cuts, which could push prices up, but Saudi Arabia has the most influence.
Pentagon: Climate change could present threats to U.S. military
/in Featured, National Security, What's The Buzz /by Fuel Freedom StaffThe U.S. Defense Department has come out with a comprehensive report on the impact of climate change on America’s military. According to The Washington Post’s story on the report, “Drastic weather, rising seas and changing storm patterns could become ‘threat multipliers’ for the United States, vastly complicating security challenges faced by American forces …” Read the full report here.
Wait. Keystone will hike gas prices, not lower them?
/in What's The Buzz /by Fuel Freedom StaffAn editorial in the Great Falls (Montana) Tribune lays out some hard truths about the proposed Keystone XL pipeline that would carry crude oil from Canada to refineries in the American Midwest: “Most likely the oil would be exported from there, doing little to create U.S. energy independence,” the newspaper writes.
“Canada’s National Energy Board anticipates 15 Midwestern states will experience a 10 to 20 cent per gallon increase in gasoline prices if KXL is built. It would happen because an oversupply of Canadian crude now refined for U.S. domestic use will be diverted to KXL for export.”
Detroit News: This time, cheaper gas may fuel trouble
/in Economy, Featured, What's The Buzz /by Fuel Freedom StaffA story in The Detroit News poses a troubling potential downside to the global drop in oil prices: “… most of the new production [in the U.S., with help from the fracking revolution] only makes economic sense at high prices. That is, it’s expensive to get the oil out of the ground, so if prices fall too much, it will cost more to get it than it’s worth.” That reality could put jobs in peril.
PUMP – Special Screening with Q&A presented by Fuel Freedom Foundation
/in Environment, Featured, FFF in the News, Media /by Fuel Freedom StaffThe Frida Cinema in Santa Ana is proud to bring you an eye-opening investigation into the United States’ problematic love affair with fossil fuels. Husband and wife team Joshua and Rebecca Harrell Tickell’s Pump is an exciting presentation of both long- and short-term solutions to our nation’s current oil addiction. The film seeks to explore what real individuals can do to make necessary change in their communities, approaching issues from the level of real human beings.
Former Shell Exec: American Energy Could Save the Economy
/in FFF in the News, Media /by Fuel Freedom StaffTown Hall
From 2005 to 2008, John Hofmeister ran the U.S. operations for Royal Dutch Shell. Then he turned 60. The Dutch have a cultural thing about 60. John said it roots back to post-WWII, when too many “older” folk were clinging to their jobs, so the unemployment rate among the youth was unacceptably high. So, many companies mandate retirement at 60. Fortunately, John didn’t drift off-stage. In fact, he’s more visible and viable now than ever. Frequently on CNBC, CNN, Fox and many others, he stopped by our Dallas studios to join Chris Faulkner of Breitling Energy and me for Powering America this week. (It’s the October 6 broadcast here).
Image courtesy of TownHall.com
Review – PUMP
/in FFF in the News, Media /by Fuel Freedom StaffFilm Hamster
Our dependence on oil for fuel has high costs, and I’m not just talking about the per gallon price at the station these days. Pump takes a closer look at these costs and what has put us in this situation, while offering a clear cut solution.