Green Energy News | July 1, 1996

July 1, 1996 – Vol.1 No.14

ENERGIES... week of July 1,1996

IT’S HARD TO IGNORE the bombing in Dhahran, Saudi Arabia as the major energy news of the week. It should be no surprise to anyone that the “interest” US airmen who died there were protecting is the oil.

The gut feeling is that would be good for all of our airmen to pack up and go. But we’re in a quandary. We need the oil for the health of our own economy. Yet, some say if we weren’t reliant on imported oil and could achieve energy independence, we might do better. But if we were to stop draining oil from the Persian Gulf area, economies in that region would be hurt, there would be more reprisals from terrorists already uncomfortable with our influence in the region.

A fine mess we’re in.

SWEET HYDROGEN. A team of British and US scientists have discovered that it is possible to make clean burning hydrogen fuel from glucose sugar. By adding enzymes from bacteria found near hot underwater vents to the sugar, pure hydrogen and a by- product called gluconate are formed. Gluconate can be used in making steel and pharmaceuticals. Glucose sugar is found everywhere in plant life.

This is terrific news, but the process still needs research according to scientists Jonathan Woodward and Michael Danson who discovered the process. While hydrogen seems to be the perfect fuel, no pollutants or carbon dioxide emissions (suspected for causing global warming), it is powerful stuff and difficult to handle. Methods would have to be developed so that any Joe Motorist could pump it safely at the self-serve and prevent massive fuel tank explosions in case of accidents.

It’s this kind of breakthrough discovery that could have profound effects on our foreign policy in the future.

THE EPA IS SEEKING to expand reporting requirements for industrial polluters. Up till now only some only some manufacturing operations, refiners and chemical plants have had to issue annual toxic emission reports. The EPA wants electric utilities, mining companies and waste treatment firms to do the same.

Proponents of the bill now in Congress say the public gets a false impression of industrial emissions, since only some industries have to report. Opponents say it would be costly to business, and the reporting process would be yet another taxpayer expense.